How to Conduct Effective Virtual Board Meetings

Virtual board meetings can be a great method to avoid a face-toface meeting. They are an easy and flexible way for non-profit organizations, to connect with their boards and directors. However the transition from in-person meetings to virtual meetings can have its problems and drawbacks. To ensure a productive engaging, effective and enjoyable board meeting, non-profit leaders boardmaps should adhere to a few rules to ensure the meeting runs smoothly.

Keep the Meeting focused on the Agenda

In a virtual meeting it’s easy for participants to drift off topic or lose interest in the discussion. It’s crucial that the participants remain focused on the agenda and that board members don’t stray too far from the content. It is also beneficial for companies to record virtual meetings and distribute minutes after each meeting.

Increase Attendee Engagement

It is crucial that non-profits keep a high level of board member involvement as they move to a virtual format. Meetings can become tense and awkward when attendees struggle to communicate with each other over a digital platform. To avoid this, it’s important that the head of the board set a certain tone and atmosphere for each meeting and set rules for participation and communication.

One of the biggest hurdles with virtual meetings is avoiding the often-repeated “zoom fatigue”. Too long meetings can cause participants to feel exhausted and disconnected. To reduce the length of a virtual meeting and to help participants stay engaged it is crucial that presenters read their slides and videos prior to when the meeting is conducted, as well as to encourage attendees to take short breaks between sessions.