The minutes of board meetings are an important document of crucial information and governance procedures. If they are well-planned and approved they serve as the basis for post-decision evaluations and help boards hold themselves accountable to their agreed-upon decisions. They also can help stop the board from taking shortcuts in the future that could be http://www.aboutboardroom.com/what-is-meeting-management-software/ detrimental to the organisation’s stakeholders.
Minutes are often written by the presiding board member or someone from the organisation’s staff. It could be a scribe who has experience in writing board minutes, or a professional secretaire who is aware of what should and shouldn’t be included in minutes. No matter who creates the draft minutes, it’s essential to establish clear expectations of what’s expected of them, so that they are able to produce standout notes that will give the board’s meetings credibility.
It is essential to include the date, time, and the location of the meeting in the minutes. A list is required of the chairman directors, non-voting guests and presiding officers. It’s also important to determine the members who attended via telephone or online.
The minutes should be split in two sections: administrative business and substantive business. Administrative business includes things such as agenda approvals, a summary from previous minutes, or the use of consent agendas (which reduces debate by acknowledging repeated items with one motion). Substantive business involves more content-driven items such as the release of updates from committees, briefings on risk management, and decisions on new service initiatives.
