Taking effective meeting minutes is an important aspect of board management but isn’t always easy. Many board secretaries and others responsible for taking minutes struggle with determining what should be recorded and how. Join Zenda Bowie, director of field services and parliamentarian for the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) as she shares her list of meeting minutes must-haves, along with some of her best tips. View the webinar in its entirety: https://bit.ly/2vIEaWw

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Board Meeting Minutes
8 Things You Should Never Miss
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Zenda Bowie, Director of Field Services – Georgia School Boards Association
Andy Ryff, Marketing Manager – eBOARDsolutions
Charlie Rigby, Business Development Manager - eBOARDsolutions

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Today’s Agenda
● Session Protocol
● Webinar – Board Meeting
Minutes: 8 Things You
Should Never Miss
o Zenda Bowie – Director of
Field Services, GSBA
o Andy Ryff – Marketing
Manager, eBOARDsolutions
o Charlie Rigby – Business
Development Manager,
eBOARDsolutions
● Q&A
Welcome
Attendees

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● All attendees muted during
the webinar - verbal
questions taken at end of
session
● Questions may be asked
via the control panel
during the session
● Use the ‘Questions’ panel,
not ‘Chat’
● Webinar recording and
presentation delivered via
follow-up email
Webinar
Information
Session Protocol

4. Zenda Bowie
www.simbli.com
● Director of Field Services, Georgia
School Boards Association (GSBA)
● District Director and President, GSBA
Board of Directors
● President and Vice President, Fulton
County Board of Education
● CEO – American Lung Association,
Southeast Region

5. Board Meeting Minutes
8 Things You Should
Never Miss

6. www.simbli.com
The Struggle is Real
of those responsible for
taking meeting minutes identify the
task as being the single biggest
challenge associated with meeting
management.
46%
Source: “Building a Better Meeting,” McKinsey and
Company, 2016
Key Frustrations
1. Meetings that digress from the
agenda
2. How how much (or how little)
detail to include
3. Listening and writing at the same
time
4. Dealing with challenging
meeting behavior
5. No formal template, format, or
style

7. www.simbli.com
The Struggle is Real for Us Too!
of those receiving
meeting minutes following a meeting
say they have ‘little or no value’ when
asked about relevance and usefulness.
61%
Source: “Building a Better Meeting,” McKinsey and
Company, 2016
Key Frustrations
1. Lack vital, most important
information
2. Include opinions rather than
facts
3. Contain factual errors
4. No alignment to the meeting
agenda
5. Not delivered in a timely fashion

8. How do I ensure
the minutes I’m
taking will be well
received and have
value?

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What Type of
Meeting Was Held?
Meeting Type
Boards hold several types
of meetings, including
regular, special, called,
emergency and others. Be
sure to include which type of
meeting the minutes cover.
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Board Meeting Minutes - 8 Things You Should Never Miss

10. Organization Name
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Board Meeting Minutes - 8 Things You Should Never Miss
The official name of the
organizing body is often left
out of minutes.

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What time did the
meeting start?
Date and Time
The meeting time recorded in
the minutes is the time the
meeting is called to order. If
the meeting was scheduled for
7:00 and didn’t start until 7:30,
the minutes should indicate
7:30 as the start time.
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Board Meeting Minutes - 8 Things You Should Never Miss

12. Location
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Board Meeting Minutes - 8 Things You Should Never Miss
The location should be included
unless the organization meets
at the same place every time.

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Who was in
attendance?
Attendee
Names
Include full names of the
presiding officer (chair),
governance members and
recording secretary in
attendance. If a substitute
serves for the chair, this
should be reflected in the
minutes.
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Board Meeting Minutes - 8 Things You Should Never Miss

14. Approval of Previous
Meeting Minutes
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Board Meeting Minutes - 8 Things You Should Never Miss
Distribute minutes electronically as
soon as possible after the meeting
so that members have time to
review and make corrections if
necessary.

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Were there any
motions or voting
results?
Motions and
Votes
● Minutes should reflect the action
of the board, not the dialogue.
● For motions, include the exact
wording of the statement, the
name of the person making the
motion, and the one who
seconded, if required.
● Include the outcome of the vote,
amendments, points of order and
appeals, even if not sustained.
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Board Meeting Minutes - 8 Things You Should Never Miss

16. Meeting Adjournment
Time and Signature
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Board Meeting Minutes - 8 Things You Should Never Miss
In addition to recording the time the
meeting adjourns, the person who
recorded the minutes should sign them.
The words “Submitted by” followed by the
signature is acceptable according to
Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

17. Additional Tips
Plan your agenda
Before the Meeting
Communicate with participants
Use your time wisely
During the Meeting
Take good meeting minutes
Share updates with stakeholders
After the Meeting
Follow up on assigned action items

18. Are there any
templates or
specific tools you
use for managing
your meetings and
meeting minutes?

19. www.simbli.com

20. Best Practice
In Practice

21. Get More Done with Simbli
www.simbli.com
Help others connect the
dots by aligning the work
you do everyday.

22. Questions /
Comments?

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What’s Next
Thank You for
Attending!
● Be on the lookout for the
session recording
● Share with a colleague
● Look for additional
webinar offerings in
coming weeks
● Reach out for a
personalized
demonstration of any
additional Simbli modules

24. simply get more done
Board Meeting Minutes
8 Things You Should Never Miss
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Zenda Bowie, Director of Field Services – Georgia School Boards Association
Andy Ryff, Marketing Manager – eBOARDsolutions
Charlie Rigby, Business Development Manager - eBOARDsolutions