Meeting Minute Templates
At Goodlawyer, we often get questions from corporations on what meeting minutes are and they are looking for a template.
To answer this common question, we wrote this blog post to help new business owners understand meeting minutes and use this underrated organizational tool template to their advantage. If you’ve got more questions after reading this, consider setting up a call with a business lawyer near you.
Free Word Docs meeting minute templates: click here
Free Google Docs meeting minute templates: click here
What are meeting minutes?
They are the records of special types of meetings that a company is required to have on a regular basis. Namely, board meetings, board committee meetings, and the annual general meeting of shareholders.
Regarding board and board committee meetings, minutes describe the suggestions and comments from board members and guests that pertain to the business of the company, decisions reached during the meeting, and the reasoning for those decisions. Shareholder meetings tend to be more complicated, and are not covered by this document.
Before the Meeting
Before people actually walk into the room (or dial-in), some things should have already happened.
Firstly, if it is a board meeting, all of the directors should have been invited, preferably with ample warning. Scheduling board meetings for a regular time and place helps with this. In terms of frequency, monthly is common, with quarterly often being considered the minimum.
Secondly, each meeting should have an agenda that lists what documents should have been received (and read) prior to the meeting, and what decisions the attendees will be asked to make during the meeting. This helps them prepare for the meeting and ensure good decisions are made quickly.
What needs to be included?
Contextual Information
Minute taker's name. The minute taker or secretary should be identified before the meeting to ensure they understand the rigour required to take minutes and arrive with the minutes template and other necessary materials.
Meeting date: The day, month, and year the meeting is taking place.
Location: The physical location of the meeting, or if it was by web or phone, basic details about that (platform, call-in number, etc).
Meeting Type: It’s important to differentiate between a board meeting, a board committee meeting, and any other type of meeting.
Attendees
Chair: Identify the name and title of the person who is controlling the meeting and ensuring everything stays on topic.
Other Attendees: Identify the names and titles of all other attendees.
Meeting called to order by Chair: Recording minutes starts once the meeting is officially started by the Chair.
Quorum requirement: Confirm whether there are enough directors present to legally conduct business. Quorum requirements are established in the corporate bylaws. Quorum is generally only needed for board meetings
Background
How and when was the meeting announced: It’s important to clearly identify how and when attendees were invited to the meeting to prevent disputes in the future. For example: “Email sent from secretary@org.com to the email list board@org.com on 2020 January 01”.
Last minutes confirmed as accurate by consensus: Check with the group to confirm if they read and agree with the minutes from the last meeting. If dissent exists, explain the issues and the plan to address them.
Discussion of business from past meetings: the attendees should be given a chance to discuss any business that was not adequately concluded from the previous meeting.
Meeting Agenda
How and when was the meeting announced: It’s important to clearly identify how and when attendees were invited to the meeting to prevent disputes in the future. For example: “Email sent from secretary@org.com to the email list board@org.com on 2020 January 01”.
Last minutes confirmed as accurate by consensus: Check with the group to confirm if they read and agree with the minutes from the last meeting. If dissent exists, explain the issues and the plan to address them.
Discussion of business from past meetings: the attendees should be given a chance to discuss any business that was not adequately concluded from the previous meeting.
Examples of Meeting Minutes
There are no hard and fast rules for taking minutes, but there is a generally accepted style. Here are some examples.
The regulator for lawyers in Ontario (“Convocation” is their version of a board)
How to write effective meeting minutes
Evernote defines some of what has made more effective meeting minutes find it here.
- The names of all participants in the meeting
- The agenda items
- A calendar of due dates and action items
- The main points of the discussion
- Any decisions made during the course of the meeting
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