How to Conduct a Successful Remote Board Meeting
When conducting a remote board meeting, it’s crucial to create a structure to keep the discussion focused and on target. This is easier when the meeting participants have a plan that is a guideline for them throughout the meeting. It is also useful to email the agenda and any other documents associated with it to attendees through an encrypted board portal in advance so they can take note of, add items and review before the meeting begins.
Another way to ensure a productive remote board meeting is to limit distractions as much as you can. Ideally, attendees should take the call in an office or home environment that isn’t surrounded by a lot of distracting noises. This reduces the likelihood that they’ll tune out and miss important points that are being discussed in the meeting.
It’s also recommended to ask the participants to muffle their microphones if they’re not speaking to minimize distracting background noise. Also, the person who takes minutes should be sure to note all motions in full, along with who made the motion and who supported it. This is crucial to keep an accurate record of the meeting which can be used for documentation or legal reasons later.
It is also important to stick to the time limits you set for each agenda item to prevent the meeting from getting bogged down unnecessarily. You can promote an efficient meeting by encouraging participants to park ad hoc topics in a parking space to ensure they don’t interfere with the main discussion.