Online board meetings eliminate one of the most significant obstacles to participation and attendance time. Meetings are less frequent and board members are able to attend more frequently. This alone boosts attendance and decreases the risk of missing important decisions. It’s important to realize that an online board meeting has its issues.
In-person meetings enable attendees to read bodylanguage and facial expressions. This can be a challenge in a virtual conversation. It’s more difficult to keep distant board members interested. Board members may be hesitant to speak out if they feel their contribution will not be heard. Even if they do speak up, their voice might be overshadowed by other participants or background noise.
Poor audio quality and inconsistent software can also be a problem for online board meetings. It is essential to select an online video-conferencing system that is secure, accessible, easy to use and has numerous features that can help your business. Ask your board members if they can test the platform prior to your online board meeting. This will help you avoid any technical issues.
Another issue is keeping the meeting on schedule and limiting the amount of discussion items. It is recommended that you define a time limit as well as an objective for each item. For instance, you could assign a person to be the leader of each explanation item on the agenda or establish an amount of time for each item. The objective should be to make a decision or come up with ideas prior to moving on to the next item.