Despite the current pandemic board members of nonprofit organizations still need to meet regularly and make decisions. Virtual meetings are a great solution that improves the efficiency of board members and their engagement. However, these virtual meetings aren’t without problems. Some board members may not be comfortable using new technology while others might not have technological skills.
Virtual meetings can cause an inability to motivate and focus, particularly during long meetings. Participants may experience “zoom fatigue” or be easily distracted by other things on their screen. To avoid this, it is important to keep the meeting short. Make sure that you clearly announce the agenda and encourage participants to take part in the meeting. You can also use polls and questions to keep your audience’s attention.
Another issue associated with virtual board meetings is the inability to see the body language of facial expressions or gestures. This can impact the engagement of board members and affect the effectiveness of the meeting. To https://boardroomtx.com/why-board-data-rooms-are-key-for-managing-sensitive-documents/ combat this board directors should be encouraged to utilize video during meetings in order to ensure that they precisely discern the non-verbal cues of their colleagues.
Other challenges include the challenge of recording and distributing minutes of board meetings. It is important to document the entire meeting, in the event that any members are in a position to miss. It will also enable future boards to revisit their past decisions and learn the reasoning behind a particular decision. It is recommended to use a tool for managing boards that offers a central archive of all meeting material that is both historical and current.