What to Include and What to Leave Out of Board Meeting Minutes

It’s important to remain impartial when composing minutes of board meetings. This allows the minutes to serve as legal documents that prove that meetings were held and that decisions were taken. Having opinions strewn across the minutes can cause them to look biased and cause skepticism from stakeholders, legal entities or board members who may be in the future. It’s important to know what information to include in the minutes, but it’s equally important to know what to take out.

In general, the board meeting minutes should only document the facts and decisions that occurred during the board meeting. They shouldn’t contain personal or subjective views, like how the chair of the board pounded on her desk in order to make her point. Also, it is recommended not to name individuals in the discussion unless there is a motion to be made. The board should record who made the motion and who voted for it, along with the number of people who voted against, for or abstaining.

It’s also recommended to keep track of any new attendees or special guests. This will help people keep track of who’s attending both in person and via remote. It’s boardroombox.com/the-real-time-value-of-the-leading-edge-secure-data-room-applications-software-suite-solutions also a good idea to announce the beginning and end time of the meeting, along with a date and time for the next meeting. Board members are busy, so having a set date and time for meetings helps everyone stay on the same page.