Taking Minutes at A Business Meeting
Business meetings may be conducted formally or informally, depending on the company and the circumstances. Taking good minutes during a business meeting can be a crucial time and headache saver and it's a skill that is greatly appreciated by employers.
Tips for Take Minutes at a Business Meeting
1. Lay the Groundwork
Distribute minutes from the previous meeting before the one you are getting ready to attend. This will give you and everyone else a chance to recall what was decided, who needed to complete certain things, and what still needs to be done.
2. Know the Purpose
To understand the importance of the task, remember that minutes serve several purposes:
-They are an historical record of a group’s decisions and actions
-They are a reminder of who was given assignments
-They are evidence of deadlines
-They are a benefit for people who are absent when decisions are made.
3. Get the Agenda
Before the meeting, get the agenda from the person conducting the meeting, and make an outline. Doing so will save time, but take accurate note of the order in which the major items are discussed.
Figure out beforehand which recording method would be most comfortable for you:
-Notebook
-Template and clipboard
-Laptop
-Tape recorder
-Shorthand
5. All Systems Go
Whichever method you decide to use, make sure you have everything you will need. If it is electronic, make sure it works. Just in case your chosen method stops working, have a backup method in your back pocket.
6. Leave Space in Which to Work
However you decide to take minutes, provide ample room on paper for taking notes.
7. Here, Here
If possible, have the names of all participants before the meeting begins. If this isn’t
feasible, pass around an attendance sheet once people arrive. Take note of who is present,
who is missing, who arrives late, and who leaves early. Make sure all names are spelled
correctly.
8. Have a Seating Chart
For in‐person meetings that occur around conference tables, it’s a good idea to create a
seating chart, especially if not all the participants are known to you. Since you will have to
accurately record who makes motions, it will save time if you know from the chart who is
doing the speaking at any given time.
9. Know Everyone’s Position
In addition to knowing people’s names, you should also know before the meeting begins
who serves on or heads any committees. Like knowing people’s name ahead of time,
knowing their positions will save time when finalizing the minutes.
10. Create a Minutes Template
Since minutes must contain consistent information regardless of what gets discussed, it
saves a huge amount of time to have a template or prepared fill‐in‐the‐blank form to use so
that your time isn’t wasted writing down standard information. In fact, much of the
information can be filled in before the meeting actually begins. As you prepare the
template, make sure you have the following information:
- Type of meeting (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)
- Purpose of meeting
- Date, time, and location of meeting
- Name of person who called the meeting to order
- Name of chairman or facilitator if different from the person above
- Names of those in attendance
- Indication that a quorum was or was not present -Approval of previous meeting’s minutes
- All motions that are made and names of those who made them
- Summary of any reports that are made
- Resolutions that are voted on
- Information regarding the next meeting (date, time, location)
- Adjournment time
- Name of the person who took the minutes and the date they were taken
- Name of the person who approved the minutes and the date of approval
It is a video how to take minutes at business meeting
