How to Conduct an Online Board Meeting

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Video conferences allow remote board members to see one another, even if they’re using different gadgets. For their meetings, nonprofits can choose among a variety of video conference platforms, including Zoom, GoToMeeting WebEx, and Google Meet. Nonprofits can also utilize board management software that comes with a meeting interface that allows remote participation.

While the majority of discussions at a meeting are conducted by audio, the ability to see facial expressions can be a great way to encourage more participatory and interactive meetings. To ensure that everyone is heard, the chair should call on board members who haven’t spoke and limit the number of people speaking at a time. This ensures that no one person is in control and ensures a balanced process of decision making. To minimize background noise, request that participants turn off their mobile phones and hit the muted button when they are not speaking.

Some directors are not familiar with the virtual meeting platform and are hesitant to speak out which reduces their involvement and the effectiveness of the meeting. This can be solved by providing an easy-to-use meeting interface, allowing an orientation session to help attendees with the platform and encouraging them to practice prior to the actual meeting. The board can also create a strict agenda that limits the duration of each item to ensure that the meeting runs smoothly and the desired result is reached. Board members can highlight and make notes on documents that are digital to improve their participation and speed up meetings. They can share their annotations with other members to improve collaboration and improve the quality of their minutes.