The minutes of the board meeting are among the most important documents that an organization could create. The purpose of the document is to accurately record the decisions made at an assembly of the board of directors, as well as any follow-up actions. To accomplish this the minutes should be written in a clear and neutral tone. This is difficult to do during a contentious meeting however, there are methods to ensure that the minutes accurately reflect the actual event without revealing personal opinions or bias.
First, a basic outline should be included to help those who is reading the minutes understand the events that transpired. The outline should include an explanation of the location of the meeting, as well as whether or not there were any remote attendees, and the name of the person who took the minutes. It is also beneficial to note the exact time the meeting started and ended, as well as who was in attendance (and if your usual https://www.aboutboardroom.com minute-taker wasn’t present and was substituted by someone else them).
The meeting’s content must be described in a second paragraph. It should usually include two main components, substantive work and administrative business. The former includes routine items like agenda approval, minutes approval from the last meeting and an agenda of consent that helps save valuable meeting time by acknowledging repeating items such as committee reports.
The latter is the discussion of a variety of important subjects. It is recommended that the minute-taker keep a record of the outcomes of any votes taken and also the person who put the motion forward and who voted for it. It’s also recommended to record any major arguments that took place during the discussion however, don’t go as far as to determine who spoke up — this can expose you to legal liability.
