Despite the current pandemic nonprofit boards must still meet regularly to make decisions. Virtual meetings are a practical solution that improves the productivity and participation of board members. However, these meetings online aren’t without difficulties. Certain board members may not be comfortable with the latest technology, and others may be unable to use technology effectively.
Virtual meetings can also cause a lack in motivation and focus, especially when meetings are long. Attendees suffer from “zoom fatigue” and can easily become distracted by other activities on their screen. It is important to keep meetings brief to avoid this. Be sure to clearly communicate the agenda and encourage participants to take part in the meeting. It can also be helpful to use polls and questions to maintain attention.
The inability of observing facial expressions or body language is another challenge of virtual board meetings. This could affect the engagement of board members and affect the effectiveness of the meeting. To combat this, board directors should be encouraged to use video during meetings to ensure that they are able to precisely discern the non-verbal cues of their colleagues.
Other issues include the difficulty of recording and disseminating board meeting minutes. It is crucial to record the entire meeting to ensure that no board members are not able to attend. This will also allow future boards to go over previous decisions and comprehend the reasoning behind a particular decision. The best way official site to avoid these problems is to use a board management tool that can provide a central archive of all meeting materials, both current and historical.