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The meeting minutes are sometimes a necessary document, but the truth is that when our boss tells us that we should make it we have a bit of all the responsibility that falls on our shoulders.
Learn in this article how to write meeting minutes, why it should be done and the recommended format.
Generally speaking, it can be said that a meeting minute is a document that serves as a notation of a team that has met to discuss certain issues, or find relevant solutions to problems that have been experienced within an organization, or group.
This is a serious and reliable document, which is why its preparation is assigned to people who have the appropriate knowledge of how to prepare formal meeting minutes, and who must be agile, since it is prepared as the meeting takes its course.
It is a variable document; it will not always contain the same data, since the same type of information will not always need to be included in it.
However, simple meeting minutes are one of the most popular since it is a transcript of all the vital details that took place at the meeting.
One thing that must be clear is that making formal meeting minutes is not a simple task, and the people who will develop them must be prepared to perform the activity, since they will represent the official written record of the board meeting that has taken place.
We begin to understand the importance of effective meeting minutes when we realize that they are documents that allow us to review all the important points that have been discussed at a board meeting with the simplicity of taking a look at them and it will not take us much time.
In itself, it is a way to have a complete transcript of the agenda meeting or event that has taken place.
Another benefit of meeting minutes that can be highlighted then is that it gives us the possibility to know specific details of the meeting agenda, in case it is necessary.
Even, in some cases they should be taken as a reminder, since it can be that a board meeting has great series of subjects that are touched, where many of these will require ulterior actions, for this reason writing meeting minutes serve to make the important notations that management must have.
Another answer to why make meeting minutes may also have to do with the fact that they are the right document to establish who will do what and when they are expected to do of the agreements done in the session.
Besides, minutes meeting can also be taken as the starting point for any future reunions.
On the other hand, this type of document is useful for those people who were absent from the board meeting, since it gives them the opportunity to know everything that was discussed at the reunion, as well as to know from a reliable source all the decisions that were made.
Although there will be some mixed information about the format of formal meeting minutes, where it is said that there is no established one, you should know that the secret of being successful in the realization of a meeting minutes is precisely the way in which people are willing to structure it.
That is why some of the points that you cannot miss at the moment of elaborating it are the following ones:
In the case of informal meeting minutes, there are some other aspects to be considered to write meeting minutes.
The aspects to be included in effective meeting minutes are:
The goal for those who choose to use artificial intelligence in their meeting agenda recording processes should be to automate as much of your meeting management as possible.
The best transcription software with artificial intelligence will help you achieve this.
To make sure that your AI system works properly and accurately, you need to carefully test its capabilities before using it in an important meeting or conference.
The advantage of transcription software is that it is a time saver for transcribing meetings that last more than an hour.
As well, it is sometimes hard to keep track of everything that is going on in a meeting, and by recording it and transcribing it automatically it will help to not miss anything important for the meeting minute.
With all the information we have given you so far, it remains for us to explain step by step how to write meeting minutes correctly.
The procedure is somewhat extensive, and a bit demanding, so pay close attention to each of the points that we will develop below about writing meeting minutes:
The minutes of every meeting you hold will contain almost the same information. With the use of a simple meeting minutes template you will have a constant format of easy reference where the type of meeting agenda, date, time and place will be written.
Other information that will be taken into account will be the name of the chairperson or meeting leader, as well as the name of the secretary (or substitutes), and the list of persons present and absent.
It is important that you feel comfortable writing meeting minutes, so if you are going to be writing frequently, it is best to have a notebook for this purpose.
Combine the recording process of the meeting so that the transcription of the meeting is faster.
To do this, distribute the attendance sheet with space so that everyone can write his or her name and personal information clearly and comfortably.
While waiting for the meeting to begin you will need to write down the name of the organization, the date and the place where the meeting is being held.
Another interesting piece of information will be the type of meeting that is taking place. For example, it could be a special committee meeting, a board meeting, a weekly meeting, among others.
When the meeting starts, you will need to note the exact time and write it down.
Important step on how to make the minutes of a meeting since most of them start with a motion to take the agenda of the day, so it can be taken as an example.
In the event that the meeting begins with another type of motion, just make sure that all the same pertinent information has been recorded.
It is important that you remain attentive to all conversations as you should record all motions except those that you are explicitly instructed not to do so.
Whenever a new motion is taken, it is important to note the relevant information.
Each time a report, newsletter, or similar item is read aloud, the name of the report, as well as the name of the person who read it, should be noted.
If there is a motion attached, it should be recorded as with any other motion of the board meeting. To ensure every detail, it is most practical to ask for a copy at the end of the meeting.
To make a proper meeting agenda record, this item should include both verifications of actions taken at a previous meeting as well as new ones.
All procedural issues and failures should be noted. Whenever a procedure is objected to, the entire objection should be noted, as well as the basis for the objection and the chairman’s ruling.
Officially, the minutes meeting will be the record of everything that was done, not what was said.
However, if requested, you can ask for certain pauses with the intention of recording everything that needs to be noted.
The last step of how to make meeting minutes will have to do with noting the time of the end of the meeting.
It is important that you remember to collect all copies of reports or remind the appropriate person to provide them to you in the shortest possible time.
