Online board meetings are a great way to connect colleagues without the need to travel. It lets you hold more meetings at times that are convenient for all attendees, thus increasing the efficiency and engagement. Any changes made to documents during these meetings will be automatically synchronized when internet connectivity is restored. This means that even the time your colleague is offline, they will be able to access and read up on all of the information discussed at your last meeting.
When you hold a meeting online members of your board can utilize the video conferencing tools in their board management software to view each other and communicate face-to-face. This keeps them interested, and also allows them to gauge each other’s nonverbal communication. They can also turn off their microphones when they’re not speaking, so as to avoid interrupting each other and to observe the rules of online meetings.
It’s a great idea to run through the technology with your board members before the meeting to make sure everything works in a proper manner. It’s important to make sure that the computer of the board member has a strong enough connection, and that their camera quality is acceptable. It’s also important to ensure that your board member has sufficient bandwidth to attend the meeting, and that there aren’t distractions (like ringtones) or distracting backgrounds.
Participants of virtual meetings must also remember to dress appropriately. It is crucial to maintain a professional appearance, especially because it will be viewed by those who join in from different locations around the world. It is also recommended to avoid sitting in front of windows, as the board of directors glare may disrupt the view of the screen and be visible on camera.