It’s important to create an organization that keeps the discussion focused and productive when conducting a remote board meeting. This is made easier when meeting participants have an agenda in place that is a guideline for them at all times. It is also beneficial to send the agenda along with any related documents to the attendees in advance via a secure online board portal to allow them to note down notes, add items and review them prior to when the meeting begins.
Distractions should be minimized to ensure the success of a remote board meeting. Ideally, participants should join the call from an office or home setting that doesn’t have numerous distracting sounds. This helps reduce the possibility that they’ll tune out and miss important information that are being discussed in the meeting.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to request participants to turn off their microphones when they are not talking to help reduce distractions from background noise during the meeting. The person who takes minutes is required to record all motions verbatim and include who made the motion and who seconded it. This is essential to maintaining a complete record of the meeting that can be used as a future reference or for legal purposes afterward.
It’s also important to adhere to the time limit you determine for each item on the agenda in order to avoid the meeting becoming a drag. You can facilitate a smooth meeting by encouraging attendees to leave ad-hoc topics in a parking area to ensure they don’t distract from the main discussion.