How to Run a Corporate Meeting: Corporate Meeting Minutes

A corporate meeting, also known as a company meeting, is a statutorily required gathering that incorporated organizations hold for their major stakeholders. Attendees often include the company’s officers, directors, and shareholders. Namely, they gather to discuss and transact the ordinary or special business of the company.

 

Let’s move on to reveal how to run corporate meetings effectively and their meaning, purpose, and types. Also, you’ll learn how to take corporate meeting minutes and discover template types. Importantly, you’ll see how the Krisp AI Meeting Assistant can make your corporate meeting exceptionally productive and efficient.

What Is a Corporate Meeting?

What is the meaning of corporate meeting? This is a structured and organized gathering of key stakeholders, including directors, senior management, and C-suite executives. Specifically, they gather to brainstorm, plan, or strategize for the company’s future.

 

Corporate gatherings meetings aim to align everyone with upcoming goals and expectations. So, they range from small departmental sessions to large company-wide gatherings, which can be held in person or virtually.

 

Corporate meetings provide a platform for open communication, collaboration, and decision-making. Attendees may include employees, clients, suppliers, partners, or other stakeholders with a shared interest in the organization’s success.

 

And why is it called corporate? The term “corporate” comes from the Latin word “corpus,” meaning “body.” In a business context, it refers to a corporation or an organized entity that functions as a single body. The latter can include multiple individuals working collectively toward shared goals.

 

How long is a corporate meeting? The length varies depending on its purpose and scope. For example:

 

1. Short team meetings typically last 15–30 minutes for daily updates or quick discussions, such as stand-up meetings.
2. Departmental meetings usually last 30–60 minutes for more detailed discussions or project updates.
3. Strategic meetings last one to two hours, often involving brainstorming, planning, or decision-making.
4. Board meetings typically last two to four hours, covering critical business topics, financial reviews, and strategic planning.
5. Company-wide meetings can last several hours or a full day, especially for annual town halls or training sessions.

What Is the Purpose of a Corporate Event?

So, why is a corporate meeting important? Well, a corporate event aims to achieve specific organizational goals through structured gatherings. Specifically, they aim to align, engage, and drive the organization forward.

 

These meetings serve various objectives, including:

 

1. Team Building: Foster collaboration, strengthen relationships, and enhance employee teamwork through team building questions.

 

2. Networking: Build connections with clients, stakeholders, and industry professionals.

 

3. Knowledge Sharing: Provide training, share updates, or introduce new products, services, or strategies.

 

4. Motivation and Recognition: Celebrate achievements, reward employees, and boost team morale.

 

5. Brand Promotion: Showcase the company’s culture, values, or products to external audiences.

 

6. Problem-Solving: Strategize, brainstorm, or address challenges in a collaborative environment.

 

7. Obtaining Shareholders’ Consent: Keep the company’s leadership accountable for the company’s finances, operations, and key developments.

 

8. Performance Review: Enabling the company’s leadership to review its performance based on its current and previous records.

 

9. Legal and Fiduciary Responsibility Fulfilment: Allow the company’s leadership to fulfill legal and fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders and the state.

How to Do a Corporate Meeting Successfully?

Corporate meeting management suggests taking specific steps to succeed in your event.

1. Organize Ice Breakers

For example, consider the fun and lighthearted in-house or virtual ice breakers “Two Truths and a Lie.” Specifically, ask each participant to share one false and two true statements about themselves. Others must guess which statement is a lie.

2. Set Clear Goals

For instance, set project goals for specific initiatives, such as deadlines, milestones, and deliverables. Or set team alignment goals, such as ensuring all departments and employees understand their roles in achieving company objectives.

3. Choose the Right Corporate Meeting Participants

Invite only relevant stakeholders whose input or presence is essential to the purpose of the event. For instance, these can include Investors/Shareholders who attend to receive updates on financial performance, strategy, and business direction.

4. Choose Relevant Topics or Themes

Relevant topics for a corporate meeting, tailored to various objectives, can include “Strategic Planning and Updates,” “Team Collaboration and Alignment,” “Problem-Solving and Innovation,” “Client and Market-Focused Topics,” and “Employee Engagement and Development.”

5. Assign Meeting Roles

For example, the role of a Presenter/Speaker suggests delivering specific updates, insights, or reports on assigned topics during the meeting. Or the role of a Discussion Moderator suggests facilitating open dialogue among participants so everyone can share their input.

6. Choose a Corporate Meeting Space or Venue

Choosing the right corporate meeting rooms depends on the event purpose, size, and format. For instance, you can use a boardroom, conference room, auditorium or even hall, co-working spaces, and hotel meeting rooms.

7. Create a Comfortable Environment

Ensure the physical space is conducive to productive discussions. For this, opt for a well-lit, distraction-free space offering comfortable seating. Besides, the atmosphere of the space should match the meeting’s tone, formal or casual.

8. Ensure Technology Readiness

Test audio-visual equipment, including microphones, speakers, projectors, and displays. Also, check internet connections and virtual meeting platforms, such as Google Meet and Zoom, to avoid disruptions.

9. Leverage AI-based Corporate Meeting Apps

For example, the Krisp AI Meeting Assistant ensures a noise-free and professional experience for clear and productive communication. All you need to do is install Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant and set it as your default microphone and speaker in your conferencing platform, including Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

10. Gather Marketing Materials

Corporate gathering materials ensure effective communication and engagement. These can include printed or digital brochures showcasing company products, services, or updates. Or the materials can consist of data-driven materials such as financial reports, market trends, or performance metrics.

11. Gather Everything You Need for the Corporate Meeting

These can include video conferencing and meeting management software like Zoom and Google Meet. Besides, your meeting needs documents, attendees lists, refreshments, activities, notices, internet connection, office supplies, projector, and post-event follow-up resources.

12. Prepare a Corporate Meeting Agenda

Here is an example of a corporate meeting agenda:

Corporate Meeting Agenda

Date: [Insert Date]

Time: [Insert Start and End Time]

Location: [Insert Venue or Virtual Meeting Link]

Facilitator: [Insert Name]

 

Welcome and Opening Remarks (5 minutes)

• Meeting introduction by [Facilitator/Leader].
• Objectives and purpose of the meeting.

Company Updates (15 minutes)

• Key achievements and milestones.
• Updates on financial performance by [Finance Head].
• Upcoming projects or initiatives by [Relevant Leader].

Department Reports (20 minutes)

• Department A: Progress, challenges, and next steps (5 minutes).
• Department B: Updates and upcoming goals (5 minutes).
• Department C: Success stories and team highlights (5 minutes).
• Open floor for questions or clarifications (5 minutes).

Discussion Topics (30 minutes)

• Strategic planning: [Key topic].
• Addressing current challenges or bottlenecks.
• Brainstorming solutions for [Specific project/issue].

Key Decisions (10 minutes)

• Approvals needed for [Project/initiative].
• Voting on proposed strategies or actions.

Employee Engagement (10 minutes)

• Recognizing outstanding performers by [HR Leader].
• Announcements of team-building activities or training opportunities.

Q&A Session (10 minutes)

• Open forum for participants to ask questions or raise concerns.

Closing Remarks and Action Items (5 minutes)

• Summary of key decisions and next steps.
• Assigning responsibilities and deadlines for follow-ups.
• Meeting adjourned by [Facilitator/Leader].

13. Send a Corporate Meeting Notice to Attendees

Use a reliable tool like Outlook, Gmail, or a corporate messaging system to send a meeting invitation email or notice to attendees effectively. Moreover, include essential details like the location and agenda.

 

Additionally, personalize the message, set a call-to-action, and send it in advance. Finally, send a reminder email from one to two days before the meeting, summarizing key details and including the agenda again for convenience.

 

Here is an example of a corporate gathering notice to ensure professionalism and preparedness for the meeting.

Sample Meeting Notice Email

Subject: Meeting Notice: Corporate Strategy Session – [Date and Time]

 

Dear Team,

 

I hope this message finds you well. Please be informed of the upcoming Corporate Strategy Session, scheduled as follows:

 

1. Date: [Insert Date]
2. Time: [Insert Start and End Time]
3. Location: [Insert Venue or Virtual Meeting Link]
4. Agenda:

• Company Updates
• Departmental Reports
• Strategic Planning Discussion
• Key Decisions and Action Items

Preparation: Kindly review the attached reports and come prepared with updates on [specific topics].

 

Please RSVP by [RSVP Deadline] to confirm your attendance. Let me know if you have any questions or require additional information.

 

Best regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Job Title]

[Contact Information]

14. Set Ground Rules

Establish clear guidelines for participation, such as:

 

15. Limiting interruptions
16. Being punctual
17. Following the agenda
18. Respecting time limits
19. Preparing in advance
20. Using technology appropriately
21. Assigning responsibilities
22. Encouraging participation and engagement
23. Limiting distractions
24. Recording essential points
25. Allowing Q&A
26. Ending on time

   15. Be on Time and Otganize Short, Organized, and to the Point Meeting

Set a clear agenda and share it in advance. Moreover, start promptly, assign a timekeeper to monitor progress, and limit discussions to essential topics. Additionally, encourage focused participation, avoid tangents, and summarize key points. Finally, end on time with actionable follow-ups and decisions.

16. Brainstorm Ideas

Set a clear goal and encourage open participation. Moreover, use techniques like mind mapping or round-robin brainstorming to gather diverse inputs. Specifically, provide prompts, avoid criticism, and focus on quantity over quality. Finally, summarize and evaluate ideas collaboratively to identify actionable solutions.

17. Have Honest, Open, and Transparent Communication

If you have a company challenge, you need to address it together. It’s vital to communicate bad news with authenticity and be empathetic. Specifically, share facts clearly, acknowledge the impact, and provide context. Besides, offer solutions or next steps, encouraging open dialogue to build trust and understanding.

18. Keep the Corporate Meeting Lively by Encouraging Participation

Let participants express their thoughts and ideas on different topics. Moreover, you can boost team morale and keep them engaged through team building activities. Additionally, consider using ice breaker questions and incorporating visuals or interactive tools. Finally, maintain a positive tone and recognize contributions to keep energy high and engagement strong.

19. Support Asynchronous Communication

Ensure employees can communicate questions and find answers through other channels like the work management tool Slack and the project management tool Wrike. Moreover, share meeting materials, recordings, and key takeaways with absent participants.

20. Balance the Right Number of Meetings

Assess the necessity of meetings by evaluating goals and outcomes. Moreover, avoid redundant meetings using emails or collaborative tools like Slack for updates. Finally, schedule only essential discussions, ensure concise agendas, and prioritize efficient time management.

 

Did you know managers reported that 83% of the meetings on their calendars weren’t productive? So, it’s vital to avoid meeting overload.

21. Track Team Members’ Productivity

Establish targets and key performance indicators (KPIs) beforehand. For instance, the most critical team performance metric is the employee productivity rate. The latter measures each employee’s output within a specific time frame.

 

Additionally, use project management tools like Asana or Trello to monitor progress. Also, collect updates from team leads and review completed tasks. Finalyly, analyze performance metrics to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and actionable next steps.

22. Review the Progress of Projects

Request updates from project leads beforehand. Also, use visual project management tools like Gantt charts or dashboards to track milestones and timelines. Additionally, discuss completed tasks, challenges, and pending actions. Finally, align priorities, set deadlines for the next steps, and ensure accountability for ongoing tasks.

23. Ask for Constructive Feedback

Gather constructive feedback from all participants to make improvements and audit the effectiveness of each meeting. For this, create a safe and open environment. Moreover, ask specific questions like “How can we improve this process?” or “What challenges do you foresee?”

 

Additionally, encourage honesty, listen actively, and show appreciation for input. Finally, follow up by providing relevant suggestions and updates on projects.

Corporate Meeting Types

Here are the main corporate gathering categories.

1.    Shareholder Meetings

Shareholder meetings are regular gatherings. Specifically, company shareholders come together to discuss and vote on critical matters like financial reports, election of board members, mergers, or major decisions.

 

These gatherings ensure transparency and alignment with corporate goals. Moreover, they allow shareholders to voice concerns or provide input on the company’s direction.

2.    Board of Director Meetings

Board of Director meetings are again regular gatherings. Specifically, these are meant for top executives and board members who come together to discuss strategic goals, company performance, and governance matters.

 

Specifically, these gatherings focus on high-level decision-making. The latter can include approving budgets, setting policies, and reviewing key financial and operational metrics, such as earnings per share and percentage of market share.

3.    Board Committee Meetings

Board committee meetings are specialized corporate meeting sessions that subcommittees like audit, compensation, or governance committees hold.

 

These gatherings focus on specific areas of responsibility, such as reviewing financial audits and evaluating executive compensation. Moreover, they ensure compliance with regulations before reporting recommendations to the entire board.

4. Special Meetings

These meetings address specific issues and extraordinary matters or make critical decisions that can’t wait for a regular meeting.

 

Also called outside regular schedules, special gatherings address crisis management, approval of mergers, or shareholder emergencies. Specifically, they allow timely decision-making to handle critical situations that require immediate attention.

How to Take Corporate Meeting Minutes?

How to write minutes for a corporate meeting effectively? For example, it’s vital to know what legal directives or details to include in your corporate meeting minutes sample.

 

Specifically, these details can refer to the meeting date, time, and location, attendee names, agenda topics, decisions made, voting outcomes, and assigned action items.

 

As for legal directives, for example, Agenda Disclosure suggests sharing the agenda in advance. As a result, participants can learn about the topics to be discussed and the decisions to be made.

 

Here are the main points to consider for writing meeting minutes effectively:

 

1. Be clear and concise by only jotting down the essential meeting items.
2. Remain focused throughout the meeting.
3. Use a live note taker like the Krisp AI Meeting Assistant for accurate note taking.
4. Try shorthand for efficiency, jotting down only initials and abbreviations.
5. Keep the essential information brief and improve readability by using bullet points.
6. Ask questions for clarification.
7. Collect copies of reports and slides from presenters for detailed notes.
8. Use a template for your corporate meeting minutes.
9. Review your notes to avoid missing critical information.

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Template

This is a corporate meeting minutes template example. Overall, meeting minutes or notes templates help organize information effectively. But do you know the difference between note making vs. note taking? Specifically, note taking is about notes taken while listening to what others are saying for future reference. And note making is about notes made from texts.

 

[Company Name]

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Date: [Insert Date]

Time: [Insert Start and End Time]

Location: [Insert Venue or Virtual Platform Link]

 

1. Call to Order

[Chairperson’s Name] called the meeting to order at [Time].

 

2. Roll Call

Present Members:

• [Director Name]
• [Director Name]
• [Director Name]

Absent Members:

• [Director Name]

Others Present:

• [Name, Title] (e.g., Legal Counsel, CFO)

 

3. Approval of Agenda

The agenda was presented and approved as distributed.

Motion: [Name]

Seconded By: [Name]

Vote: Approved/Rejected

 

4. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes

The minutes from the meeting held on [Date] were reviewed and approved.

Motion: [Name]

Seconded By: [Name]

Vote: Approved/Rejected

 

5. Reports

5.1. Financial Report

Presented by [Name]. Key highlights include:

• [Key point 1]
• [Key point 2]

5.2. Operations Report

Presented by [Name]. Key updates include:

• [Key point 1]
• [Key point 2]

5.3. Other Reports

• [Additional updates]

 

6. Old Business

• [Topic 1]
• Summary of discussion and decisions made.
• [Topic 2]
• Summary of discussion and decisions made.

 

7. New Business

• [Topic 1]
• Summary of discussion and decisions made.
• Action Items: [Action Item Description] assigned to [Name].
• [Topic 2]
• Summary of discussion and decisions made.
• Action Items: [Action Item Description] assigned to [Name].

 

8. Resolutions and Voting

Resolution 1: [Resolution Description]

Motion: [Name]

Seconded By: [Name]

Vote: Approved/Rejected

Resolution 2: [Resolution Description]

Motion: [Name]

Seconded By: [Name]

Vote: Approved/Rejected

 

9. Open Discussion

• Additional comments or suggestions from attendees.

 

10. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at [Time] by [Chairperson’s Name].

 

11. Next Meeting

The upcoming Board of Directors meeting is to be held on [Date, Time, and Location].

Prepared by: [Your Name]

Title: [Secretary/Assistant Name]

Date: [Insert Date]

Approved by:

[Chairperson’s Name]

[Date of Approval]

Annual General Meeting (AGM) Minutes Template

Here is the next main meeting minutes template example:

 

[Company Name]

Annual General Meeting (AGM) Minutes

Date: [Insert Date]

Time: [Insert Start and End Time]

Location: [Insert Venue or Virtual Platform Link]

 

1. Call to Order

The Annual General Meeting was called to order by [Chairperson’s Name] at [Time].

 

2. Welcome and Opening Remarks

[Chairperson’s Name] welcomed the shareholders and attendees, outlined the agenda, and emphasized the purpose of the meeting.

 

3. Roll Call/Attendance

Present Shareholders:

• [Name, Shareholder Type, Number of Shares Represented]
• [Name, Shareholder Type, Number of Shares Represented]

Proxies:

• [Name, Proxy for Shareholder Name, Shares Represented]

Quorum Verification:

[Secretary’s Name] confirmed that a quorum was established under the company bylaws.

 

4. Approval of Previous AGM Minutes

The minutes of the previous AGM held on [Insert Date] were reviewed and approved.

Motion: [Name]

Seconded By: [Name]

Vote: Approved/Rejected

 

5. Reports

5.1. Financial Report

Presented by [Name, Title]. Key highlights:

• [Key point 1]
• [Key point 2]

5.2. CEO Report

Presented by [Name, Title]. Key updates:

• [Key point 1]
• [Key point 2]

5.3. Auditor’s Report

Presented by [Auditor’s Name, Title]. Summary of financial audits:

• [Key point 1]
• [Key point 2]

 

6. Election of Directors

Nominees:

• [Name]
• [Name]
• [Name]

Voting Results:

• [Name]: [Votes Received]
• [Name]: [Votes Received]
• [Name]: [Votes Received]

The following individuals were elected directors: [List of Elected Names].

 

7. Appointment of Auditor

The meeting discussed and voted on the appointment of the company auditor for the next fiscal year.

Motion: [Name]

Seconded By: [Name]

Vote: Approved/Rejected

 

8. Resolutions

Resolution 1: [Description]

Motion: [Name]

Seconded By: [Name]

Vote: Approved/Rejected

Resolution 2: [Description]

Motion: [Name]

Seconded By: [Name]

Vote: Approved/Rejected

 

9. Open Forum

Shareholders were invited to raise questions, provide suggestions, or share feedback. Key points discussed:

• [Topic 1]
• [Topic 2]

 

10. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at [Time] by [Chairperson’s Name].

 

11. Next Meeting

The next AGM is scheduled for [Date and Location].

Prepared by: [Secretary’s Name]

Date: [Insert Date]

Approved by:

[Chairperson’s Name]

[Date of Approval]

How Krisp Makes Your Corporate Meeting Productive & Effective

The Krisp AI Meeting Assistant is built with productivity in mind to make your online corporate meeting effective. So, Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant intertwines any virtual conferencing technology like Zoom and Teams with distraction-free communication to maintain engagement and efficiency.

 

As psychology researchers Joseph Mroz and Joseph Allen point out, meetings can be made better. “Leaders can be more organized, start on time, and encourage a safe sharing environment. Attendees can come prepared, be on time, and participate.”

How Krisp AI Meeting Assistant Improves Online Meetings

The Krisp AI Meeting Assistant offers:

 

1. AI Noise Cancellation with the most powerful noise suppression
2. AI Meeting Recording with unprecedented audio quality
3. AI Meeting Transcription with exceptional 96% accuracy
4. AI Meeting Notes & Summaries without errors

 

Krisp’s AI-powered Noise Cancellation removes background noise, ensuring clear, distraction-free communication. Moreover, Krisp’s AI Meeting Recording, including Screen Recording, saves your virtual interactions with excellent audio quality.

 

Additionally, Krisp’s live Transcription, including the Import and Transcribe feature, transcribes your online meetings meticulously. Finally, Krisp’s Meeting Notes and Summaries provides the gist of discussions and action itmes, boosting collaboration and accessibility.

 

Thus, the Krisp AI Meeting Assistant ensures participants enjoy more personal connection and keeps engagement levels high.

 

What’s more, the Krisp AI Meeting Assistant helps you easily organize corporate event information in a meeting agenda template.

You Thought You Knew Everything About Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant?

Additionally, Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant offers:

 

1. Talk Time: Indicate how long you’ve been talking during the call.
2. Meeting Duration: You can see how long your current call lasts.
3. Talk Ratio: Shows your Talk Time ratio compared to the Meeting Duration during the current call.

 

As a result, the Krisp AI Meeting Assistant ensures that your corporate gathering isn’t merely a meeting. But it’s a step forward for your team and organization.

 

How Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant Stands Out:

 

1. On-device Recording and Transcription
2. Bot-less experience
3. Superior UX featuring simplicity without lots of bells and whistles
4. Alert available 10 seconds before the start of a meeting

 

The Krisp AI Meeting Assistant, TIME’s top pick for note-taking apps without an in-meeting bot, runs on WinOS and MacOS. Moreover, Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant is compatible with any videoconferencing software like Zoom, Goole Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

 

Finally, Krisp’s flagship Noise Cancellation technology is already working on 200M+ devices and processing 80B+ minutes of conversations daily.

 

Summary

A corporate meeting helps align teams, discuss strategies, and make decisions. Specifically, corporate gatherings foster collaboration, communication, and accountability. Moreover, they drive business growth, enhance teamwork, and provide a platform for addressing challenges and opportunities.

 

Importantly, the Krisp AI Meeting Assistant elevates corporate meetings by ensuring crystal-clear communication and enabling distraction-free discussions. Namely, with its real-time Noise Cancellation, Meeting Recording, Transcription, Notes and Summaries, Krisp helps teams stay focused, productive, and professional.

Frequently Asked Questions