Taking minutes is part of the process of managing meetings.  In fact, after the Chair, the minute-taker (I prefer the term Meeting Administrator) is the most important person in any meeting. 

What are minutes? 

Think of the adjective ‘minute’ – meaning ‘tiny’. It suggests a summary.  Minutes are not a verbatim record; they’re a record of discussion, decisions, and agreed actions.  They should be accurate, clear – and brief!

What goes on the minutes?

At the very least, record the actions agreed.  Indeed, you might produce little more than an action list on a spreadsheet.

More formal minutes may include:

• The name of the meeting
• The venue, date and time
• Names of participants
• Apologies for absence
• Where necessary, 'minutes read agreed and signed'
• Where necessary, 'matters arising'
• A record of the meeting, item by item, numbered exactly as on the agenda

Minutes should be dated and must often be signed, at least by the Chair.

The Pre-Meeting Meeting

Hold a pre-meeting meeting with your Chair, to discuss:

Why the meeting is being held

Who will attend (and who will not)

When the meeting will be held

Where the meeting will be held;  and where you will sit (where you can see everybody's face – and not the corner!)

What the meeting will be about; the order of items; and what jargon or specialized language you will hear

How you will work with the Chair

This last question’s really important.  How can you help the Chair manage the meeting?  Perhaps you can keep time, or summarize at the end of agenda items. 

Above all, it’s critically important to agree that you can intervene during the meeting, to check your notes.

During the meeting

You have two responsibilities during the meeting:

• listening; and
• taking notes.

If you’re not listening well, you won’t take accurate notes.  And if you’re constantly taking notes, you won’t listen well.

Listening skills

You should spend far more time listening than writing.

Practise ‘in-out’ listening. Listen through the words for what you need - without noting anything.  Note down the information you need – fast – and then return to listening.

• Why is the matter being discussed?
• What has happened?  Who was responsible?
• What will be done?  By whom?  When?  Where?
• Who else is involved?

Taking notes

You can take notes in two ways: using a minute book; and using mind maps.

A minute book, A4 and hard-backed, works like this.

• Each item on the agenda has a separate page.  Notes are on one side of a page only.
• Rule each page into three columns: the central one half the width of the page.
• Use Column 1 for names of speakers and Column 2 for discussion keywords.
• Write actions in Column 3, using different colours to highlight the action itself, names or initials of the person responsible, and deadlines.

Mind maps can work very well as an alternative.

Use plain paper, at least A4 size: one sheet per item.  Put the item number and name in a central circle.  .

• Note key ideas as they arise, with initials if appropriate. 
• Connect ideas with lines and add ideas where they logically connect.
• Use different colours for actions and information.

A mind map allows you to follow the discussion, wherever it goes. It helps you to organise the material into a logical structure.  And it forces you to do ‘in-out’ listening: there’s only room for keywords, and you have to create connections between ideas.

Writing up the minutes

On the final document, create wide margins: on the right, for actions agreed; on the left, a blank margin for notes.

Background

Put the item in context for absentees.  The title of the item may do the job; otherwise, indicate briefly how the matter arose.

Discussion

Include only the information that supports the decision or action.  Explain any names, abbreviations or jargon. Your minutes should be understandable to an absentee.

Include references to:

• Recent events
• Dates and names of places
• Names of people interviewed or visited
• Sums of money
• Legal or contractual necessities

Decision

A summary of what the group has agreed.

Action

What’s to be done?  By whom?  When and where? 

Improving the style of your minutes

Three aspects of style particularly matter.

• Passive verbs
• Reported speech
• Verb tense

Passive verbs appear because minute-takers are often told that minutes ‘should be in the third person’.

It was generally agreed...

It was thought necessary to ...

But ‘writing in the third person’ should mean saying who did what.

The committee agreed...

The Personnel Director thought it necessary to ...

Use active verbs.  Your minutes will be – well, more active!

Reported speech records the words spoken in a meeting.  As a broad principle, try to avoid directly quoting in your minutes.

Ration verbs like:

said

asked

reported

discussed

explained

proposed

suggested

expressed (concern, anger, bewilderment...)

confirmed

Let’s be clear.  You are allowed to use these words!  But use them sparingly.  You’re recording what happened at the meeting, not what everyone said.

Tense refers to whether you put verbs in the past, present or future. Another ‘rule’ states that minutes should use the past tense. Result: ‘minutespeak’.

A report was presented by Tom on current car fleet usage.  It was revealed that some sales staff had still been claiming for unreasonably high mileage figures.  After some discussion, it was agreed that Tom would continue to monitor expense forms and would report back to the committee at the next meeting.

Put statements of what happened at the meeting in the past.

Tom presented a report on current car fleet usage.

The minutes are dated, so use the present for ongoing actions outside the meeting.

Some sales staff are still claiming for unreasonably high mileage figures.

Use the future for agreed actions.

Tom will continue to monitor expense forms and report back at the next meeting.

Minute-taking isn’t the most thrilling of tasks.  But if you follow these guidelines, people may actually read your minutes.

And you’ll probably produce them a bit more quickly.

 

This content was provided by one of our users, alanbarker830