Hybrid board meetings provide many advantages over traditional in-person or remote meetings. They can help non-profits overcome the geographical barriers, engage with a broader range of perspectives, increase inclusion and boost participation. However, they also have specific challenges that must be addressed in order for the model to be successful over the long term.
It’s important to keep these concerns in mind when creating an agenda for board meetings. To achieve this, you should consider conducting an evaluation of your hybrid meetings to determine what’s working and what isn’t. This will allow you to prepare for the future and ensure that participants who are remote feel as involved as those who are present in the room.
One of the major concerns associated with hybrid meetings is that participants in person are too loud, making remote members in the loop. To prevent this from happening, the chair should be thoughtful and organized when taking input from the members. Digital collaboration tools, such as whiteboards online assist in this process, and they encourage an unbiased discussion that allows everyone to be heard.
Another crucial aspect is to ensure that remote directors are able to hear and see in-person attendees clearly. This requires top-quality audio and video equipment that is simple to set up for hybrid meetings and must be made available for everyone who attends.
It’s also important to establish the tone of participation at the beginning of a hybrid meeting through checks-ins, icebreakers and warm-up activities. This will help everyone settle in and help to get the discussion moving. You should also ensure that remote members have access and can view all board documents before the meeting. It is easy to accomplish this if you use an online portal for board members that automatically updates the documents after their addition.