Chair’s script for a hybrid AGM

Good [morning / afternoon], and welcome to the [year] Annual General Meeting of [Organisation name]. My name is [name], and I am the chair of [the board / the committee]. I will chair today’s meeting.

[Acknowledgement of Country, if your organisation includes one.]

Welcome to members here in the room at [venue] and to members joining us online. This meeting is being held in person and online, and members in both places can take part.

For members online: you can ask a question at any time using the [Q&A tab] on the event page. Questions are checked by a moderator before they reach me. Captions are available on the video. If you have a technical problem, use [the help option / contact details shown on the page], and our team will help you.

For members in the room: [how to ask a question, for example a roving microphone]. Please wait for the microphone so members online can hear you.

The meeting is being recorded for the purpose of [preparing the minutes / making it available to members].

I am advised by the [secretary / returning officer] that there are [number] members present in person, [number] online and [number] represented by proxy. A quorum is [number or rule from the constitution]. I declare that a quorum is present, and the meeting is open.

[If no quorum: A quorum is not present. Under our constitution, the meeting will (adjourn / wait until time). Members online should stay on the event page for further information.]

Apologies have been received from [names or number]. [The secretary will record them in the minutes.]

[Number] valid proxies have been received by the deadline. Proxy holders have been given [their sign-in details / a personal voting link] and may vote for the members who appointed them.

The minutes of the last annual general meeting, held on [date], were [circulated with the notice / available at (where)]. I propose that they be confirmed as a true and correct record.

[If a vote is needed, use the resolution wording below.]

I now call on [name, title] to present the [annual report / chair’s report / financial report]. [Slides will appear on screen for members online and in the room.]

[After the report:] Thank you, [name]. Before we move to the resolutions, I will take questions on the reports. Members online, now is a good time to send your question using the Q&A tab.

I will take questions from the room and online in turn. Our moderator has [number] questions from members online, and similar questions have been combined.

[Reading an online question:] The next question is from [name / a member who has asked not to be named], online. They ask: [read the question as written].

[Declining a question:] Thank you for that question. It is not about the business of this meeting, so I won’t take it today. [Offer another way to raise it.]

[Taking on notice:] I don’t have that information with me. We will take that question on notice and provide a written answer by [date or timeframe].

[Closing questions:] We have time for [one / two] more questions. Any questions we can’t reach will be answered in writing after the meeting.

Resolution [number] is [title]. It is [an ordinary / a special] resolution. The resolution is: [read the exact wording].

[Is there any discussion? Members online can send a question now.]

I now open voting on resolution [number]. Members online: the voting panel is now available on the event page. Choose For, Against or Abstain, then confirm your vote. Members in the room: [vote by show of hands / complete your ballot paper / use the code given at check-in]. [This resolution is a secret ballot.]

[Allow time. Check with the secretary or production team that online votes are still arriving.]

Voting will close in [one minute]. Members online, please make sure you have confirmed your vote.

Voting on resolution [number] is now closed.

We now move to the election of [office or number of board members]. [Number] nominations were received for [number] positions. [If uncontested: As the number of nominations does not exceed the number of positions, I declare the following elected: (names).]

[If contested: Voting will be by (method). Members online will see each candidate on the voting panel. Voting is now open.]

I have the results from the [secretary / returning officer]. On resolution [number], [title]: For, [number]. Against, [number]. Abstain, [number]. [Include proxy votes if your rules or practice require it.] I declare the resolution [carried / not carried].

[If results will be confirmed after the meeting:] The final results will be [published on (where) / sent to members] by [date].

That concludes the business of the meeting. Any questions taken on notice will be answered in writing by [date] and [published on (where)].

Thank you to everyone who attended, in the room and online, and to our [staff / volunteers / production team]. I declare the meeting closed at [time].