Meeting minutes are a critical tool in organizational professional communication. They capture essential information to be derived from the meeting, which encompasses key decisions, planned actions, and responsibility assignments, that the attendees and other interested parties can refer back to after the meeting.
Keeping minutes in a meeting minutes ensures accountability, serves as a ready reference for future meetings, and makes the absentees clear. Business Information Management Systems course offered by the British Academy for Training and Development allows businessmen to hold effective meeting minutes with adequate preparation, accuracy, and objectivity.
The meeting minutes are a written account of what was discussed in the course of the meeting. They account for all the main points discussed, decisions made, and tasks assigned. They therefore contrast with a transcript, which may include everything said word for word as they mainly sum up the most salient details in a clear concise format. This may contain the following:
Date, time, and location of the meeting
Names of attendees and absentees
Agenda items and summaries of discussions
Decisions made on each agenda item
Action items identified, due dates, and responsible people
Date of next meeting (if applicable)
Such documentation will help have a structured and continuous process that ensures everyone is on the same page. The following is a guide on the dos and don'ts of effective writing of meeting minutes which will be of use to everyone.
Here is how to write minutes of meeting:
Proper preparation helps in making correct and practical minutes. Make some time before the meeting to browse over the agenda and any other information that you will be discussing during the session, so you know what comes up. Carry along the relevant documents, such as the minutes from previous meetings, reports, and participant lists for you to have adequate background; avoid cramming at the last minute. Be there early enough to set up and get ready to take minutes when the meeting is called on order.
A template smoothens the process and does not leave any of the most important details out. Moreover, a structured standard makes your minutes easier to read and therefore easier to refer to later. A template's simple elementary structure may include the following parts:
Title and purpose of the meeting
Date, time, and place
Roll call of those who attended and absentees
Agenda items, decisions, and action items
Many templates include sections for each agenda item, so you can fill in your notes directly during the meeting and save time when closing out the minutes afterward.
Summarize the key points rather than recording verbatim all that is said. Keep in mind important discussions and decisions along with any tasks assigned or deadlines to meet. The correct details clarify what was agreed upon and who is responsible for the follow-up.
Decisions: Note down all the conclusions reached or decisions made at the meeting.
Action Items: Note any responsibilities assigned to specific persons with deadlines attached to them.
Remember that while noting who is responsible for each of the action items, you should include names of participants.
The minutes should be a fact-accurate record, so remain objective. Refrain from using language that seems subjective by either saying emotive words or phrases. Use a neutral tone, which will help avoid misunderstandings and keep your record professional. Suggestion "Tom passionately argued against the proposal," become "Tom raised concerns over the impact of the proposal."
After the meeting is over take some time to review your notes to ensure they are organized and free of errors. This is important to catch any mistakes in names, dates, or specifics that could confuse later. Ask someone else who was at the meeting to review the minutes to make sure nothing is missed or interpreted incorrectly.
The minutes should be circulated no later than 24-48 hours after the meeting. When minutes are circulated shortly after the meeting, not only do attendees remember their action items, but the missing persons are also brought up to speed. Use e-mail templates or auto-distribution tools to make the distribution process easier.
Action items should be clearly listed in the minutes; in this way, attendees know what they need to do. The responsible person, deadline, among other details regarding the action must be included. Making all the action items stand out by including all of them in a summary section at the end of the minutes can help bring them to readers' attention. This is also easy to locate.
Meeting minutes are not word-for-word transcripts. When you are typing everything said in the meeting, you'll be writing too slowly, and your minutes will be not very pleasant to read through. Simply try to summarize discussions and capture the outcomes. In a discussion, note major arguments, key points, and conclusions, rather than minor points.
Minutes are an objective, factual record. Avoid your interpretation of what was said, your opinion, or your reaction to what was said. The introduction of such terms as "Mark seemed upset" means that an otherwise objective record is shot through with bias. Keep it concise, and if you feel an emotional response is relevant, couch that in neutral language, for example, "Mark expressed concerns."
Minutes of a meeting are intended to be read by anyone, so never use technical jargon or abbreviations that nobody in your audience will be familiar with. If you are not sure what an abbreviation means, write out the full term and explain the abbreviation if necessary. Use an abbreviation or acronym with some frequency. Define it initially and then use it throughout the rest of the document.
The attendance list will be an important component of the minutes; it provides a record that details who was present, not present, or otherwise partially present. This prevents no-shows and aids in tracking attendance over time. Using a sign-in sheet or attendee list at the beginning of the meeting makes this much easier to do.
It can be tempting to wait too long, then send them out thinking that you've got plenty of time-and end up forgetting something or messing it all up. It's always safer to write up the minutes while the meeting is fresh in your mind. If the minutes must be approved by a supervisor, seek feedback promptly to avoid delays in circulating unnecessary minutes.
Misspelling of names, dates, and even details makes meeting minutes nonsensical and sometimes miscommunicative. Take always some time to read through the minutes carefully for typos, poor formatting, and inaccuracies. How to read through the minutes and have them flow well is by reading them out loud.
Action items should be easily accessible in the minutes. If lost in paragraphs of text, they might be missed or forgotten. Let them be conspicuous. Use a bulleted list or numbered list of action items in bold so they stand out
Preparing minutes of the meeting is a professional work geared toward ensuring productivity, transparency, and accountability in an organization. Well-prepared minutes help reference attendees clearly on who is doing what and decisions and actions are documented. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned minute-taker training course in Washington allows businessmen to learn more about managing meetings of minutes.