When conducting remote board meetings, it’s important to establish an effective structure to keep the discussion focused and on target. It is easier to keep the discussion on track when participants have an organized agenda. It is also beneficial to send the agenda along with any documents that go along with it to the attendees via an encrypted board portal in advance so that they can note down, add items, and review the agenda before the meeting begins.
Another way to ensure a smooth remote board meeting is to reduce distractions to the minimum. Participants should take the call in a quiet space, such as a office or home. This will decrease the likelihood that they’ll tune out and miss the most important issues to be discussed during the meeting.
Also, it’s a good idea to ask participants to turn off their microphones if they’re not talking to help reduce distracting background noise during the meeting. The person in charge of recording minutes must document all motions in writing and record who made the motion and who seconded. This is essential to maintaining a complete record of the meeting, which can be used as a future reference or for legal purposes further down the road.
Finally, it’s important to adhere to the time limits you set for each agenda item to prevent the meeting from getting bogged down in a way that isn’t needed. You can further encourage efficient meeting procedures by urging attendees to utilize parking lots for ad-hoc topics so that they do not derail the main discussion.
