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Preparing Minutes

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Why important?

Tangible record of the meeting for its participants

Source of info for absent members

Can act as reference point or as a reminder of tasks

assigned or timelines

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Who does this?

Secretary

Minutes-taker

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Types

Action

Discussion

Verbatim

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Five steps

1. Pre-Planning

2. Record-taking at the meeting

3. Minutes writing or transcribing

4. Distributing or sharing of meeting minutes5. Filing or storage of minutes for future reference

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1. Pre-planning

Get a copy of the meeting agenda (for guidance andnote-taking)

Use the same order and numbering

Contains info that should be contained in the minutes (namesof attendees, speakers, and guests; documents to be used in themeeting; date, time, place of the meeting)

Clarify expectations from the Chair or PresidingOfficer

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Location of minute-taker during the meeting

Tools (laptop, tablet, pen and paper)

Required forms

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2. Record taking: What should be included?

May depend on the organization or the meeting

Usual details: Date, time, place of meeting

Names of attendees and regrets Call to order

Vote to accept the minutes of the previous meeting

Acceptance or corrections/amendments to previous meetingminutes

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Decisions made about each agenda item, e.g.:

Actions taken or agreed to be taken

Next steps

Voting outcomes (who made the motions, who seconded, show of

hands) Motions taken or rejected

Items to be held over

New business

Next meeting date and time

Motion to adjourn, time of adjournment

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Board meetings:

You may include a short statement of each action taken by theboard and a brief explanation of the rationale for the decision

When there is extensive deliberation before passing a motion,

summarize the major arguments

Quorum, proxies, waivers,

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Some tips in note-taking

Create an outline

Check-off attendees as they enter the room ordistribute an attendance form

Record decisions or notes on action items Ask for clarification if necessary

Dont try to capture it all

Record it

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3. The Minutes Writing Process

Write the minutes ASAP

Review the outline. Clarify and add as necessary.

Check if all actions and motions are clearly noted

Check for sufficient detail Edit to ensure brevity and clarity

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Be objective

Write in the same tense throughout

Avoid using peoples names except for motions or

seconds Avoid personal observations. The fewer adjectives or

adverbs, the better.

If theres a need to refer to other documents, attachthem in an appendix or indicate where they may befound

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4. Distributing or Sharing Meeting Minutes

MUST ensure that the Chair has revised/approvedthe minutes for circulation

Physical or soft copies (intranet, Google Docs, other

cloud storage) Send the minutes timely

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5. Filing/Storage of Meeting Minutes

Most committees and Boards review and eitherapprove or amend the minutes at the beginning ofthe subsequent meeting.

Once youve made any required revisions, theminutes will then need to be stored for futurereference.