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.
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.
What information do board meeting minutes contain? Meeting date, time and location. Type of meeting. Names and titles of attendees and guests. Any absent board directors. Quorum. Notes about directors who left early or re-entered the meeting. Board approvals, resolutions and acceptance of reports. Overview of discussions.
Board meeting minutes – before the board meeting Understand your role & your board's policies. Prepare your minutes template in advance. Note board meeting attendance. Fill in your template as the board meeting progresses. Record the time the meeting was adjourned. Obtain copies of all reports.
There is no general requirement that board minutes be public – though some countries have laws that they must be available to members. However, not-for-profit organisations earn trust by being open about how they handle the public trust that has been granted to them.
Keep a basic record of what went on during the meeting. For example: who gave a presentation, did a “discussion ensue,” were “questions asked and answered?” But avoid recording everything.
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.
The minutes should not be a verbatim transcript, any more than they should be a bare-bones outline. It is best to say that minutes should be an accurate and truthful summary of what occurred. The length of any specific item in the minutes should reflect the relative importance of that item to the meeting agenda.
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.
Meeting minutes are the written record of what was discussed and decided during a meeting. They typically include the date and time of the meeting, a list of attendees, a summary of the topics discussed, decisions made, action items assigned, and the time of adjournment.
Board meeting minutes template Date, time, location. Type of board meeting — regular, special or annual. Attendance of board chair, board members, secretary and other guests. If quorum requirements are satisfied. Approval of previous meeting minutes. Reports and presentations including names and titles of presenter.