MODULE 8

Taking excellent minutes

Objectives

By the end of this chapter, I aim to:

  • understand the basic principles for effective minute-taking

  • know how to use preparation to save time

  • be able to summarise information effectively and quickly

  • be equipped with a useful template for taking minutes


What are minutes?

Don’t be misled or feel daunted by the term “minutes”.  It originally comes from the word ‘minute’, meaning note taking during meetings and has nothing to do with the measurement of time. Remember, your company does not want a minute by minute account of the meeting.  They want a record of decisions, tasks or votes made and the action plans as to who will be doing what.

  • the minutes are a source of information and a reference for people who attended the meeting and for those who were absent, so make sure that they make sense for those who did not attend the meeting.
  • minutes are the official record of the proceedings of a meeting.
  • they form part of the historical records of a company.
  • once approved, they are legally binding and could be used as evidence in court.
  • they should, therefore, be factual, unambiguous and to-the-point.

What is your responsibility?

If you are taking the minutes, you are responsible for:

  • preparing the document
  • recording all the objective facts about the meeting (where and when it took place; those present, etc).
  • recording the actions taken, and any relevant deadlines, accurately.
  • getting the Chair (and, if necessary, the Board) to approve the minutes with a signature.
  • distributing the minutes to the approved distribution list.
  • filing the minutes appropriately.
  • organising note taking during the meeting:
    • learn the difference between actions and remarks.
    • identify the different people to be taking the various actions and note the deadlines.
    • possibly even use different colours to differentiate who is doing which tasks.
  • Make sure you know as much about the meeting as possible. Why is it being convened, is it general or for a specific topic?
    • If it is for a specific reason, then familiarise yourself with the vocabulary related to the topic, the issues which will be discussed and who is involved.
  • Make sure you have the Agenda:
    • this will help you to prepare and will be a guide for making notes before the time.
    • this also gives you information you will need to include in the minutes i.e. Names of attendees including guest speakers.
  • Attach any documents sent out with the Agenda to the minutes for future reference and to distribute to those who were unable to attend the meeting.
  • Distribute the minutes quickly so that everyone knows what their tasks are and can action them as soon as possible.

Confident Communicator Tips

When typing
  • Type them up as soon as possible after the meeting – while what was discussed is still fresh in your mind.
  • Look at the outline, add additional notes and clarify points which were raised.
  • Make sure all decisions, actions and motions are clearly noted. Possibly even highlight these by bolding, underlining or italicising them.
  • Ensure there is enough detail and that important specifics have been included. Possibly include a short description of each action and the reason behind the decision.
  • If there was a lot of discussion before a motion/decision was taken, note the main arguments for or against it.
  • Type in a logical manner rather than chronologically as it happened. It is important to know what was said rather when it was said.
  • They should be organised and easy to read by colleagues who were present AND those who were absent.
  • Possibly add a short summary at the end of the minutes detailing each person’s tasks in a project. Note that this is per person, so that at a quick glance each one knows what is required of them.

Tips for note-taking

Create an outline based on the Agenda
  • Type up an outline/template of the minute format in order to make it easier for you to jot down notes regarding decisions etc as you go along.
  • If taking notes by hand, leave a space below each item on your pre prepared minutes for your hand-written notes to help you when you type it up after the meeting.
Check off attendees as they enter the room

This is assuming that you know who they are.  If not, then have the people introduce themselves or pass around an attendee register for them to check off themselves. This will save you time and you can enter their names onto the minutes after the meeting.

Ask for clarity if need be
  • If the meeting moves on without a decision or conclusion, ask for clarity or the next steps to be taken regarding that item.
  • If possible, discuss your potential need to ask for clarification with the chairman before the time so that he/she may know what to expect.
Record it
  • If you think you may not keep up, especially if you are new to the company and policies/topics or if what is being discussed is complicated, consider using a phone, iPad or other recording device.
  • Make sure however to ask the Chairperson for permission to do so and inform all participants in the meeting that it is being recorded for accuracy.
Learn Shorthand

Even if this is your own form of shorthand it speeds up your note taking. Visualizing or drawing thoughts instead of writing is faster.  If you make up your own shorthand, do make sure it makes sense to you.

For example:

  • @ for at
  • / for the
  • f for from
  • w for with
  • ! for important
  • Shorten words like:
    • ppl for people
    • pts for points
    • commn for communicate/communication
Format
  • Your company may already have a preferred template for recording minutes. Do your research and locate a copy.
  • If there is no template, review the minutes from a previous meeting and set your template accordingly.
  • Speak to the Chair of the meeting and ask if there is a format that he or she prefers. Anticipating preferences may save time in editing later.
  • Be objective. Avoid personal observations and use only facts as they were discussed.
  • Use the same tense throughout.
  • Avoid using names or initials other than those relating to motions and seconds.
  • If reference is made to other documents, don’t try to summarize this, rather make a reference to the fact that the document is attached as an appendix to the minutes and then attach it.
  • Make sure your Chairperson has seen and approved the Minutes for distributions if possible as the Minutes are not official unless signed. (Sometimes this is only done at the following meeting however)
Structure

Minutes usually need to include the following:

  1. Name of the organisation
  2. Type of meeting
  3. Place, date and time of meeting
  4. Chairperson’s name
  5. Secretary’s name
  6. The names of those who attended
  7. Apologies for those who were absent (with their names)
  8. Notice of meeting
  9. Opening and welcome
  10. Minutes of previous meeting
  11. Approval of Agenda/Notice of the meeting
  12. Additions to Agenda
  13. Time convened
  14. Matters arising from the minutes
  15. Correspondence
  16. Financial report
  17. New business
  18. General
  19. Closure
  20. When the next meeting is to be held and where
  21. Agenda for the next meeting
  22. Chairperson’s signature and date
  23. Distribution list
  24. Action column on the right-hand side, with deadline dates, where appropriate
Preparation (is key)
  • You will be writing things down as they are being said, and you won’t want to ask members to pause or to repeat themselves unnecessarily.
  • Therefore, time is a factor in the success of your document.
  • Prepare a template with as much information as possible in advance to set yourself up for success.

Before the meeting starts, your document may look like the example from the button below. As you can see, everything that can be written in advance has been included, and space has been left for the events of the meeting:

Example of Minutes

Summarise

  • summarise the main points.
  • for example: “(Several) staff members reported missing office equipment”; instead of writing, “Mx X reported that her stapler was missing; Mrs Y reported that her mouse pad had disappeared; Mr Z reported that his monitor had been borrowed and not returned”.
  • focus on decisions made.
  • for example, “Mx X proposed that an inventory be taken of the office equipment; Mrs Y seconded the motion; Mr Z volunteered to take the inventory; the deadline for the inventory list is 12 March”.
Task
  1. Create the basic skeleton of a template for your workplace and compare it to your company’s previous templates.
  2. Find the best format to suit your company’s needs.
  3. Practise listening to conversations and recording the main points.
  4. Collect vocabulary that is useful.

Review of goals

Revisit your goals:


Congratulations!

Congratulations! You have come to the end of your Business Writing Skills Course. You have successfully completed the course – now all that remains is to keep practising your writing skills.

We trust that you are feeling more confident, more skilled and more capable of effective written communication. You are now in a position to use the skills and knowledge you have gained to be a Confident Communicator.

Please remember that continued practice and application are essential for maintaining and enhancing your skills even further. Should you wish to improve your knowledge of English grammar, please feel free to enquire about our other courses.

Thank you for training with Confident Communicator and for providing us with the opportunity of working with you to enhance your writing and communication skills! We value and appreciate your support.

Please feel free to contact us for any further assistance in the future.

We look forward to staying in touch!

Warmest regards,

The Confident Communicator Team