Videoconferencing experience

The challenges and benefits of different meeting formats

Videoconferencing experience

The research finds that the vast majority of boards have some experience with videoconferencing calls, with fairly consistent levels of familiarity across cap sizes: 90 percent of small-cap respondents say their board has experience with such platforms, as do 86 percent of those at mid-caps, 85 percent of those at large caps and 88 percent of those at mega-caps.

Does your board have experience
with videoconferencing calls?

Comments: Concerns or barriers to using videoconferencing calls

‘Technology’

‘Privacy/cyber-security, confidentiality, inadequate bandwidth and network connectivity, users’ comfort level with technology and ability to troubleshoot problems quickly during a call, different time zones, compatibility issues, ambient noise and current lack of ability for an external participant to control the meeting and waiting room’

‘Capabilities of the board members and the IT computing power to manage the materials have been challenging’

‘Access to secure technology and knowledge of how to use it is a barrier’

‘Training people to use the system and getting used to technology’

‘We have been doing it this year successfully’

‘None’

‘Internet connectivity for some of our directors as well as sound/audio issues’

‘Security’

Comments: Videoconferencing experiences

‘Can be effective if well organized’

‘Zoom teleconference began in May and we have had positive results and feedback'

‘It has gotten better over the last few months. Trying to determine whether we continue with videoconferencing after Covid-19’

‘Overall very favorable’

‘Good’

‘Only a couple of directors had not previously used videoconferencing meetings. Once they were comfortable, the experience has been very positive. Attendance has been better than in person’

‘Pre-Covid, somewhat sporadic in terms of functionality. During Covid, with an enhanced focus on training, has worked smoothly’

‘Not worth the trouble. We’ve gone back to telephone conferences’

‘Better than expected. Likely to continue post-Covid vaccine’

‘Positive experience’

‘They have gone well’

‘Good. Some directors required additional training’

‘Prefer conference calls over video’

‘Nice experience generally, but embarrassing for one person who was not able to join properly’

‘We provided extensive training for our board members in 2018 when we began using videoconferencing and it has been mainly smooth ever since’

‘It has gone as well as can be expected but most prefer in-person meetings rather than videoconferencing’

‘Good after getting the initial glitches out of the system’

‘Overall they have worked fine. We have had a few issues with directors forgetting to mute when they are not speaking, which has caused some background noise, but overall fine’

‘The board has become more accustomed to meeting in videoconference format and the meetings are productive’

‘Phenomenal. The board has transitioned to this and it has been great!’

‘The few video calls we have conducted to date have been effective. The only problems we have had have been with connectivity of our directors’ home wi-fi systems’

‘Works well; directors prefer opportunity to see each other’

‘Positive. Better than telephonic, but in person would still be preferable in a perfect world’

‘Not as effective as in-person meetings, but acceptable’

‘Very positive’

‘It took a little getting used to, but they’ve worked well. Wish we had a better way of allowing side conversations during breaks. Haven’t found a good solution for that’

‘It has generally worked very well. Those who are not as technologically advanced have continued to use their phones to dial into the meeting, but most have embraced videoconferencing. We have continued to meet as a small management team in the office with a hub so board members can see the conference room with approximately four in-person attendees. The rest are virtual’

‘It has been very smooth, but that is because we spent time with each director to make sure he/she would not experience any tech issues’

‘There was a slight learning curve with the first board and committee meetings as we learned what worked and what didn’t as well as officer and director preferences. Since then, meetings have gone smoothly. Issues have included internet connection, options with respect to sharing slides and logistics for executive session’

‘But for some technological glitches that occur from time to time, our meetings have generally been as productive and collaborative as in-person meetings’

‘OK, makes meeting more formal, only one person can speak at a time, less dialogue, more presenting’

‘The experience has been good. It has been positive enough that we will probably never have just telephonic meetings in the future. I also believe the number of face-to-face meetings will decrease’

‘Positive but the loss of interpersonal interactions outside of the boardroom is noticed’

‘Good but not as good as face to face’

Comments: In-person board meeting benefits

‘Better interactions. Opportunities for casual conversation’

‘More communication and collaboration. Less lack of attention’

‘More interaction and discussion’

‘Time to spend getting to know each other personally’

‘Social interaction; conversation more free-flowing’

‘Personal interaction, body language, reactions, relationships, encourages discussion’

‘Better dialogue and engagement among directors; greater ability to ensure all voices are heard’

‘Interpersonal communication, including one-on-ones between meetings. Collegiality’

‘Body language, open participation’

‘Better able to converse: there is less talking over each other, no issues with mute buttons, better able to have sidebars, and so on’

‘Building consensus, easier interactive discussion. Limited resources requirements from corporate staff to support meeting (only one person needed versus two for videoconference call)’

‘Informal interactions’

‘Nothing compares to in-person face-to-face meetings, which allow you to better read your audience and respond accordingly. We are a local community bank and in-person meetings do not present a problem in a normal environment’

‘Body language’

‘Personal connection, side conversations’

‘Provides the opportunity to sit outside of meetings and meet and speak to members of management’

‘Body language; face-to-face interaction’

‘I feel this is the best possible way to conduct a meeting as the directors are most comfortable with this scenario’

‘Social interaction. Getting signatures on documents and minutes’

‘In my opinion face-to-face meetings are far more effective at encouraging full director participation, determining how they feel about issues and enabling them to get to know each other and management’

‘Ability to feel more engaged, view non-verbal cues and body language, keep everyone on the same page of materials’

‘Easier to control meeting visitors, better rapport, more conversational and better exchange of ideas, social interaction, sidebar conversations that can move initiatives forward informally’

‘More social one-on-one interaction. Enjoying a meal with the board’

‘You can vary from the agenda to tackle parallel issues when something comes up. Also can read facial expressions and bond with other directors. Dedicated time allotted’

‘Camaraderie, networking’

‘Allows for candid discussions and opportunities for social interaction’

Comments: In-person board meeting challenges

‘Health risk. Travel constraints and reluctance to travel – especially to fly’

‘Scheduling, materials prep’

‘Getting everyone to attend’

‘Scheduling air travel and attending other meetings before or after ours’

‘Seating arrangements’

‘Travel, logistics’

‘Cost and logistics’

‘Safety’

‘The only drawback I see here pertains to time management. It can be difficult to gather all your members at the same time for impromptu meetings when considering travel time, and electronic options can substantially reduce a member’s time commitment’

‘Social distancing’

‘Co-ordination’

‘Travel hassle’

‘None’

‘Travel, time commitment, general discomfort of being in a meeting room for an extended period of time’

‘Travel and risk of contracting Covid-19’

‘Scheduling conflicts due to greater time commitments, especially for members who live abroad. Costs, preferences and availability with respect to travel, accommodation and food’

‘Often drag on beyond expected meeting time’

‘Long days with full agendas make it hard to provide same energy level and focus for all meetings’

Comments: Videoconference call board meeting benefits

‘Able to see facial expressions and body language. People are more engaged than by phone’

‘Easier on directors’ time without travel consideration’

‘Convenience for all attendees, meetings are shorter’

‘Getting to see non-verbal clues. More personable than a conference call’

‘Ideally, can see everyone’

‘Simple, least-expensive format, some visual interaction’

‘Flexible scheduling; low-cost implementation’

‘Cheap’

‘Safety (it would be difficult or impossible to stay socially distant and masked in our boardroom setting)’

‘Less travel’

‘Streamlines the agenda’

‘Allows better collaboration while being all over the country. Able to mute others when lots of background noise’

‘Cost is considerably less and you can see the presenters and those asking questions’

‘Easier to schedule; avoids travel hassle’

‘Collegiality, familiarity, efficiency’

‘If well orchestrated and waiting room is used, can come close to same benefits with regard to visitors. Keeps people somewhat connected, allows speakers to exercise more control over presentation flow, easy to use’

‘Minimal to no cost. Typically easier to schedule due to shorter time commitments. Meetings tend to move along more quickly than in-person face-to-face meetings. Easier to know who is speaking and avoid interruptions than with telephone conference calls. Ability to see facial expressions, body language and other visual cues. Virtual hand raising, meeting chats and meeting notes’

‘Generally don’t take as long’

‘One-stop shop for materials and interaction – the ability to shut video off if member needs to excuse him/herself or briefly deal with other matters’

‘More personal than conference call’

‘Meetings tend to run more efficiently’

‘Timeliness, organization, cost-effective, no need to travel, easier to schedule, sticking to calendar and scheduled times, shorter meetings, less need for breaks’

‘Ability for the board, officers and presenters to see each other. Encourages presenters to be more concise and focused’

‘Easy to participate and reduces logistically work associated with in-person meetings (such as travel co-ordination, hotel arrangements, and so on)’

Comments: Videoconference call board meeting challenges

‘Maintaining focus for extended periods of time – more than four hours is just too much. Sometimes one needs more than one screen to see materials and participate in meetings’

‘Zoom fatigue. Cannot present as much material-wise’

‘Directors having technical issues’

‘Delays, people speaking over each other’

‘Technological issues’

‘Not as easy to ensure all voices are heard’

‘Technology not well suited to 10+ participants’

‘Less interaction and participation’

‘Educating members. Increased manpower needs for prep and during meeting. Managing public versus private sessions. Potential for connectivity issues. Member engagement and building relationships’

‘Technology issues sometimes’

‘Dress code and camera quality’

‘Don’t feel as connected to the board’

‘No time to interact with members of management, and asking questions can be difficult’

‘Forgetting to mute when not speaking’

‘Some of our directors have been less participatory during our recent video calls. Our management presenters are not always able to see the directors, gauge their reactions, hear their questions, and so on. I sense that video presentations hold director attention for a shorter period of time’

‘Possibility of intermittent connectivity issues that can slow things down’

‘Must be careful about flow of meeting, including visitor management; be thoughtful as to comfort and lunch breaks; participants seem to be a little more reserved with comments’

‘Accommodating different time zones. Potential for technical difficulties. Learning curve for less tech-savvy individuals. Privacy/cyber-security concerns. Confidentiality concerns. Ambient noise. Sound or volume issues. Virtual distractions. Lack of meeting control options for attendees who are external participants’

‘Structure limits discussions; only one person can speak at one time; necessity of stable internet connection’

Comments: Telephone conference call board meeting benefits

‘Convenience for directors’

‘Better able to squeeze into people’s schedules than a face-to-face meeting’

‘Quick and simple’

‘Flexible scheduling, lower cost’

‘Easy to co-ordinate a meeting quickly’

‘Cheap’

‘Fewer technical issues, as video takes more bandwidth and is just one more thing that could go wrong. But also have similar communication issues as video in terms of several people talking at the same time and mute button, and you can’t see the person trying to talk’

‘Brief and to the point’

‘Quick meetings while being able to discuss relevant information’

‘Since March 19, all our board/committee meetings have occurred telephonically. We have been able to manage the calls well, remaining on point. Obviously, the convenience of gathering members for a teleconference is much easier than in-person meetings due to the reduction of time commitments (no travel). But they do come with their challenges’

‘Efficiency’

‘Advantage of not having to travel’

‘Quick and easy to set up, minimal technology required’

‘People can take the call from a variety of locations/circumstances’

‘Safe’

‘Quick to organize and easy to conduct’

‘Ability to bring the board together quickly to address specific issues’

‘Our bylaws permit the board and committee to meet by conference call so it works in a pinch. Cost-effective’

‘Beneficial for smaller discussion items and quick updates that do not require extensive presentation’

‘Proven technology’

Comments: Telephone conference call board meeting challenges

‘No body language. Harder to manage participation for effectiveness’

‘Unable to see the people’

‘Delays, people speaking over each other, not able to see non-verbal cues’

‘Technological issues; speaking over one another’

‘Not as easy to ensure all voices are heard’

‘Directing traffic of multiple speakers/participants’

‘Minimal interaction and discussion’

‘Loss of personal interaction’

‘Outside noise and muting issues’

‘Teleconferences have their drawbacks, particularly with disconnects, line static, talking over each other, ability to monitor who’s on the call and – perhaps most importantly – the inability to read the room’

‘Misidentification’

Lack of visual cues and face-to-face interaction’

‘Not as personal. No interaction before or after the call. Less connected than videoconference’

‘Minimizes engagement; inadvertent speaking over one another; no ability to read expression and body language’

‘Ineffective meetings’

‘Can make it difficult for everyone to follow along with the materials’

‘Very impersonal, not as conducive to open communication and ideas exchange, awkward’

‘No ability to read non-verbal cues, facial expressions, and so on. Makes moderating the Q&A more challenging as it has to be more structured and less free flow of conversation and questions’

‘Accommodating different time zones. Potential for technical difficulties. Privacy concerns. Confidentiality concerns. Ambient noise. Sound or volume issues. Inability to see facial expressions, body language, or other visual cues. Easier to unintentionally interrupt speakers. Complexities of guests joining and leaving the call if meeting is running ahead or behind schedule and temporarily excusing attendees for confidential sessions’

‘Poor connection as people use mobile phones’

‘Difficult for longer/more in-depth meetings'

‘Difficult to follow along with meeting materials being reviewed. Members are more likely to be roaming – driving or sitting in an airport – during a conference call rather than home and focused on materials/dialogue. Unable to host lunches/dinners that provide informal time for our members to interact’

‘This forum is not engaging’