Form with which the stockholders of a corporation record the contents of their annual meeting.
Form with which the stockholders of a corporation record the contents of their annual meeting.
Multiple company secretaries have also told us that, as a rule of thumb, they spend four hours writing minutes for every hour of meeting time. This isn't surprising when you consider that the transcript of an hour's worth of conversation can reach 10,000 words and 20 pages of A4.
Minutes should start with the attendance and continue through the motion to close the meeting (opening and closing of the meeting should have times attached.) Each topic that is discussed should have a brief paragraph summarizing what was discussed.
Meeting minutes should be distributed promptly after the meeting, ideally within 24 to 48 hours. Timely distribution ensures that participants have a fresh understanding of discussions, decisions, and action items.
If the minutes contain action then they MUST be distributed within a few days of the meeting so that the action can begin. Some minute takers keep a separate document listing the action and this is a good practice.
What do the minutes contain? Time, date and place of meeting. List of people attending. List of absent members of the group. Approval of the previous meeting's minutes, and any matters arising from those minutes. For each item in the agenda, a record of the principal points discussed and decisions taken.
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.
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).
After each meeting, the secretary should work to distribute the minutes to other board members as soon as possible. This is especially important if there are action items to address.
Multiple company secretaries have also told us that, as a rule of thumb, they spend four hours writing minutes for every hour of meeting time. This isn't surprising when you consider that the transcript of an hour's worth of conversation can reach 10,000 words and 20 pages of A4.
At their core, meeting minutes should include several key elements: Details of the Meeting: Start with the basics - the date, time, and location of the meeting, as well as the type of meeting (regular, special, annual, etc.). This sets the stage for what follows. Attendees: List everyone present and note any absences.