The minutes of board meetings are an important aspect of good governance since they ensure that each discussion and decision is recorded. The secretary of the board or another person assigned to do this is typically the person responsible for taking minutes during meetings.
The person who records the minutes of the meeting must listen and accurately record the entire meeting even when directors are debating a particular topic or arguing over one another. The minutes could be scrutinized in court when the company is sued and therefore must be as objective and impartial in the event of a lawsuit.
Note the time, date and the location of the meeting. This information is necessary to organize your minutes document following the meeting and allows readers to locate the information quickly. You must also state whether the meeting was an ordinary one or a special event, an emergency or executive session.
Note all those who attended the meeting, including the presiding officers and board members, and non-voting attendees such as staff members or guests. Maintaining a precise list of those present is essential particularly for recording meetings conducted remotely.
Include a summary of every item on the agenda. This can be done by a paragraph or two of a summary that summarizes the major topics discussed and also any important decisions made. It’s important to not include too excessive detail, however. Detailed minute documents can be overwhelming to the readers and make it difficult to understand the overall direction of the business.