Taking minutes at board meetings is vital to keep a record of what the board did. Minutes should include details of the discussions and decisions made and also resolutions and actions.
A board secretary must take minutes accurately and impartially. Even if the board has discussions on controversial subjects, a fair and factual account is necessary to safeguard the business from any potential litigation that may arise.
The draft minutes of the meeting should be sent to all directors for review and revision before being approved by the chair. A second draft that has been approved by the chair, may be circulated to any directors who want to conduct any follow-up before finalizing the minutes.
It is essential to record the presence at the meeting of each director, as well as any other attendees who are present but are not involved in decision-making. This ensures that any disagreements or remarks are not ignored or omitted.
Note the order in which a particular agenda item was discussed. This will make it easier to follow up on any changes at a future meeting.
As the person responsible for taking minutes, it’s crucial that you bring all required items to the meeting. Bring pen, notebook power cable, notebook, and a pen. In addition, you should always have a backup device in the event that your primary device fails or your pen isn’t working.
