9 Tips for Holding Virtual Board Meetings

The need for sharing important company updates faster is pushing businesses to adapt to new ways of communication, now more than ever. In addition, those communications need to be personal and evoke the confidence and trust your company has built with its shareholders.

The solution? Virtual Board Meetings. By hosting a virtual board meeting or update, you’re giving shareholders the flexibility to attend from any location, the opportunity to see and hear how leadership is handling difficult situations, and a chance to have their individual concerns answered.

Here are nine (9) things to consider when hosting a virtual meeting:

1. Choose the right platform. There are paid video conferencing systems, like Zoom (which we use here at Nth Round) and GoToMeeting, or free options like Google Hangouts. There are certainly tools out there for businesses of all sizes.
2. Have the right technology. You’ll want to be sure the presenter has an updated computer of course, but also that they have a working microphone. If you are sharing presentation slides, make sure you have an updated platform like PowerPoint or SlideShare.
3. Prepare a clear agenda. Once your systems and technology are set, then it’s time to organize your message. You’ll want to establish clear topics (usually three) that will be at the center of addressing shareholder concerns. It’s also important to determine how many people will be presenting. Once the agenda is complete, you’ll want to include this when sending invites.
4. Send invitations. Traditionally these are sent via email. At Nth Round, we also use our shareholder communications tool to send personalized invitations. Whatever method(s) you choose, be sure to send multiple times to give multiple chances to register.
5. Build the presentation. If you decide that you will just be speaking, make sure you prepare a script and practice what you plan to say. If you will include slides, build them ahead of time to work through any animation and the presentation flow.
6. Send confirmations and reminders. These are important to remind your shareholders that their attendance is welcomed and that you are focused on addressing their concerns. In most cases, these can be automated to pull in the date, time, location, and agenda topics.
7. Test! Test! Test! It’s so important to test everything from your computer’s battery life to the user experience of attendees. Do as many practice runs as possible to identify any issues ahead of time.
8. Be professional. Setting is important. Make sure you have the right background. Make sure you are dressed appropriately and in line with your brand as well. And watch out for any outside noises your microphone might pick up, like from pets or other people in your vicinity.
9. Follow up. Thank those who made the time to attend the virtual meeting, but also explain to those who couldn’t attend that a replay or follow up document will be provided. Make sure to remind them again of what was discussed and that their concerns are important.

At Nth Round, shareholder communications are essential pillars of our equity management platform. Through filters and tags, you can easily sort through your valued shareholders and send personalized emails and rich web experiences to ensure you’re getting the right message to the right people.