Template
Remote board meeting template
A board meeting held by video: the same agenda, plus the rules that keep a remote meeting valid — confirming who is present for the quorum, voting so everyone is counted, and keeping confidential papers secure.
The agenda, with a time for each part
- Confirm who is present and the quorum5 min
- Can each director confirm they can hear and be heard?
- Conflicts of interest3 min
- Does anyone have a conflict on today’s items?
- Highlights and numbers25 min
- What should the board know since last time?
- Discussion, one speaker at a time30 min
- Who wants to speak? Raise a hand in the call.
- Votes by roll call12 min
- Each director, by name: for, against or abstain?
- Confirm actions and next meeting10 min
- What did we decide, and who does what?
- Executive session, if needed5 min
- Directors only — staff leave the call.
How the notes read afterwards
A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.
Present. 6 of 7 directors; quorum confirmed by roll call.
Conflicts. One director on the supplier contract — left for that item.
Vote. Budget approved 5–0; one abstention.
Executive session. Ten minutes, directors only.
Running it well
- Check that your bylaws or articles allow meetings and votes by video, and record in the minutes how directors attended.
- Vote by calling each name. Silence on a video call is not a vote.
- Share papers through a secure board portal or encrypted documents, not email attachments.
Ways to change it
When to skip it. Never skip a regular board meeting your rules require; shorten it if there is little to decide.
Questions
Can a board meeting be held by video?
In many places, yes, if the law and the organisation’s rules allow it; check your bylaws or articles and record how directors attended.
How do you vote in a remote board meeting?
Usually by roll call — the chair asks each director by name — or with a voting tool that records each vote.
How do you hold an executive session remotely?
Staff leave the call, or directors move to a separate meeting link for the private part.
What happens in the room
Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.
More templates
Try Meetful
Meetings that take their own notes
Free video meetings in the browser: every line of the transcript under the name of who said it, and the summary and action items when you hang up. Nothing to install — guests just open the link.