How to Take Minutes at a Board Meeting
Making minutes of an executive board meeting is a crucial job which requires great concentration on the details. A clear and accurate set of minutes of meetings is vital for future reference as well as legal compliance. It can also protect the company from liability issues that may arise if it does not have accurate records.
You should have a template prepared before the meeting begins. This will help you stay focused and organized the agenda items throughout the meeting. This will allow you to efficiently take notes and make sure that any other materials, such as handouts virtual data room or reports are included in the meeting minutes. It is important to have a backup for your note-taking tool in the event that you run out of batteries or encounter other issues.
When recording the discussion during the board meeting, it’s important to pay attention and take note of the key points of each topic that is being discussed. If you have trouble keeping the discussion on track then ask other participants to repeat their remarks or stop to capture their thoughts clearly. Make sure you record votes for and against each motion. Include the names of those who are absent or tardy in the minutes.
The minutes should be distributed to all members of the board by the minute taker after the meeting. This could be through mail, hardcopy or through the board portal software.
