8 Tips for a Great Virtual Ad Board
GAVIN OUTTERIDGE and TYLER REINSCH
As remote and online working has become a widespread necessity, more and more Advisory Boards, value story workshops and other types of meeting have had to shift to the virtual setting. At AESARA – where remote working is our operational default – we’re often asked to facilitate virtual ad boards and workshops. Here’s 8 tips from our experience.
1. Serve hors d'oeuvres
Provide background information and meeting objectives as a pre-read to all experts. Level set at the start of the meeting and after each break.
2. Listen to learn
To reduce cross-talk, which is an even worse problem than normal in virtual settings, limit the number of active participants and have non-active participants feed questions using the chat function. Remind company participants that Ad Boards are for them to listen to the experts, not vice versa.
3. Visual Eyes
Turn on cameras for active participants, to maximise human engagement. Visualize sitting in the same room and, when listening, make eye contact with your fellow experts (trying not to be distracted by the person in the box with your name on it).
4. Take a break
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5. Share the airtime
Facilitators should actively involve all the experts on the advisory board panel. The company should have different people present different sections – and when not presenting, facilitators should limit their interjections to only those necessary to help the discussion flow.
6. Take another break
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7. Dress (your slides) to the nines
Virtual environments elevate the importance of visuals to engage both active and non-active participants – allocate more time and resources to graphic design in the prep phase.
8. Hot air is not a renewable
Be aware of participants’ energy, as virtual is more tiring than live – stick to half-day meetings…or less, dialing back on company presentation time, prioritizing time to hear from the experts. even your paid-by-the-hour advisors will thank you for this.