The quality of your board meeting is contingent on the amount of work members do prior to each meeting. Online meetings are more productive and efficient when participants prepare. A well-prepared group is more likely to stick to the agenda and not get sidetracked.

It is important to establish clear expectations for remote board members regarding how they’re expected to attend meetings. For instance, it’s a good idea to remind people to mute themselves and only speak when required to do so. This will prevent participants from arguing with one another or leaving the room without feeling heard. Before a meeting begins, the convenor should ask participants if they have issues with technology that they require assistance with.

Include the rules for virtual secure and collaborative M&A with digital rooms meetings in the orientation for board members document to ensure that everyone understands what to expect prior to, during and after the meeting. It’s important, for example to provide the agenda prior to the meeting and then to follow up with the attendees in the morning or day prior to to confirm the agenda details. You can also give the Zoom or meeting link to attendees again and remind them about any other preferences you might have (such as the need to ensure that they are able to connect to the meeting from a quiet place to reduce distractions). It is also recommended to add a placeholder for an executive session to each agenda item and include this at the start of the meeting to avoid confusion as to whether there will be an executive session or not.