The quality of your board meetings is contingent on the amount of work your board members prepare prior to each meeting. If they are able to plan their meetings for online meetings, they will make the meetings more productive and efficient. A well-prepared team is also more likely to adhere to the agenda, and ensure that they don’t get distracted by divergent thoughts.

It’s essential to communicate clearly to board members from remote locations how they should be participating in meetings. It’s best, for example to remind attendees to turn off their phones when speaking, and only speak when they are asked to. This will prevent participants from arguing or leaving the meeting not feeling heard. It’s also crucial that the convener ask participants if they require assistance with a technology problem before starting.

Include the rules of virtual meetings in the board member orientation material so that everyone knows what to expect prior to and after the meeting. It is important, for instance to provide the agenda in advance and then follow up https://protectednetwork.org/data-room-mergers-and-acquisitions-for-the-business/ the day or morning before to confirm the agenda details. You can also give the Zoom or meeting link to attendees again and remind them of any other preferences you may have (such as asking them to listen to the meeting in a quiet location to avoid distractions). It is also recommended to add a placeholder for an executive session to each agenda item and include it at the beginning of the meeting to avoid confusion about whether there will be an executive session or not.