The minutes of the board meeting are among the most important documents that a company can create. The document is intended to accurately record the decisions made at a meeting of the board of directors, as well any follow-up actions. The minutes must be written with a neutral and objective tone to achieve this. While this can be challenging in a meeting with a high degree of conflict However, there are ways to ensure that the minutes accurately reflect the event without revealing any personal views or biases.
The first thing to include is a brief outline. This will allow anyone who reads the minutes comprehend what took place. This section may include an explanation of the place of the meeting, whether there were remote attendees, and the name of the person who recorded the minutes. It is also helpful to record the start and end times of the meeting as well as the person who was in attendance (and if the regular minute-taker was not there then who filled in).
A second paragraph should be included that describes what the meeting’s content will be. This will typically contain two main elements including administrative business and substantive business. The first is routine items such as agenda approval minutes of the last meeting, and a consensus schedule that saves meeting time by acknowledging items like committee reports.
The latter is the discussion of a variety of significant topics. It is essential that the minutes include the results of all votes, as well with the names of those who made and seconded the motion. It is also a good idea for the minute-taker to record any major arguments that took place during the discussion. But, don’t go as far as to identify exactly who spoke what. This can cause legal liability.
