Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, people continue to participate in governance meetings over the internet. This could be a hassle to those who prefer attend in person, but it’s also a good way for government officials and their staff to demonstrate their sensitivity to citizens.
The main challenge is ensuring that the right technology is in place to enable participation in meetings, with video, voice and screen sharing as key elements. Many organisations have resorted to emailing out large amounts of documents with attachments or file-sharing solutions that have folders that require to be downloaded, but they do not have the capacity to support the systematic processing of agenda items, recording and distribution of historical data and so on.
Other challenges are that it’s harder to engage in informal conversations that typically accompany meetings in person. It is also a great method of building relationships and build trust. By introducing the meeting early, including time for informal conversations, or by using the chat feature within your virtual meeting platform, you can help establish the connections needed for effective and strong governance.
Governance meetings can also be used to fine-tune the roles and responsibilities of new members join the team or existing roles are modified or new work is required. This helps to avoid such discussions hijacking other meetings, and helps the team be as effective and efficient as they can be.