The quality of your board meetings is contingent on the amount of work your board members prepare prior to each meeting. If the participants are prepared and prepare, they can make online meetings more efficient and productive. A well-prepared group is more likely to stick to the agenda and not get distracted.

It is essential to clearly communicate to board members from remote locations Strategic Planning how they can participate in meetings. For instance, it’s important to remind participants to mute themselves and only speak when they’re called upon. This will stop people from talking over each other or leaving a meeting without feeling heard. It’s also crucial for the convenor to ask participants if they need assistance in a tech issue prior to getting started.

Include the rules of virtual meetings in the board member orientation document to ensure that everyone understands what to expect prior to, during and after the meeting. It’s essential, for example to communicate the agenda prior to the meeting and to follow up the day before or in the morning prior to the meeting to confirm the agenda details. You can also provide the Zoom or meeting link to the participants and remind them of any other preferences you might have (such as asking them to tune in to the meeting from a quiet place to limit distractions). It is also recommended to include a placeholder for executive sessions to each agenda item, and to include this at the start of the meeting to avoid confusion over whether there will be an executive session.