It is important to establish an order that keeps the discussion focused and productive when conducting a remote board meeting. This is simpler when participants have an agenda in place which guides them at all times. It is also useful to send the agenda along with any other documents associated with it to the attendees through an online board portal that is secure in advance so they can note down, add items and review them before the meeting begins.
Another method to ensure a successful remote board meeting is to limit distractions as much as you can. The ideal scenario is for participants to take the call in an office or home environment that isn’t surrounded by lots of distracting noises. This will lessen the chance that they’ll get distracted and miss important information to be discussed during the meeting.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to ask participants to turn off their microphones when they’re not speaking, to lessen distractions from background noise during the meeting. The person who is designated to take minutes must record all motions verbatim and include who made the motion and who seconded it. This is important to maintain the record in a clear manner that can be used as a source of reference or for legal purposes in the future.
It’s also important to adhere to the time limit you determine for each item on the agenda to avoid the meeting becoming a drag. You can encourage a productive meeting by urging attendees to leave ad-hoc topics in a parking spot to ensure they don’t interfere with the main discussion.