The quality of your board’s meetings will depend on the amount of work that members prepare prior to each meeting. If participants take the time to prepare for online meetings, they will make the meetings more efficient and productive. A well-prepared group is more likely to adhere to the agenda and avoid getting sidetracked.
It’s essential to communicate clearly to board members who are located far away how they can participate in meetings. For example, it’s best to remind participants to mute themselves and only speak when asked to speak. This stops people from speaking over one another or leaving a gathering without feeling heard. Before a meeting begins, the convenor should ask participants if there are any technology problems they data analytics on protectednetwork org need help with.
Include the rules of virtual meetings in the board member orientation materials so that everyone is aware of what to expect prior to and after the meeting. It’s essential, for example to provide the agenda in advance and to follow up with the attendees in the morning or day prior to to confirm the agenda details. It is also possible to give the Zoom or meeting link to the participants and remind them about any other preferences you may have (such as asking them to tune in to the meeting from a quiet place to reduce distractions). It is also recommended to include a placeholder for executive sessions to each agenda item, and to include this at the start of the meeting to avoid confusion about whether there will be an executive session or not.