Meeting minutes are notes that are recorded during a meeting. They highlight the key issues that are discussed, motions proposed or voted on, and activities to be undertaken. The minutes of a meeting are usually taken by a designated member of the group. Their task is to provide an accurate record of what transpired during the meeting.Meeting minutes are an important resource in many workplace settings. Recording the details of a meeting can help team members who may have been absent or need to reference a previously discussed topic. It takes some training to learn how to take minutes during a meeting and format them professionally. Some jobs may emphasise this skill more than others, such as executive assistants or administrative professionals.
What Are Meeting Minutes?
Meeting minutes are notes taken during a company meeting. These notes serve as a record of the decisions made, actions planned and steps taken during the meeting. Typically, an attendee takes meeting notes during a meeting and types those in an easy-to-read format after the meeting. Then the attendee sends the meeting minutes to a senior leader for approval. Once approved, the meeting minutes can be distributed to others and filed away.Meeting minutes dictate the actions that take place during the meeting, including assigned projects, delegated work and other important workplace decisions. This also helps employees who attended the meeting remember important discussion topics.
Steps Involved in Recording Meeting Minutes
There are five main steps involved in recording the minutes of a meeting. They are:
- Pre-planning
- Record-taking
- Writing or transcribing the minutes
- Sharing meeting minutes
- Filing or storage of minutes for referencing in the future
Pre-Planning
If a meeting is well-planned in advance, taking minutes will be a lot easier. That said, the chairperson and the secretary or minutes-recorder should work together to determine the agenda of the meeting beforehand. For example, the person recording minutes could work with the chair to draft a document that will serve as an agenda and provide the format for the meeting.
Meeting Agenda
If it’s not possible for the chair and secretary to meet and come up with a draft, then it’s up to the secretary to get a copy of the agenda before the meeting starts. The meeting agenda will serve as a guide for how to take notes and prepare the minutes. In addition, the agenda also includes other details, which need to be incorporated in the minutes. They include:
- Names of all the members present – includes guests and speakers
- Documents that may be handed out as the meeting progresses, such as copies of a list of proposals to be voted on
Expectations
When an individual is chosen as the minutes recorder, it’s important for them to know what is expected of them. Therefore, the individual should approach the chair of the committee and ask what their role in the meeting will be. For example, if the meeting will involve proposing motions, the designated member should inquire as to whether he should include the names of those proposing motions and those seconding.
What to Include in Meeting Minutes
Before recording any details, a designated minutes recorder should familiarize themselves with the type of information that they should record. A group may be using a specific format to record notes but, overall, the minutes of a meeting typically include the following details:
- Date and time the meeting happened
- Names of attendees, as well as absent participants
- Acceptance of, or amendments made to, the previous meeting’s minutes
- Decisions made regarding each item on the agenda, such as:
- Activities undertaken or agreed upon
- Next steps
- Outcomes of elections
- Motions accepted or rejected
- New business
- Date and time of the next meeting
Importance of meeting minutes
Helps keep track of the team’s progress
Meeting minutes can be a vital tool for keeping tabs on the progress of each team member and their schedules. It serves as a map for your team towards accomplishing each task or goal. It can also be a helpful review tool, to see how far you have come as a team and review important votes or milestones at later dates.
Acts as a reminder
You and your team can forget what you have discussed, agreed upon or decided in your last meeting. With meeting minutes, you can easily check back on those at a later time. Meeting minutes can also help you remember the date and time of your next meeting.
Acts as a reference for absentees
Meeting summaries can be helpful tools for bringing absentees up to date with the organisation’s proceedings. A simple follow-up email with the minutes attached can ensure that no one gets left behind in pursuing company goals.
Saves time
Meeting minutes can work as a single source of truth for the entire team. With each member aware of their responsibilities, accomplishing goals and meeting deadlines becomes easier. The document helps remove unnecessary information and streamlines the overall functioning of the team. It also helps your team save time on planning because they do not have to revisit previously discussed topics.
Serves as corporate defence
As companies that expand and diversify, they may face some litigations and civil suits. Meeting minutes can serve as a solid record of intent in such cases, allowing the authorities concerned to pinpoint all relevant details and proceedings. Usually, the members of the meetings vote to approve the minutes before their next meeting. This can ensure minutes are accurate if they are needed later for evidence.
The Process of Writing Meeting Minutes
When the meeting ends, the individual tasked with writing minutes should get all the resources he needs to write up the minutes in a clear, presentable way. Here are some tips to consider:
- Once the meeting ends, don’t take too long to write the minutes. This way, everything that took place in the meeting is still fresh in your mind.
- Review the outline that had been created earlier and make adjustments where necessary. This might include adding extra information or clarifying some of the issues raised. Also, check to see that all verdicts, activities, and motions were clearly recorded.
- Revise the minutes and ensure they’re brief but clear.
Distributing the Meeting Minutes
Once the secretary completes writing the minutes, he’s supposed to share them with the group members. They can be shared online or through the cloud. Considering that minutes and other types of documents can entail a lot of paperwork, it may be preferable to use a paperless sharing approach.
For example, if the minutes recorder was documenting the minutes using Microsoft Word, which does not offer online sharing, then they might consider using Google docs, which offers a way of sharing documents online with other users.
The recorder is also supposed to save a copy of the meeting minutes for future reference. Most companies store their minutes online
FAQs
How detailed should meeting minutes be?
Minutes should be detailed enough to provide a clear and accurate record of what transpired but concise enough to be easily readable. Focus on capturing decisions, key points of discussion, and action items rather than verbatim transcripts.
Who is responsible for taking minutes?
Typically, a designated secretary or a member of the meeting (often called the minute-taker) is responsible for recording the minutes. In formal settings, this role may be assigned to a company secretary or administrative assistant.
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