Form with which the board of directors of a corporation records the contents of its first meeting.
Form with which the board of directors of a corporation records the contents of its first meeting.
The board should assume the minutes are confidential and, in most cases, they will remain so. They should also realise that, sooner or later, the minutes may be available as part of a legal case. In short, they should include everything necessary to show that the directors are doing their duty.
What Should Not be Included in Meeting Minutes? Personal opinions and comments. Excessive detail. Tangential conversations. Verbal exchanges or arguments. Unconfirmed information. Confidential or sensitive information. Off-the-record remarks. Meeting details.
The minutes should include the point that was discussed and the decision that was reached. Avoid making personal observations or opinions. Don't make your own comments. Stick to just the facts.
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).
Personal remarks don't belong. It is a big mistake to include personal opinions in the minutes. The writer must not editorialize, and members' personal remarks should not be included.
Minutes should never be a verbatim documentation of every statement made during a board meeting. A document that purports to record every uttered word is a transcript, not “minutes.” Minutes should be concise and informative, but never voluminous.
5 steps to write impactful meeting action items Write the action item (what) Discuss the purpose (why) Set a due date (when) Assign a person to every action item (who) Think about what happens next.
The minutes are a factual record of business. Do not include: Opinions or judgments: Leave out statements like "a well done report" or "a heated discussion." Criticism or accolades: Criticism of members, good or bad, should not be included unless it takes the form of an official motion.
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.