Form with which the board of directors of a corporation records the contents of its annual meeting.
Form with which the board of directors of a corporation records the contents of its annual meeting.
They are legally required to include these details: Date, time, and location of the meeting. Record of notice of board meeting provision and acknowledgment. Names of attendees and absentees, including guests. Approval of previous meeting minutes.
Minutes are not supposed to be verbatim and including too much detail may only provide ammunition that may be used against the board in a lawsuit. However, with too little detail the minutes may be useless and may leave an impression that the board did not adequately consider one or more matters.
Robert's Rules (Section -16) state that “the minutes should contain mainly a record of what was done at the meeting, not what was said by the members.” Minutes are not transcripts of meetings; rather, the document contains a record of actions taken by the body, organized by the meeting's order of business (agenda).
Document decisions and votes The minutes should contain a comprehensive record of the decisions that the participants make during the meeting. This means listing who proposed the motion and who seconded it. List the outcome of the vote, including who voted either way, and state clearly the decision made.
Meeting minutes don't need to capture discussions word by word, but they should effectively summarize key items and decisions to provide a clear and concise record of the meeting. Know that it's perfectly acceptable to write “a discussion of the options ensued.” If you need clarification on anything, be sure to ask.
Include the name of the organization, date and time of meeting, who called it to order, who attended and if there a quorum, all motions made, any conflicts of interest or abstainments from voting, when the meeting ended and who developed the minutes. The secretary of the board usually takes minutes during meetings.
A concise summary of the action taken by the board. The names of the persons making and seconding motions. A summary of votes, indicating when motions were adopted by unanimous votes or the breakdown in yeas and nays and abstentions.
How to take minutes at meetings Find out what is required. Create a template for the minutes before the meeting. Prepare all the required materials. Note the attendance. Fill in your template. Take note of the time of adjournment. Make copies of supplementary materials. Submit the meeting minutes.
The format for a meeting depends on the meeting type and style. While there is no set format for meeting minutes, templates provide guidelines for essential information that should be included in your documentation.