Minutes

What are meeting minutes?

Minutes are a document that captures key information from a meeting. The information is captured by someone listening to the conversation and working to reduce it to a summary of key points from the meeting (decisions, attendance, discussions etc...) to make it easily readable and understandable.

How do beginners take meeting minutes?

If you are just beginning to take minutes it can be a daunting task. But practice makes perfect. If you don't have a lot of meetings that you can attend one way to get better at minute taking is by searching online for public meetings where minutes have been taken. For example local councils often publish livestreams or recordings of their meetings and the final minutes. So watch the meeting livestream of recording and take minutes of it. Then compare your minutes with those that were published by the minute taker so you can see things you missed or improvements you could make. We also offer a free minute taking course.

Where can I find meeting minutes samples?

A great place to source meeting minutes samples is from organisations that are legally required to publish their minutes publicly. The most common organisations that are legally required to publish minutes for public viewing are local councils. You can search online on your local councils website or you can contact the council to ask if they have minutes of the recent council meetings available.

How can I practice minute taking?

Practice makes perfect and there is no substitute for actually taking minutes in real meetings. A great way to get practice taking minutes is to find meetings that have been recorded and where the offical minutes are available to the public. Take minutes of the recorded meeting yourself and then compare them to the official minutes from that meeting once you are done.

How do I write minutes of a meeting?

The process of taking minutes is simple, but takes practice to become good at. Remember you are aiming to record a summary of what happened in the meeting not a full transcript. Here are some brief tips on how to improve:

1. You don't need to capture every word. You are not writing a transcript.

2. Record key discussion points and decisions/resolutions.

3. Avoid writing names unless recording motions.

4. If using names, instead of writing full names, use initials.

5. Use a template each time you take minutes.

6. Ensure you always pre-plan your minute taking before the meeting.

What is minute taking?

Minute taking is the process of documenting the key discussion points, decisions, and action items from a meeting. The person taking minutes is responsible for capturing an accurate record of the meeting. The main components of effective minute taking include:

• Recording attendee names - Note who is present and absent from the meeting.
• Documenting agenda items - Summarise the topics discussed and key points raised. Avoid verbatim transcription.
• Capturing decisions and actions - Note down any decisions made, action items assigned, deadlines set, and next steps agreed upon.
• Marking delegated tasks - Record who is responsible for carrying out each action item.
• Writing up minutes - Prepare formal minutes soon after the meeting ends while it's still fresh. Circulate the draft minutes to attendees for review.
• Maintaining records - Keep minutes on file for future reference. They provide an audit trail of activities and decisions.

Good minute taking is essential for formal meetings where important decisions are made. It provides a record of what was agreed and creates accountability for follow through. Accurate minutes help keep everyone aligned and informed.

Find out more in our free minute taking course.