The organization of an online board meeting is crucial to successful meetings, a strong engagement of the board, and the quality of meeting minutes. These suggestions can help you plan your next virtual dailyboardroom.org/what-to-ask-the-ceo-of-your-company/ board meeting and create the conditions to ensure a productive and efficient session:
Make an agenda that reflects the goals of your meeting, for example, to inform people, gather data or come to a conclusion. This will help guide the discussion and assist your chairperson to control the pace of discussion. Also, be sure to provide a maximum talking time for each topic and speaker to keep the meeting moving and prevent the discussion from getting lost in.
Schedule the meeting at the time that works for all participants. This will allow participants to take part more easily in the meeting and also ensure that the quorum, required for democracy and voting, is present. It’s also important to take into account the time zones of the attendees and provide them with the tools needed to conduct a smooth discussion.
Employ a staff member to act as a clockkeeper. This person will monitor the length and duration of each meeting, and ensure that timetables for meetings are followed. This will increase the accountability of board members and help maintain efficiency. It’s also recommended to ask members and directors to dress in formal attire at the time of the meeting to keep away from distracting lighting or clothing which can cause issues on camera.
Encourage or require all attendees to make use of video during the meeting to boost engagement. This will enable them to observe the body language of their peers. This will help promote an environment of collaboration and help build trust.