Despite the current pandemic, nonprofit boards must still meet regularly to decide. Virtual meetings are an easy solution that improves board member productivity and engagement. The online meetings aren’t without difficulties. Some board members may not be comfortable with the latest technology, while others have limited technological proficiency.
Virtual meetings can also lead to an absence of motivation and focus, especially when meetings are long. Participants experience “zoom fatigue” and can easily become distracted by other things on their screen. To prevent this, it’s important to keep the meeting brief. Be sure to clearly explain the agenda and encourage the participants to take part in the meeting. It is also beneficial to utilize polls and questions to maintain attention.
Another issue that can arise from virtual board meetings is the inability to observe body language or facial expressions. This can negatively impact the level of engagement among board members as well as the effectiveness of the meeting. To prevent this, board https://boardroomtx.com/how-to-run-board-meetings-in-times-of-crisis/ members should be encouraged to watch videos during the meeting so they are able to detect non-verbal signals that their peers are sending to them.
Other challenges include the difficulty of recording and distribution of board meeting minutes. Recording the entire meeting is crucial in the event that a member of the board is unable to attend. This also allows future boards to go over previous decisions and gain a better understanding of the reasons of a particular decision. The best way to avoid these problems is to use a board management tool which provides a central archive of all meeting materials including historical and current.