making minutes

8/2/2019 Making Minutes

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So, you were just elected secretary of that board you sit on? How do you completethe most important part of your job, the writing of the minutes?They are a record of what was decided and proposed. Many secretaries givethemselves too much work by inserting far too much detail in the minutes. ThiswikiHow will teach you how to take, prepare and present minutes according to the

legislative bible, Robert's Rules of Order.

EditSteps1. 1

Bring a notebook or laptop with you. Make sure that it is something youarecomfortable working with. If you will be writing minutes often, it may beadvisable that you buy a decent book rather than taking your son's "Winnie ThePooh" binder. Also, it is advisable that you have a good pen. Some seasonedsecretaries would also suggest using a pencil instead.

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Head a paper with columns for name and contact information. Put a note onthe top of the page indicating that the paper should be returned to you. Pass itaround the table, as soon as the chairperson calls the meeting to order. You will be

able to refer to this record in order to document attendance.

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Call The Meeting To Order The president will say "At 6:00PM on Friday,February the 21st, 2007, I call the meeting to order." Note on your piece of paperthe time the meeting was called to order.

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Read The Agenda Since you are the secretary, you will have prepared a

draftagenda. The president will ask you to read it. After you have done that say "Imove for the adoption of this agenda." Note on your piece of paper that the draftagenda was read and that you moved for adoption (no seconder is needed). Noteeithermotion carried ormotion failed.

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Read the Draft Minutes The president should ask you to read the minutesfrom your last meeting. It is essential that you have them with you. They can bedistributed beforehand or you can read them right there and then. After you aredone say "I move for the adoption of these draft minutes." No seconder is required.Note who made the motion and note eithermotion carried ormotion failed.

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Listen to the Other Reports After that the treasurer and some committeesmay have a report to make. Make sure at the end of the meeting, they give you acopy of their report. Note who read them, and whether the motion either carried orfailed.

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Record the Old Business This is anything that needed a follow up from lastmeeting. Did someone need to write a letter? Was it sent? Note anything that wasdone or not done and by whom.

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Record the New Business When someone has an issue to address they willmake a motion. For example "I move to give 100$ to the editors of this wikiHow."It is important that you write down the exact words!

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Note who made motions, seconded motions and whether or not they passedor failed. Also, write down who has to do what.

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Note what time the meeting adjourned.

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Write down any points of order, points of information, etc.Leave out unimportant detail. If an amendment is made, you do not have to writethat someone proposed making an amendment. Just make sure, if it is passed,that it is in the main motion when you write it down.

Make Sure You Have Everything You Need After The Meeting Adjourns

Who sent regrets?o Who was there?o All the reports.o Location of the meeting.

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Type up the minutes. Don't put in it "Member A said he did not agree." or "Thetreasurer gave an excellent report." You must not put the debate into the minutes.

Even if you spend 3 hours debating something, only put who made the motion, theexact wording and whether it passed or failed.

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Distribute your draft. Once you have typed them, send them out to members. Butremember, until they are approved by the organization, they are only draft minutes,subject to change at any time.

Tips It is a good idea to sit as close as possible to the chair of the meeting as this

will allow you to hear everything and to ask for clarification without having toraise your voice.

Make note not only of the concerns, but also of any accomplishmentsdiscussed in the meeting.

Write things as they happen. For example, if someone said something aboutone subject, then you moved on to another issue, but something elsehappened about the first subject, don't group them together.

Make sure you have the correct name spellings, contact email addresses

and telephone numbers. Remember, minutes are very important. They are saved and might be

referred to for years and years to come. If it is a legal matter,someone's reputation may depend on it.

Remember, even though you are taking notes, you may still participate inthe debates.
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Have people write down their motions. This will save you the trouble ofhaving to phrase things so as to meet other's ideas.

Read certain parts of Robert's Rules of Order, such as the section on beinga secretary.

Keep these minutes filed in a safe place. Consider learning shorthand or using a laptop for the taking of the minutes. Type up your minutes as soon as possible after the meeting. It's best to do

this while the events are still fresh in your mind. It's also important thatmeeting participants get a copy of their action items as soon as possibleafter the meeting.

EditWarnings Don't give yourself too much work by putting too much detail in the minutes. Don't be afraid to interrupt and ask for a clarification.

EditRelated wikiHows How to Write an Agenda for a Meeting How to Prepare for a Meeting How to Run an Effective Meeting How to Organize a Meeting by Leaving an Answerphone Message How to Pass Time How to Pass the Time in a Waiting Room How to Jog in Cold Weather

Do your hands cramp up at the thought of recording meeting minutes?Do you question what information you should record and what youshould leave out? Youre not alone. Most of us have sat through ameeting madly scribbling what we thought were minutes only to findout later that weve missed essential information or that the noteswere never used.

Why Meeting Minutes Matter
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Dont give up, meeting minutes are important. They capture theessential information of a meeting decisions and assigned actions.They keep attendees on track by reminding them of their role in aproject and clearly define what happened in a group session. Howmany times have your colleagues been confused or in disagreement

about what happened in a meeting? With minutes to refer to, everyoneis clear.

What most people dont know is that meeting minutes shouldnt be anexact recording of everything that happened during a session. Minutesare meant to record basic information such as the actions assignedand decisions made. Then, they can be saved and used for referenceor background material for future meetings relating to the same topic.

The following instructions will help you take useful and concisemeeting minutes.

Before the Meeting

If you are recording the minutes, make sure you arent a majorparticipant in the meeting. You cant perform both tasks well.

Create a template for recording your meeting minutes and make sureyou leave some blank space to record your notes. Include thefollowing information:

Date and time of the meetingThe purpose of the meetingThe meeting lead or chairs nameAssigned action itemsDecisions made

Before the meeting, gather as much information from the host as youcan. Ask for a list of attendees, as well as some information on thepurpose of the meeting. This way you wont need to scramble tounderstand whats going on while youre recording notes.

Decide how you want to record your notes. If you arent comfortablerelying on your pen and notepad, try using a tape recorder or, if yourea fast typist, take a laptop to the meeting.

During the MeetingAs people enter the room, check off their names on your attendee list.Ask the meeting lead to introduce you to meeting attendees you arent

familiar with. This will be helpful later when you are recordingassigned tasks or decisions.

Dont try to record notes verbatim its not necessary. Minutes aremeant to give an outline of what happened in the meeting, not arecord of who said what. Focus on understanding whats beingdiscussed and on recording whats been assigned or decided on.

Record action items and decisions in your template as they happen


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dont wait until after the meeting to pull them out of your notes or youcould make a mistake. If you dont understand exactly what decisionhas been made or what action has been assigned, ask the meetinglead to clarify.

After the MeetingReview the notes and add additional comments, or clarify what youdidnt understand right after the meeting. Do this while the informationis fresh in everyones mind. Type your notes out in the template youcreated before the meeting this will make the notes easier foreveryone to read and use.

When youre writing out your notes, use some of the following tipsfrom the International Association of Administrative Professionals(IAAP).

Number the pages as you go so you arent confused later.Remember, though, that the minute-taker is responsible for providing

good flow. Dont force yourself to write the minutes in the actualchronological order of the discussion - it may not work.

Focus on action items, not discussion. The purpose of minutes is todefine decisions made and to record what actions are to be taken, bywhom and when.

Be objective. Write in the same tense throughout and avoid usingpeoples names except for motions or seconds. This is a businessdocument, not about who said what.

Avoid inflammatory or personal observations. The fewer adjectivesor adverbs you use, the better. Dull writing is the key to appropriateminutes.

If you need to refer to other documents, attach them in an appendixor indicate where they may be found. Dont rewrite their intent or try tosummarize them.

When you finish typing the minutes, ask the meeting lead to reviewthe document for errors. Send the final copy of the minutes toattendees right away. Keep a copy of the notes (and the template) foryourself in case someone wants to review them later.

Recording meeting minutes ensures that the decisions and actions

resulting from a meeting arent lost or forgotten. By taking the time torecord proper meeting notes youll make sure the time and effort thatgoes into a meeting isnt wasted.

making minutes

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