When making the transition to virtual board meetings, organizations typically encounter multiple unanticipated challenges. The following is just one of those challenges – and the solution.
The Challenge
During in-person meetings, people use body language to subconsciously translate what their peers are thinking or feeling from their movements and facial expressions. Body language has proven to help meeting attendees recall conversations and subjects discussed during meetings.
During face-to-face meetings, a good meeting leader observes attendee body language and reacts accordingly. This is difficult to accomplish in a virtual meeting.
The Solution
In the absence of observable body language, meeting leaders can take action to encourage all attendees to contribute, including:
- Take roll on attendees and call out specific board members to comment and offer their opinions.
- Use messaging apps to privately request opinions and contributions from quieter attendees.
- Use a survey app (both during and after the meeting) to drill down on issues that did not receive enough vetting and discussion.
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About The Author
- At OnBoard, we believe board meetings should be informed, effective, and uncomplicated. That’s why we give boards and leadership teams an elegant solution that simplifies governance. With customers in higher education, nonprofit, health care systems, government, and corporate enterprise business, OnBoard is the leading board management provider.
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