A very seasoned board chair once said to me, “The feet are dangling,” is when a governing board really shines. In other words, the times when there is a great deal of uncertainty and no clear path forward are the times when boards really need to step up.
A similar circumstance has arisen due to the COVID-19 epidemic, but board members are required to remain at home. Because many organizations are experiencing an existential crisis, board meetings become a serious challenge. Boards will need to master alternative meeting techniques.
Thankfully, a variety of video conferencing tools and cloud-based board management platforms like BoardPro now enable management and the board of directors to hold effective and productive business meetings without physically converging. But things are not always easy. You can get to know more information about paperless board meeting on the site board meeting management software.
Is It Even Possible for You to Hold the Board Meeting Via Video Conferencing?
Your board may occasionally be unable to conduct a meeting via video conference due to legal or constitutional limitations. The proper regulator needs to “park” these or fully remove them (some are already doing this by providing exemptions during the current public health crisis, for example) (e.g. by amending your governing document to grant permission to conduct virtual meetings).
Quick tips for video conferencing:
- A minimum of 15 minutes before the virtual board meeting, always test the audio equipment and the room.
- Check the lighting to see if there are any shadow issues or clear images.
- Instead of putting the line on wait, ask participants to mute it so that no hold music plays during the online conference.
- Mix up the length of the agenda items to keep the meeting moving.
- Maintain your team’s interest by making the meeting engaging. The participants should ideally be checked on every 10 to 15 minutes.
- Do not multitask or read emails while in the meeting.
- Try not to look too casual. Maintain a professional demeanor. Maintain the same standard of professionalism even during video conference board sessions.
- Be mindful that everything you say and do, even unintended ones, can be heard and seen by others.
Directors and executives all across the world will likely start using board software with video conferencing as the new standard. We are all creatures of habit, so it’s possible that current board members will find it challenging to transition to meetings done via video conferencing, especially if doing so necessitates mastering new technical abilities. With such members, be understanding and assist them in learning new digital formats that they are unfamiliar with. Be willing to accept feedback from meeting attendees and to learn from your mistakes. The most important thing is to conduct a professional business meeting via video conferencing and to be adaptable enough to handle any unforeseen technical issues, just as you would if all of the board members were present at a board meeting and the power went out.