Rating

8

Qualities
Applicable
Comprehensive
Well Structured

Taking Minutes of Meetings

How to Take Efficient Notes that Make Sense and

Support Meetings that Matter (Creating Success Series)

Joanna Gutmann | Kogan Page © 2019

The unsung hero of any meeting is the minute-taker, who records the decisions that fuel the
engine of business. Minute-taking isn’t merely scribbling notes. A skilled minute-taker distills
lengthy discussions to their essence and creates order and harmony from the discordant process
of reaching a consensus. In this manual’s fifth edition, office communication consultant Joanna
Gutmann explains every aspect of the process, including setting up the meeting, taking the notes
and formatting the minutes. Her guide is an indispensable reference for every minute-taker.

Take-Aways

• Meeting minutes provide a record of discussion topics, action items and outcomes.
• The learnable skill of minute-taking includes organizing, careful listening and clear reporting.
• The meeting cycle has clear organizational stages.
• The de facto roles at most business meetings are the chairperson, the minute-taker, committee

officers and members, and observers.

• To organize a meeting, develop a checklist.
• An efficient meeting follows a formal structure.
• Finalizing the agenda in advance enables attendees to arrive prepared and provides the

structure necessary to focus on prioritized topics.

• Minutes aren’t verbatim; they’re a record of the message behind the words.
• To keep accurate minutes, follow the order of the agenda.
• After a meeting, the minute-taker types the minutes, gets them approved and distributes them

to committee members.

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Summary

Meeting minutes provide a record of discussion topics, action items and outcomes.

Minutes, the essential documentation of a meeting, fulfill several functions:

• Providing participants with a record of the meeting and its outcome.
• Filling the gaps for committee members who have to step out of the room, leave the meeting or

can’t attend.

• Listing all the action items and noting who is responsible for each activity.
• Enabling the audit trail that corporate governance requires.

The learnable skill of minute-taking includes organizing, careful listening and clear

reporting.

Most secretaries lack formal training in taking minutes, yet they usually get this
assignment. People erroneously believe speed plays an important part in minute-taking and
that secretaries who take notes quickly will do a good job of recording minutes. In truth, the
job involves “ongoing listening and simultaneous summarizing.” It also includes setting up the
meeting, paying close attention and capturing events clearly.

“The essential skill is not the ability to write fast, but the ability to recognize what
someone is talking about and [to] identify the message.”

Today, meetings have far less structure than in the past, and most people feel organizations hold
too many meetings. Managers generally offer little guidance about minutes and tend to focus on
layout, not content. Some firms want formal minutes, while others prefer a minimal record. No
matter what style of meeting your firm prefers, minute-taking is a valuable skill you can learn.

The meeting cycle has clear organizational stages.

Organizations generally hold regularly scheduled meetings convened at recurring intervals with
the same attendees, such as weekly sales meetings, as well as “one-off ” occasional meetings to
address specific nonrecurring issues. Most one-off meetings don’t require structured minutes. The
organizer may ask someone to take notes. The cycle for recurring meetings has clear phases that
facilitate organizing the event and the taking and distributing of minutes. Timelines for monthly
meetings often follow a pattern:

•

One day after the meeting, or sooner – Type the first draft of the minutes.

•

Within two to three days – Ask the chair to check the draft for accuracy and content and to
approve the minutes.

•

Within five days – Dispatch the approved minutes to the participants and anyone else who
requires a copy.

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•

Eight days prior to the next meeting – Collect agenda items, support materials and
reports to be discussed at the meeting.

•

Seven days before the next meeting – Draft an agenda, and submit it to the chair. After
approval, send the agenda with any necessary attached papers and reports to the meeting
participants.

•

One to two days before the next meeting – Meet with the chair to discuss the agenda, and
finish preparations for the meeting.

“It must be clear from the minutes that the group knew that an action was completed
and, perhaps more importantly, knew when it hadn’t been and what would happen as a
result.”

At the end of each meeting, the participants should decide the date and time of the next meeting.

The de facto roles at most business meetings are the chairperson, the minute-taker,

committee officers and members, and observers.

Meeting participants fall into four categories, each with certain responsibilities: the chairperson
or leader, the secretary or minute-taker, the committee members or attendees, and any
observers. Before the meeting, the chair decides who should attend, approves the agenda and
discusses the meeting with the minute-taker. During the meeting, the chair makes introductions,
determines how the group will reach decisions, controls the agenda and works with the minute-
taker. After the meeting, the chair approves the minutes, obtains feedback, and completes his or
her action items.

“One of the greatest areas of concern for minute-takers is recognizing what should be
noted and sifting out the irrelevant information.”

The secretary or minute-taker usually plans the meeting logistics, including booking a room;
ordering refreshments; securing the date and time; notifying attendees; and formatting, preparing
and distributing the agenda and relevant support materials. After taking the minutes, the minute-
taker types the minutes, gets them approved and distributes them to the attendees. Committee
members are responsible for attending the meeting or sending regrets, reading the agenda and its
attachments, and arriving prepared.

To organize a meeting, develop a checklist.

Begin early to prepare for a meeting. Develop a meeting to-do list so you don’t overlook
organizational tasks. Book a comfortable room, and reserve appropriate equipment like projectors
and flip charts. The minute-taker is responsible for accurately recording each attendee’s
name and position. When a committee member sends apologies for not attending a meeting,
determine whether that person is responsible for any item on the agenda. If the absent member’s
contribution could be vital, defer the subject until the next meeting.

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An efficient meeting follows a formal structure.

Structure meetings so information and ideas flow and so people can work together efficiently. A
typical meeting structure is made up of:

•

Greeting – Minutes usually don’t reflect this opening statement.

•

Absences – Include a list of those who said they couldn’t attend.

•

“Declarations of interest” – Officials who can’t participate due to conflicts of interest
should file these statements, which are particularly important in government.

•

Minutes from the last meeting – Distribute these before the upcoming meeting so
members can confirm their accuracy and ascertain that no one has made content changes
without the committee’s knowledge.

•

“Matters arising” – This includes follow-ups and action steps related to matters from
previous meetings.

•

Information items – These are concerns that participants need to hear about but not
necessarily discuss.

•

Agenda – The main agenda items include the primary topics of business and the meeting’s
main purpose.

•

Other matters – Provide time for participants to add last-minute agenda items.

•

Upcoming schedule – Include details about the next meeting.

Finalizing the agenda in advance enables attendees to arrive prepared and provides

the structure necessary to focus on prioritized topics.

The agenda allows attendees to prepare for the meeting, insures adequate discussion of important
topics, helps make the meeting orderly and aids the chair in conducting the meeting. The three
agenda styles are:

1.

“Basic” – While the most common, the basic style is least effective. Headings are general,
which can confuse participants and lead to rambling discussions.

2.

“Full” – A detailed agenda lists each action item under the matters-arising section. The
minute-taker must record whether participants have acted on the decisions that they made at
a previous meeting.

When an item requires a committee member’s specific input, list that

person’s name on the agenda.

3.

“Objectives” – An agenda that includes a goal for each item changes the meeting’s focus. It
generates discussions centering on why participants need to discuss an item, not what they
should discuss.

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Minutes aren’t verbatim; they’re a record of the message behind the words.

The minute-taker’s biggest challenge is discerning the meeting’s wheat from its chaff. Record the
key messages, not individual speakers’ words. Begin with good writing mechanics. Sit up straight,
bring extra writing implements and good quality paper, and pay attention. Create bullet points
rather than full sentences.

“A significant reason for having minutes is to provide an audit trail and, particularly in
the public sector, this is taken increasingly seriously.”

Many people now prefer to use a laptop computer or a tablet instead of taking notes by hand.
The advantages of a computer include speed – since you can type faster than you write – and not
having to transfer your notes from paper after you create them. The downside includes the risk
of computer failure. Also, you might find it difficult to make corrections or additions to text you
already entered. Prepare yourself by entering as much text into the computer as you can in
advance. During the meeting, listen for important points. Don’t let the speed with which you can
type cause you to enter unnecessary text.

“Minutes must be written from a neutral position, representing the discussion in terms of
what was discussed (rather than the style or manner of discussion).”

“Smartpens,” which use special paper and an electronic recording system, can link to a tablet
or a smartphone. Smartpens can synchronize your notes with a computer or tablet, which uses
software to turn your notes into editable text. Smartpens recognize only legible handwriting and
common words. Don’t make audio recordings of meetings although you would capture everything
participants say. Transcribing is time-consuming, and recordings can be unintelligible.

To keep accurate minutes, follow the order and style of the agenda.

Your minutes must follow the agenda. Some minute-takers add lines and take notes on their copy
of the agenda or on an agenda document file on their laptops. Even if participants jump around
among topics, structure the minutes to follow the agenda. Once you understand the process of
taking minutes, you can be smooth and efficient by heeding these tips:

•

Type the minutes as soon after the meeting as you can – For efficiency, use a template.

•

Plain language – Over time, the style used in minutes has changed, and most organizations
now prefer plain English in short sentences and concise paragraphs.

•

Use headings in the agenda – The agenda has divisions, and the minutes should follow the
same style as the agenda.

•

Use a less formal style – Prepare businesslike minutes. Don’t be casual. Most minute
keepers record discussions, not just committee actions, as they did in the past.

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•

List the attendees – Write the chairperson’s name first, followed by the other names in
alphabetical order. Next to each person’s name, record his or her department or organization.

•

List other relevant names – Record the names of those who sent regrets
under “Apologies.” Put those who were expected but didn’t attend under “Absent.”

•

“Declarations of interest” – List these next, noting what happened as a result and whether
the committee accepted or changed the previous minutes.

•

“Committee business” – Cover issues raised here in the same style as main agenda items.

•

Minutes of the last meeting – Have participants accept these minutes.

•

Matters arising – Confirm any actions the group has already taken. Include assigned or
completed action items, and note any deliberations.

•

Update the status of action points – As appropriate, note which tasks are “completed, in
hand or no action taken.”

•

Information items – Record items announced only for informational purposes instead of
discussion. Distribute them with the agenda.

•

Follow the agenda’s order and numbering – Insert extra numbered headings and
subheadings as needed.

•

For traditional minutes, use the past tense – Traditional minutes tell what the group
did.

•

Use a consistent style – When you describe topics as other business, stay with the same
style and format you used earlier.

•

Announce the next meeting – End the minutes with the time the meeting finished, and
identify the date and time for the next meeting.

After a meeting, the minute-taker types the minutes, gets them approved and

distributes them to committee members.

To create the final version of the minutes, use an easy-to-read, consistent format. Keep sentences
to 18 words or fewer, and limit paragraphs to eight lines.

Avoid jargon and wordy phrases. Use

appropriate grammar and punctuation. List headings in order of their importance. Use 14-point
bold font for the heading, 12-point font for the text and 12-point bold font for the subheadings.
Number them in sequence with outline-format indentation: 1. heading 1.1 subhead, and (a)
second-tier subhead.

“Minutes are signed as extra proof that everyone at the table agreed to their accuracy.
Although seldom done these days, it is worth considering in case of future dispute.”

Organizations keep records of meetings to document decisions and assign responsibilities.
Knowing the outcomes of all the action items is essential. The “action triangle” consists of
“precisely what is going to be done, who will take responsibility and when the action should be
completed.” If your minutes reflect those crucial data, you will have provided a reliable, continuing
and professional record.

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About the Author

Office communication training consultant

Joanna Gutmann has designed and

implemented courses on office skills and communication for secretaries and other office staff
members.

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