It is essential to establish an order that keeps the discussion focused and productive during a remote board meeting. It’s easier to keep the discussion on track when all participants have an organized agenda. It’s also beneficial to distribute the agenda along with any related documents to attendees ahead of time through a secure online board portal where they can take notes as they add items, and examine them prior to the meeting starts.
Another way to ensure an effective remote board meeting is to limit distractions to the minimum. Participants should be able to attend the meeting in a quiet location, such as at office or at home. This will decrease the likelihood that they’ll tune out and miss the most important issues being discussed in the call.
It’s also an excellent idea to ask participants to mute their microphones when not speaking to further decrease background noise that could distract the meeting. Lastly, the designate minute-taker must make sure to take note of all motions verbatim, together with the person who made the motion and who seconded the motion. This is essential to maintaining an accurate record of the meeting which can be used for future reference or for legal purposes further down the road.
Finally, it’s important to stick to the time limit you set for each agenda item to prevent the meeting from running unnecessarily. You can help promote a productive gathering by encouraging attendees to put ad hoc discussions in a parking area to ensure they don’t distract from the main discussion.