We have all been affected by the COVID-19 health crisis. It has upended everyday life in ways that were previously unimaginable, and each of us has our own complex situation. What I’ve learned over the last month may have zero to do with customer advisory boards, but it’s still important as we all try to continue moving forward.

Meeting facilitators are critical assets for in-person and virtual board meetings. Farland Group has facilitated virtual sessions successfully with executive leaders for more than 10 years. Here are some tips on how to do it well.

In recent weeks and the health crisis that is COVID-19, the power of virtual meetings has never been so clear. Farland Group already uses virtual sessions to engage customer advisory board clients in-between the in-person meetings, and given the current environment, most (if not all) of our upcoming customer advisory board sessions are continuing on — in a virtual setting.

As you look to what your priorities are for the future — whether for the rest of this year or next, or five years on the horizon, have you wondered whether you’re making the right decisions? Is your strategy for X, Y, Z sound, and if not, how should you tweak it? How can one gather outside perspectives, advice and feedback that are unbiased? Maybe, starting a customer advisory board is the right answer.

How organizations can help build a sustainable environment, and on a global scale, has been front and center over the last year. We see it on the news, when reading online content, and we hear it from clients in our work at Farland Group — sustainability has increasingly become a topic of interest for many on our customer advisory boards.

Customer Advisory Boards test our assumptions like move fast and break things. Consider one other factor with speed - scale.

We hear about many different strategy areas and areas of investment from clients for the customer advisory boards and councils that we help facilitate at Farland Group.

As we are full force into the holiday season, I want to ask, what drives you? Whether as a business owner or employee, what is it that makes you get up in the morning, head to work and want to do a good job? It’s a question that anyone can answer, and for me the answer is easy — my kids.