Virtual communication of managers became possible thanks to particular programs. These applications save – they allow you to hold many meetings per day, minutes are kept there automatically, and you can add a plan, anonymous voting, and exchange documents. Read on to find out how to make your online board meeting more effective.
Bring up issues relevant to the participants for discussion
Questions should be sharp, sore, and respond to the audience. The wording should show that a short discussion and deep discussion can unfold even despite the limitations of the remote format.
Prepare participants for the session in advance
It is helpful to send informational materials on the topic of the event to the participants a few days before the session to have time to study the issue and form their point of view on the topic. It is helpful to set clear goals: what needs to be checked and what questions to prepare in advance.
Minute-by-minute scripting
The time for an in-person event is usually planned with a little plus or minus 5-minute tolerance. For face-to-face events, the organizer specifically leaves patience in the timing to maintain live communication, and the lags are then caught up according to the situation. In the online format, such backlogs accumulate, and the host is forced to accelerate, sacrificing primarily dialogue and discussions. Therefore, for sessions, we prepare timing within a minute.
Variety in interactive use
Periodically during the session, participants must interact with the moderators of the session: either through voting in the questionnaires, or through writing messages in the chat, or through voice connection, etc. In each logical part of the session, it is helpful to use some activation technique so that the participants be in good shape. At the same time, it is desirable to avoid the monotony of the methods used; it is better to alternate the formats: a survey, a discussion in a chat, the ability to connect by voice, etc. So we get rid of monotony, we ensure the interest of participation. Every 3-5 minutes, there should be an activity from the participants.
Multiple Moderators
At face-to-face events, one presenter is quite capable of holding the audience’s attention, especially if he has charisma and well-delivered non-verbal communication. In the online format, these advantages disappear. In this case, it is necessary to ensure the involvement of participants through other means: the diversity of the leaders and the variability of their interaction. It is helpful to introduce not one but two or even three presenters. At the same time, it is better to distribute different roles between them and work out in advance the transition of the move from one to another. The most successful variant of the change of the activity is questions or addresses to each other, creating an atmosphere of dialogue. Any of the presenters at any time should be ready to pick up and hold any part of the event, not be limited to just one own part.
Time at screens – no more than 1 hour
Even if this threshold is slightly exceeded, the involvement of the participants decreases many times over; every minute, they need more and more effort to maintain their concentration. Therefore, if the duration of the event is more than an hour, you need to take a break. At the same time, a short time is enough to restore working capacity and involvement – no more than 10 minutes.