The document discusses minutes of meetings and the process of taking meeting minutes. It describes meetings as gatherings where people come together to discuss topics of common interest. It also explains that meeting minutes are an official written record of what was discussed and decided in a meeting. The key steps in creating meeting minutes are pre-planning, taking notes during the meeting, transcribing the notes, distributing the minutes, and filing them.
The document discusses minutes of meetings and the process of taking meeting minutes. It describes meetings as gatherings where people come together to discuss topics of common interest. It also explains that meeting minutes are an official written record of what was discussed and decided in a meeting. The key steps in creating meeting minutes are pre-planning, taking notes during the meeting, transcribing the notes, distributing the minutes, and filing them.
The document discusses minutes of meetings and the process of taking meeting minutes. It describes meetings as gatherings where people come together to discuss topics of common interest. It also explains that meeting minutes are an official written record of what was discussed and decided in a meeting. The key steps in creating meeting minutes are pre-planning, taking notes during the meeting, transcribing the notes, distributing the minutes, and filing them.
The document discusses minutes of meetings and the process of taking meeting minutes. It describes meetings as gatherings where people come together to discuss topics of common interest. It also explains that meeting minutes are an official written record of what was discussed and decided in a meeting. The key steps in creating meeting minutes are pre-planning, taking notes during the meeting, transcribing the notes, distributing the minutes, and filing them.
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Minutes of the Meeting
Meetings are a required part and a regular occurrence in any organization . A
meeting can be loosely defined as two or more persons coming to gather for a specific purpose of discussing a definite topic or topics that are of common interest to the parties involved. A meeting as defined by businessdictionary.com is a formal or informal deliberative assembly of individuals called to debate certain issues and problems, and to take decisions. There are different kinds of meetings that serve different purposes. Formal meetings are held at definite times, at a definite place, and usually for a definite duration to follow an agreed upon agenda. They can either be organizational meetings which are normally regular meetings involving stockholders and management, such as a board meeting and annual general meeting (AGM); or operational meetings which are regular or ad hoc meetings involving management and employees, such as a committee meeting, planning meeting, and sales meeting.
Why have meetings?
Meetings play vital roles in business management. It serves as a dynamic tool
for communication. In the modern world, meetings are conducted in almost every organization. Meetings can be conducted to deliver new knowledge and business information or discuss important projects and crucial issues in the business operation . A meeting is a powerful business weapon as it keeps an organization on track, and it helps a team arrive at a consensus. It is also a way of allowing the individuals in an organization to keep each other updated with work matters . A Meeting keeps staff very productive and helps to boost their morale. it helps to improve problem solving skills in staff members of the organization. One of the major important benefits of meetings is that through meetings an organization can achieve targets and objectives . It is also a way of keeping track of individual and team work progress through discussion . Meetings also help facilitate employee brainstorming, and it increases the staff's efficiency.
The importance the minutes of the meeting
To fully utilize the potential of a meeting, the events that occurred during the meeting should be recorded. It is important to have a person that can accurately and efficiently take notes of the meeting to capture the issues, discussions, and resolutions that transpired throughout the meeting. A typical meeting can go through many topics that may require decision making and action plans, and simply remembering the results mentally is not enough. The record of what transpired during the meeting is called the minutes of the meeting or the meeting notes. Meeting minutes are the written or recorded documentation that is used to inform attendees and non-attendees about what was discussed and what happened during a meeting. The meeting minutes are generally taken or recorded during the meeting so that participants have a record of what happened during the meeting. Minutes are a tangible record of the meeting for its participants and a source of information for members who were unable to attend . In some cases, meeting minutes can act as a reference point, for example: when a meeting's outcomes impact other collaborative activities or projects within the organization minutes can serve to notify (or remind) individuals of tasks assigned to them and/or timelines. It is imperative that the notetaker or the one who makes the minutes of the meeting should possess the necessary skills to create efficient and organized meeting notes. The notetaker
There are people in the company who find themselves in the position of taking minutes of meetings without a clue of how to go about it . In the usual company setup, the notetaker of a meeting is often assigned to the company secretary: The secretary makes sure that all the essential elements are noted, such as type of meeting, name of the organization, date and time, name of the chair or facilitator, main topics and the time of adjournment. For formal and corporate meetings, the secretary includes the approval of previous minutes, and all resolutions. He or she also prepares an outline based on the agenda ahead of time, and leave plenty of white space for notes . By having the topics already written down, the notetaker can jump right on to a new topic without pause. Prepare a list of expected attendees and check off the names as people enter the room. Or, the notetaker can pass around an attendance sheet for everyone to sign as the meeting starts. To be sure about who said what, the secretary makes a map of the seating arrangement, and makes sure to ask for introductions of unfamiliar people. He or she does not make the mistake of recording every single comment, but concentrates on getting the gist of the discussion and taking enough notes to summarize it later. The rule is to remember that the minutes are the official record of what happened, not what was said, at a meeting.
The notetaker has access to a device most familiar to him or her like a notepad, a laptop computer, a tape recorder, a steno pad, and shorthand . Many people routinely record important meetings as a backup to their notes. He or she studies the issues beforehand to be discussed and ask a lot of questions ahead of time . If the notetaker must fumble for understanding while the notetaker are making the notes, they won't make any sense to the notetaker later. The notetaker must not wait too long to type up the minutes, and makes sure to have them approved by the chair or facilitator before distributing them to the attendees. The notetaker may be called upon many times to take minutes of meetings, and the ability to produce concise, coherent minutes is widely admired and valued. The notetaker shouldn't be intimidated by the term "minutes" since it's a little misleading. After all, the committee or Board does not want or need a record of its meeting proceedings minute by minute! But it is important to capture the essence of the meeting, including details such as: decisions made (motions made, votes, etc .) next steps planned identification and tracking of action items. There are requirements in order to be an effective notetaker during the meeting. The secretary must record accurately the decisions, commitments and major discussion points made at a meeting . He or she should record the action items that meeting members committed to doing along with the due date that members committed to making. The notetaker should also review the major decisions and the assignments or voluntary commitments and action items at the end of the meeting so participants can review and agree on happenings and commitments before leaving the meeting. The secretary should also distribute a copy of the meeting minutes within 24 hours of the adjournment of the meeting .
The process of making meeting minutes
There are essentially five steps involved with meeting minutes: pre-planning, record taking, transcribing , distributing, and filing. Pre-planning is important. A well- planned meeting helps ensure effective meeting minutes . If the chairman and the secretary or notetaker work together to ensure the agenda and meeting are well thought out, it makes minute taking much easier. Depending on the meeting structure and the tools the notetaker use, the notetaker could work with the chairman to create a document format that works as an agenda and minutes outline as well. It is important to get a copy of the meeting agenda and use it as a guide or outline for taking notes and preparing the minutes with the order and numbering of items on the minutes matching those of the agenda.
In addition, the agenda and/or meeting notice also provides information that will need to be included in the minutes, such as: the names of all the meeting attendees, including guests or speakers documents that are sent out with the agenda or handed out in the meeting. Copies of handouts should be stored with the meeting minutes for future reference and for sharing with those who were unable to attend the meeting . The secretary must first ask the Chair of the committee or Board what their expectations are of the notetakers role during the meeting, as well as the type of detail he or she expects in the minutes. If the Board or committee will be dealing with motions, or voting on items/issues, the notetaker must be clear on whether or not there is a need to offer names of those making motions, and seconding.
The second step is record taking. Before the notetaker start taking notes, it is important to understand the type of information the notetaker needs to record at the meeting. The organization may have required content and a specific format that needs to be followed, but generally, meeting minutes usually include the following: date and time of the meeting; names of the meeting participants and those unable to attend; acceptance or corrections/amendments to previous meeting minutes; decisions made about each agenda item; actions taken or agreed to be taken; voting outcomes; and next meeting date and time. There are many tips that the secretary can use to take meeting notes. Create an outline - as discussed earlier, having an outline (or template) based on the agenda makes it easy for the notetaker to simply jot down notes and decisions under each item as he or she goes along. If the notetaker is taking notes by hand, he or she should consider including some space below each item on the outline for hand-written notes, then print these out and use this to capture minutes .
The secretary must check-off attendees as they enter the room. If the notetaker knows the meeting attendees, the notetaker can check them off as they arrive, if not have folks introduce themselves at the start of the meeting or circulate an attendance list they can checkoff themselves. The notetaker must record decisions or notes on action items in the outline as soon as they occur to be sure they are recorded accurately. The notetaker must also ask for clarification if necessary. If the group moves on without deciding or an obvious conclusion, the notetaker should ask for clarification of the decision and/or next steps involved . The secretary should avoid the pitfall of trying to capture all the small details of the meeting. The notetaker cant keep up if he or she tries to write down the conversation verbatim, so he or she makes sure to simply (and clearly) write (or type) just the decisions, assignments, and action steps . If the notetaker is concerned about being able to keep up with note taking, he or she can consider recording the meeting (e g., on a smart phone, iPad, recording device) provided that he or she informs the participants that they are being recording. While it is not necessary to have a word-for-word transcript of the meeting, the recording can come in handy if the notetaker needs clarification.
Once the meeting is over, it is time for the secretary to pull together his or her notes and transcribe or write the minutes. The notetaker tries to write the minutes as soon after the meeting as possible while everything is still fresh in his or her mind. He or she reviews the outline and if necessary, add additional notes or clarify points raised and check to ensure all decisions, actions and motions are clearly noted . The details in the meeting minutes include a short statement of each action taken by the board and a brief explanation of the rationale for the decision when there is extensive deliberation . Before passing a motion, the notetaker summarizes the major arguments and edits to ensure brevity and clarity, so the minutes are easy to read . The meeting minutes are written in the same tense throughout the document. The secretary should also void using peoples names except for motions or seconds. The minutes of the meeting is a business document, not about who said what. The secretary should also avoid inflammatory or personal observations. The fewer adjectives or adverbs the notetaker use, the better. If he or she needs to refer to other documents, the notetaker should attach them in an appendix or indicate where they may be found . Dont rewrite their intent or try to summarize them. Want to see sample Board meeting minutes?
The next step is distributing or sharing the meeting minutes. The secretarys role may include dissemination of the minutes. However, before the notetaker share these, he or she must be sure that the Chair has reviewed and either revised and/or approved the minutes for circulation. The method of sharing or distribution will depend on the tools used by the notetaker and the organization . Since minutes and other documentation can create a pile of paper, it is great if the notetaker can use a paperless sharing process. For example, if the notetaker are using a word processing tool (e .g., Microsoft Word) that doesnt offer online sharing, the notetaker might want to create a PDF of the document and send this and the other attachments or meeting documentation via email. Alternately, if the secretary is using Google docs - for meeting invitations, agenda and additional document sharing he or she can simply share the document with that group once it has been finalized.
If the company is using a cloud-based membership management system, the
notetaker can publish the minutes as a web page and give access only to the committee or Board members, depending on needs of the organization . Through members-only webpages, the notetaker can create a secure online Intranet for the Board and committees. Tools Specifically For Meeting Minutes: There are many tools available for the notetaker to use specifically for meeting minutes. Google Docs supports collaborative note taking. There are sample templates for minutes in Google docs . If the notetaker sends out a meeting request using Google Calendar, the notetaker can attach a Google doc agenda outline. Once minutes are crafted using the outline, the notetaker can simply share the document with the group . Microsoft OneNote is a very fast program that allows for organization of notes. It also supports audio recording with corresponding note time-stamping. Agreedo: supports creation of meeting minutes and tracking the results.
Most committees and Boards review and either approve or amend the minutes at the beginning of the subsequent meeting. Once the secretary have made any required revisions, the minutes will then need to be filed and stored for future reference. Some organizations may store these online (e.g., in Google docs or SkyDrive) and also back these up on an external hard drive. The notetaker may also need to print and store hard copies as well or provide these to a staff member or Chair for filing.
Sample meeting minutes
Franze Co. Monthly Board Meeting
13 February 2013 Meeting called to order at 12:00 p.m. by CEO Taylor Cooper
Members present: Taylor Cooper, CEO Logan Shafter, CFO Morgan Ely, Senior Vice President, Marketing Elyse Chan, Senior Vice President, Engineering Joyce Comer, Senior Vice President, Consulting Lindsay Rogan, Communication Strategist Mark Epstein, Senior Vice President, Human Resources Shane Hale, Engineering Specialist Nick Mitchell, International Consulting Representative Ryan Marke, Senior Vice President, Recruiting
Members absent: (none)
Approval of minutes:
Motion: Approve minutes from 14 January 2013 board meeting
Vote: Motion carried Resolved: Minutes from the meeting on 14 January 2013 approved without modification
Business: Motion from Morgan Ely to submit the latest issue of company newsletter, The Newswire, for national award Vote: 10 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 abstained Resolved: Motion carried
Motion from Shane Hale to attain 10% more engineering materials for company Vote: 4 in favor, 6 opposed Resolved: Motion failed
Motion from Mark Epstein to hire 5 interviewed candidates to fill vacant positions at the company Vote: 6 in favor, 4 opposed Resolved: Motion carried
Meeting adjourned at 1:14 p.m. by CEO Taylor Cooper
Conclusion
Meetings are part and parcel of the lifecycle of an organization . Meeting minutes are important because they capture the essential information of a meeting and provides a tangible progress report to the actions discussed in the meeting. But taking and preparing minutes does not have to be a daunting task . There are many tips and techniques that a secretary can use in creating effective meeting minutes for the organization. It is necessary that the secretary should have adequate and polished skills of notetaking to filter out the unimportant words and focus only on the gist of the meeting to provide concise, objective, and unbiased meeting minutes that are useful for decision making.
