The minutes of board meetings are an important part of good governance, as they ensure that every discussion and decision is recorded. The secretary of the board or someone else assigned to this task, is usually responsible for recording minutes of a meeting.
The person who is responsible for taking minutes of the meeting should be able to listen and accurately record the entire conversation even when directors are discussing a topic or arguing over one another. The minutes can be scrutinized in court should the company be sued which is why they must be as impartial and objective as they can be.
Note the date, time, and the location of the meeting. This information is needed to organize your minutes document after the meeting and allows readers to locate information quickly. It is also important to note whether the meeting is a regular or special emergency or executive session.
List all attendees of the meeting. This includes the presiding officers or board members, as well as non-voting attendees, such as guests, staff members or any other attendees. Maintaining a precise list of those in attendance is important, especially https://www.aboutboardroom.com/boardmaps-vs-boardeffect-board-porta for recording meetings held remotely.
Include a brief overview of each agenda item, accompanied by a brief summary sentence or two that includes the major topics of discussion and any major decisions made. It’s important to not include too much detail however. Detailed minute documents can be overwhelming for readers and make it difficult to understand the overall direction of the company.
