Despite the current pandemic nonprofit boards are required to be regularly meeting to make decisions. Virtual meetings are a great solution that improves the efficiency of board members and increases their involvement. These meetings online are not without problems. Some board members may not be comfortable with modern technology, while others may not have the technical skills.
Virtual meetings can also lead to lack of motivation and focus, particularly during long meetings. Participants can develop “zoom fatigue” or be easily distracted by other things on their screen. To prevent this from happening, it is essential to keep the meeting brief. Make sure the agenda is clearly communicated, and encourage attendees to speak up throughout the meeting. It can also be helpful to use polls and questioning to keep the attention of attendees.
Another issue associated with virtual board meetings is the inability to observe facial expressions or body language. This could affect the level of engagement among board members as well as the effectiveness of the meeting. To prevent this from happening board directors should be encouraged to utilize video during meetings to ensure that they are able to 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 record the entire meeting to ensure that no board members are not able to attend. This also allows future boards to look back on previous decisions and gain a better understanding of the reasons behind a specific decision. It is best to use a board-management tool that offers a central archive of all meeting materials including historical and current.