One of the most important, and sometimes dreaded, tasks of the board is to take detailed meeting minutes. The secretary board position is often one of the hardest spots for HOAs to fill, but today we want to dispel any preconceived ideas about meeting minutes. Despite their reputation, meeting minutes can be simple and straightforward to handle.
Here are three things to consider so that you can simplify the task of meeting minutes:
- Start with a meeting agenda. Come to all meetings prepared with a meeting agenda. Knowing what is going to be discussed will help you record all critical information in the minutes. This helps you focus on the meeting while allowing you to take minutes that are to the point and accurate.
- Develop a Minutes template. Some things remain consistent for all meeting minutes. For example, all minutes should open with “ The <insert date> Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of <insert name of association> was called to order with roll call of the board at <insert time and location of meeting>. Having a template that allows you to plug in the current information is a huge time saver. Having these statements drafted, you’ll be able to pay attention to the meeting and record only key information.
- Consider audio/video recording. No matter how prepared and put together you are, sometimes it is hard to keep track of all meeting activities. You can keep the audio/video files on record along side meeting minutes, and if there is ever a disagreement about what happened in a meeting, you’ll have indisputable proof about what was said/decided during a meeting.
Recording meeting minutes doesn’t need to be intimidating or daunting. Like anything, all it takes is preparation and commitment. If meeting minutes are an ongoing struggle for your community and you’re looking for outside help to get things running smoothly, give us a call at Spectrum! We believe in sharing knowledge and are happy to help however we can!
