The minutes of a meeting, short notes detailing its proceedings, are taken by the meeting’s secretary as a written record of what was discussed. If you are responsible for taking minutes, ensure that they are accurate and clear.
In the minutes you should record the time and the place of the meeting, the names of the attendees (where appropriate), all items presented, but not necessarily details of the discussions involved, and all decisions, agreements, or appointments made. During the course of a meeting, make notes from which to write the minutes in full later. Make sure the minutes are unbiased, written in a clear, concise style, and accurate. Accuracy is essential, particularly where minutes may be used as evidence in the case of a later dispute.
Once the minutes are complete, make sure that they are distributed quickly to all the relevant people. Compiling minutes is a meaningless task if the action agreed upon at the meeting is not duly followed up. Minutes should indicate clearly the deadlines agreed on for any projects, and who is responsible for implementation. After a suitable period but before the next meeting, follow up on the projects or tasks noted in the minutes, and update the chairperson on their status. If necessary, see that these items are included in the agenda for the next meeting.
POINTS TO NOTE
When writing minutes, make sure they are brief, exact, and laid out in a legible format. Keep sentences short and to the point. Number each new point to make it obvious where one point ends and the next one begins. If the minutes are particularly lengthy, index them. Minutes should be entirely understandable to absentees. Prompt delivery of minutes encourages prompt action on issues raised.
Make sure the chairperson approves the minutes. Distribute minutes within a day or two of a meeting. Follow up between meetings on issues requiring action. Use the minutes to compile a status report on ongoing issues. Circulate it with the agenda for the next meeting. Always verify the accuracy of minutes with attendees at subsequent meetings.
