Governance Online Meetings can take on many different formats, but the most important to an effective governance meeting is that all participants can communicate with one another in the same way as when they were in person. This means sharing screens using video and voice calling and allowing for immediate answers and questions. This also means that any individual may be asked to leave the Board portal meeting at any time in the event that their presence is disruptive or inappropriate, and they should receive an immediate email with a record of the action taken.

The chairman, or the presiding officer of the meeting, should ensure that the meeting is on course. Governance meetings should be organized with an exact agenda and time limits for each item. This will ensure that the legal requirements for governance are followed also, and if an external third party is reviewing the governance session, they might look for evidence.

Ideally, governance meetings are scheduled for every week, however this isn’t always possible for all teams. It is recommended to plan the initial few meetings in a close proximity (especially when you are just beginning to get started with Roles) however, you can schedule meetings less frequently as your team gets used to working in Roles.

It is also helpful to conduct short check-ins between meetings on governance to keep the team together and give those who have concerns or questions to resolve their issues. It’s also an excellent chance to build stronger relationships between the senior management team.