Despite the current pandemic nonprofit boards are required to meet regularly to take decisions. Virtual meetings are a great solution that can boost the efficiency of board members and increases their involvement. The online meetings aren’t without challenges. Some board members may not be comfortable with the latest technology and others may lack the technical skills.
Virtual meetings can also result in a lack of motivation or focus, particularly in lengthy meetings. Attendees may develop “zoom fatigue” or be easily distracted by other activities on their screens. It is important to keep meetings brief in order to avoid this. It is important to ensure that the agenda is clearly communicated and encourage attendees to speak up during the meeting. It is also helpful to utilize polls and questions to keep attention.
Another challenge of virtual board meetings is the inability to observe body language or facial expressions. This could affect the participation of board members and the effectiveness of the meeting. To prevent this board members should be encouraged to view video during the meeting so they can detect non-verbal signals from their peers.
Other challenges include the difficulty in recording and distributing minutes of board meetings. It is essential to document the entire meeting, in the event that any members are in a position to miss. This also allows future boards to review prior decisions and comprehend the reasoning for a particular decision. The best way to avoid these issues is to use a board management tool that provides a centralized archive of all materials for meetings including historical and current.
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