Online board meetings are becoming more commonplace as businesses shift towards a digital environment. This new way of conducting business requires a bit more discipline than meetings in person, but it can be equally productive when the meeting is run well. It’s important to set clear expectations at the beginning of the meeting and make sure that everyone follows the guidelines.
Keep the discussion focussed on the most important topics on the agenda. Keep the agenda short and break it down into 15-minute sections to avoid fatigue. This will enable you to quickly move through the agenda. Add breaks directly to the agenda. This can stimulate discussions and encourage participation.
Brainstorming sessions are an excellent way to stimulate creativity during the meeting and can provide some extremely useful ideas. However, it’s important to ensure that everyone in the team feels comfortable speaking up during these types of discussions. It’s important to be able hear the team members who are quiet or shy.
At the end of the meeting, make sure that everyone is reminded of any important follow-up tasks, like making a survey of the board or sending additional information, data or other materials during the meeting. These tasks digital instruments for the board of governance can easily be handled by a powerful board software solution that allows for seamless distribution of all materials to all attendees.