Effective Board Meeting Minutes

Course description

Learn how to accurately record board minutes, and understand the role documentation plays in board effectiveness.

Minute taking requires accurately capturing important information from board meetings.  It is essential that minute takers have a knowledge of the board’s legal requirements and processes to support a variety of board meeting minutes.

After completing this course, you’ll have a strong understanding of the key role meeting documentation and minutes have in board effectiveness.

Course format and duration

The course will take you approximately 12 hours over five weeks.

• You will receive access to two self-paced modules from the course start date
• A three-hour virtual workshop (delivered via Zoom) will be held on the morning of the last day of the course. To get the most from your learning experience, it is strongly recommended that you complete both self-paced modules prior to attending your virtual workshop.

When you select your course dates, the ‘from’ date is when you will gain access to start your modules, and the ‘to’ date is when the virtual workshop is held.

You will have access to the modules for six months from the course start date. 

Content covered

Module 1:

• the importance of board documentation, including minutes
• the key roles, responsibilities and relationships of the board secretary
• the legal requirements/obligations around board documentation in a New Zealand context.

Module 2:

• gain an understanding of every stage of the board meeting process
• review the different types of board meeting documentation and their roles
• be provided  with templates and techniques that will support your board’s documentation practices and processes.

The modules will also cover typical meeting process which includes: pre-meeting preparation, post meeting actions, practical tips for creating minutes and what to include in minutes.

In the virtual workshop, you will apply your learning through:

• exploring best practice for board documentation
• identifying tools, templates and techniques that will support your board’s processes
• discussing common issues and challenges that you might face with board documentation.

Who should attend

Anyone responsible for, or interested in, increasing their understanding of taking board minutes and preparing meeting documentation. Roles may include:

• a company or board secretary
• an executive assistant
• an administrator
• board chair
• trustees and directors (may be relevant to small and/or not-for-profit boards or trusts)