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.
Minute Contents The person writing the minutes should make them long enough to cover the subject and emphasize that there was deliberation, care and thoughtful discussion, but they should not be so long that they contain extraneous detail - you want your minutes to be both concise and precise.
There are no hard and fast rules for what to include in meeting minutes. Robert's Rules of Order rules for meeting minutes recommends focusing on what's done in the meeting — not who says what — but many boards don't follow those rules, and they aren't a comprehensive guide.
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).
Approve the minutes: Once corrections are complete, the chair asks for a motion to approve the minutes. One member makes the motion, a second member approves it, and the chair calls for a vote. The approval of meeting minutes goes through with a majority vote.
Record key points, not every word. As the minute-taker, it's essential to focus on capturing the most critical points discussed during the meeting rather than transcribing everything word for word. Be concise and use bullet points. Meeting minutes should be easy to read and understand quickly.
Personal observations or judgmental comments should not be included in meeting minutes. All statements should be as neutral as possible. Avoid writing down everything everyone said. Minutes should be concise and summarize the major points of what happened at the meeting.
How detailed should meeting minutes be? Meeting minutes should be detailed enough to record key decisions, actions and motions while avoiding off-topic comments or personal opinions.
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.
Note that minutes of meetings and accompanying documentation can be requested under FIPPA, and with few exceptions, access to these records may be granted. Therefore, in creating your minutes be mindful that they may be made accessible beyond the original audience.
Don't be afraid to ask when you don't understand, but ask constructive questions. "I did not understand" is not helpful. "Do I understand correctly that we need to ..." is way better. If meetings are long, its OK to ask for a break.