Board meetings that are online eliminate one of the most significant barriers to participation and attendance: time. Meetings are shorter and board members can attend more meetings. That alone improves turnout and lowers the chance of omitting crucial decisions. It’s important to realize that an online board meeting has its challenges.
In-person meetings allow attendees to read bodylanguage and facial expressions. This can be difficult when it’s a virtual discussion. It’s also harder to keep board members who are located far away engaged. For example board members might be reluctant to speak at an event if they don’t feel their contributions will be heard. And even when they do speak up, their voice may be overshadowed by other participants or background noise.
Poor audio quality and inconsistent software are also challenges for online board meetings. It’s important to choose the right video conferencing platform that is secure, user-friendly, and accessible and packed with features that help your business. Ask your board members to test the platform prior to the online board meeting. This will help you avoid any technical issues.
Another issue is keeping the meeting on time and limiting the length of discussion topics. It is recommended to have a time limit, and a goal for every item. For example, you can designate a person to lead each item on the agenda or place a time limit on each item. The aim should be arrive at a conclusion or generate ideas before moving to the next item.