The minutes of board meetings are an essential record of key information and governance processes. If they are well-planned and approved they form the basis for post-decision reviews and assist boards in holding themselves accountable to their agreed-upon process of decision-making. They can also help prevent the board from taking shortcuts in the future that could be detrimental to the stakeholder group of the company.
Minutes are typically written by the presiding board member or one of the staff members of the organization. It could be a scribe with previous experience writing minutes for boards, or a professional secretaire who knows what can be included in the minutes. It’s crucial that the person who writes the draft minutes is aware of the expectations. This will help to write notes that are unique and give the board meetings credibility.
It is crucial to include the date, the time and the location of the meeting in the minutes. The next is the list of officers who preside, directors and nonvoting attendees. It is important to note whether any members attended via phone or online.
The minutes should be split into two web parts that are administrative and substantive business. Administrative business comprises things like agenda approvals, a summation of previous minutes, or the use of consent agendas (which reduces debate by acknowledging repeated items by a single motion). Substantive business includes more content-heavy items such as the release of updates from committees, risk management briefings and the decision-making process for new service initiatives.