HOW TO WRITE MEETING MINUTES

Summarize the main points which are debated and the main views expressed

They should go into sufficient detail to make the substance of the meeting clear, but should not be too detailed, unless there is an important reason for this

Usually the minutes are distributed to members of a committee along with the agenda for the next meeting

The meeting is then asked to confirm their accuracy, or to propose any amendments, before they are signed by the chair as a true record of what took place at the meeting.

Ensure that all the essential elements are noted: Type of meeting Name of the organization Date and time Name of the chair Approval of previous minutes All resolutions

Prepare an outline based on the agenda ahead of time

Leave plenty of white space for notes

By having the topics already written down you can jump right on to a new topic without a pause

Prepare a list of expected attendees and check of the names as people enter the room

Or you can pass around an attendance sheet for everyone to sign as the meeting starts

To be sure about who said what, make a map of the seating arrangement and make sure to ask for introductions of unfamiliar people

Don’t make the mistake of recording every single movement

Concentrate on getting the gist of the discussion and taking enough notes to summarize it later

Think in terms of issues discussed, major points raised and decisions taken

Use whatever recording method is comfortable for you:

Notepad Laptop Tape recorder Steno pad Shorthand

A good idea: to make sound recordings of important meetings as a backup to your notes

If you are an active participant in the meeting study the issues to be discussed and have your questions ready ahead of time

If you concentrate on grasping the issues while you are making your notes, they won’t make any sense to you later

Don’t wait too long to type your minutes, especially while your memory is fresh

Be sure to have the minutes approved by the chair before distributing them to the attendees

Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of taking minutes

Concise and coherent minutes are the mark of a professional

The very process of recording minutes can give you a deeper understanding of the issues faced by your organization along with the ability to focus on what’s important

Name of OrganizationPurpose of MeetingDate/Timechair

topic discussion

action Person responsible

1

2

3

EMAIL

It has revolutionized business and personal communication

It makes possible to communicate cheaply and almost instantly with people anywhere in the world – provided they have access to a computer

You can send any type of messages from a single word to a book length document complete with pictures and sound files

The recipient can respond at once, or think carefully before replying

Emails inhabit a space somewhere between personal meetings, telephones and letters

They share advantages with each other of these means of communication

They are instant and direct and allow a number of people to participate

They are quick and inexpensive They allow those involved to keep a

permanent record of messages sent and received

Disadvantages: They rely on written language You cannot monitor the recipient’s reaction

to your message When you receive them you may missjudge

the sender’s tone because you only have words on the screen to go by

It is easy to say something that you soon regret

The rules governing them are less well established

Making the Most of E-mail

E-mail is the transmission of files or messages through a computer network

E-mail is a handy medium for sending memos and notices and for forwarding information received electronically from others

Thanks to the “attachment” capabilities of current browsers a writer can develop a lengthy document in Microsoft Word or another word processing programme and send it to others , saving enormously in time and postal charges

E-mail is a form of business correspondence that requires the same attention that memos and letters receive

E-mail has become the dominant method of communication in most companies because it is inexpensive, fast, and easy

Unfortunately the speed and ease have created some problems for business writers and their companies:

First, employees sometimes send and often receive time-wasting, unnecessary messages

Second, many e-mails are sloppily written: people simply write down what’s on their mind and press the send button without reflection on content and composition

Third, emotional and ill-considered messages are sometimes send before the writer has had time to calm down

Fourth, messages are occasionally misdirected or forwarded to unintended recipients- sometimes with negative consequences

Fifth, even deleted e-mails can be retrieved for use in disciplinary proceedings or can be subpoenaed for use in legal disputes

The e-mail subject line should be the lure that gets your reader interested and signals the contents

For this reason, your subject should meet at least one of the following goals: Contain your key message: “sales meeting

rescheduled to 2 PM on Friday” Include the desired action or response: “Your

comments urgently needed by 4 PM today” Be specific but not too long: “How about

lunch tomorrow?” Allow your reader to file and retrieve your

message easily: “John’s report”

In contrast, a weak subject line gives little or no information or too much to be read on one line

If the subject line is too general, vague, or left blank, the reader may skip or delete the message altogether

Remember: busy people receive fifty to one hundred e-mail messages per day. To ensure that yours is opened and read, it must stand out

Treat each e-mail as a coherent information packet – to ask a question, communicate your opinion, report news, and so forth

You will achieve coherence if each e-mail contains only one message

If you have more than one message for a recipient, create a separate e-mail for each, and give each a strong, appropriate subject line

The one-message e-mail has two major advantages:

1. the recipient can digest and respond to a single message more easily

2. if a recipient forwards your e-mail to a third party, other messages – which can be highly inappropriate – won’t be dragged along

Structure

Short emails are usually relaxed, informal and unstructured

Long ones, as with letters, the structure consists of three main parts:

1. introduction - you explain briefly what the message is about

2. body – the main part of the message 3. conclusion – rounds the message off and,

if you want some kind of action to result from the message, you spell out what it is

Hi Jason, Thanks for your contribution to the meeting yesterday. I

thought it was very valuable for all of us.

I’ve been thinking about what you said about new ideas for marketing GKH products in the EU. I spoke to Kate, our Overseas Sales Director, and she’s very interested in the idea. We wonder if you would have a moment to explain your ideas to her – nothing elaborate, just a series of bullet points would do. Then she can evaluate it and, if she decides to proceed, she’ll work up a full scale proposal in collaboration with you.

Perhaps you could let me know if you’d like to do this – and when.

Regards, Sandra

Response

Keep your message as short as feasible

Structure it so that it is easy to read and understand

When you have finished the message, read it through for sense and message