A video conference lets remote board members to view each other, despite different types of devices. Nonprofits can choose from a number of free or low-cost video conference platforms for their meetings, such as Zoom, GoToMeeting, WebEx and Google Meet. Nonprofits can also make use of board management software that has an interface for meetings that permits remote participation.

While most discussions in the meeting are conducted using audio and video, the ability of seeing face expressions can help encourage more interactive and interactive meetings. To ensure everyone can be heard, have the chair call on board members who haven’t spoken and limit the number of people speaking at a time. This ensures that no one individual is in charge of the discussion and allows for a more balanced decision-making process. To avoid background noise, ensure that participants turn off their mobiles and use the mute function when they’re not talking.

Certain directors may be uneasy with a virtual meeting space and are hesitant to speak out and hinder their participation and the effectiveness of the meeting. This can be solved by providing an easy-to-use meeting interface, and offering an introduction to the meeting platform, introducing attendees with the platform and encouraging them to practice prior to the actual meeting. The board could also design an agenda with strict deadlines for each item. This will ensure that the meeting runs smoothly and that the goal is attained. Board members helpful site can highlight or take notes on digital documents to improve their participation and speed up the meetings. They can share their annotations with other members to improve collaboration and enhance the quality of their minutes.