Managing a board of directors is an important task for a leader because both productivity and a good atmosphere among board members depend on it. However, the era of digitalization has begun to push companies to change how they work, and the global pandemic has contributed to it. As a result, remote working and online meetings have become more frequent everywhere, including on boards. Unfortunately, this has caused problems due to the low technical literacy of participants and the unfamiliar environment, which greatly reduces the productivity of meetings. This article will highlight a few tips to help you have rich and effective virtual board meetings.
Make sure your company can hold virtual meetings
Starting at the beginning, you first need to check to see if your board of directors is allowed to hold meetings remotely because some protocols do not allow this. If allowed, you still need to familiarize yourself in more detail with your company’s policy rules and local regulations. When you are confident that your actions are legal, it will allow the other participants to relax and know that they are doing the right thing. Make sure that your meeting follows proper procedures and that you act ethically.
Agree on a good time for the meeting
Deciding on a time for the meeting is important because you need to coordinate with each participant and make sure that they are comfortable, especially for participants who live in other time zones. Despite the remote mode, you still have to calculate the time by observing the rules of breaks and lunch. Of course, it cannot be easy to please all participants, but you must ensure that most of them are comfortable coming to the meeting at the time you choose.
Create an organized agenda
To avoid awkward pauses and to waste time on secondary issues instead of other concerns, you, as a leader, must give proper attention to preparation before the meeting. To do this, you need to create a clear agenda. So, to improve the plan, you can:
- Involve participants in her meeting – Invite participants to make changes to the agenda. The other participants can approve or reject the suggestions. That way, they will feel valued and heard
- Make sure the virtual meeting is on schedule – make sure the session starts and ends on time, and value your colleagues’ time. Allocate a time limit to each topic of discussion
- Give participants copies of agendas in advance – at least a week in advance, you should send out agendas to the other participants. This is twice as easy to do using a secure online space
Improve your technology
Provide yourself and your board with the necessary equipment, and give them the proper technical support to keep your work flowing smoothly. It’s best to use video communication during the meeting, as it fosters stronger connections, increases engagement, and sets the working atmosphere. Remember etiquette; others should follow your example as a leader.
Encourage interaction between the participants
Interaction during virtual board meetings can be lame. To improve this factor, you need to:
- Encourage participants to speak at the beginning -this will set the proper tone for your meeting and improve the collaborative spirit; each participant should announce their presence and say hello
- Encourage everyone to comment and ask questions – warn participants that they may ask a question in the middle of another participant’s presentation; they should just raise their hand or express their desire in the general chat
- Keep the discussion moving – keep the discussion on track; an agenda will help you with this. You can’t let anything or any participant’s statements drag on too long.