How To Write Minutes of

Meeting Effectively (with

Examples)
Vicky Oliver
Author of 6 best-selling books on job-hunting and job interview questions, business etiquette, frugalista
style, advertising, and office politics. 
Minutes are a written record of a board, company, or organizational meeting.
Meeting minutes are considered a legal document, so when writing them, strive for
clarity and consistency of tone.

Because minutes are a permanent record of the meeting, be sure to proofread them
well before sending. It is a good idea to run them by a supervisor or seasoned
attendee to make sure statements and information are accurately captured.

The best meeting minutes takers are careful listeners, quick typists, and are
adequately familiar with the meeting topics and attendees. The note taker must have
a firm enough grasp of the subject matter to be able to separate the important points
from the noise in what can be long, drawn-out discussions. And, importantly, the
note taker should not simultaneously lead and take notes. (If you’re ever asked to do
so, decline.)

Following, are some step-by-step hints to effectively write meeting minutes:

1. Develop an Agenda
Work with the Chairperson or Board President to develop a detailed agenda.

Meetings occur for a reason, and the issues to be addressed and decided upon need
to be listed to alert attendees. Work with the convener to draft an agenda that assigns
times to each topic to keep the meeting moving and to make sure the group has
enough time to consider all items.

The agenda will serve as your outline for the meeting minutes. Keep the minutes’
headings consistent with the agenda topics for continuity.

2. Follow a Template from Former Minutes Taken

If you are new to a Board or organization, and are writing minutes for the first time,
ask to see the past meeting minutes so that you can maintain the same format.
Generally, the organization name or the name of the group that is meeting goes at the
top: “Meeting of the Board of Directors of XYZ,” with the date on the next line. After
the date, include both the time the meeting came to order and the time the meeting
ended.

Most groups who meet do so regularly, with set agenda items at each meeting. Some
groups include a Next Steps heading at the end of the minutes that lists projects to
follow up on and assigns responsibility.

A template from a former meeting will also help determine whether or not the group
records if a quorum was met, and other items specific to the organization’s meeting
minutes.

3. Record Attendance
On most boards, the Board Secretary is the person responsible for taking the meeting
minutes. In organizational meetings, the minutes taker may be a project coordinator
or assistant to a manager or CEO. She or he should arrive a few minutes before the
meeting begins and pass around an attendance sheet with all members’ names and
contact information.

Meeting attendees will need to check off their names and make edits to any changes
in their information. This will help as both a back-up document of attendees and
ensure that information goes out to the most up-to-date email addresses.

All attendees’ names should be listed directly below the meeting name and date,
under a subheading that says “Present.” List first and last names of all attendees,
along with title or affiliation, separated by a comma or semi-colon.

If a member of the Board could not attend the meeting, cite his or her name after the
phrase: “Copied To:” There may be other designations in the participants’ list. For
example, if several of the meeting attendees are members of the staff while everyone
else is a volunteer, you may want to write (Staff) after each staff member.

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As a general rule, attendees are listed alphabetically by their last names. However, in
some organizations, it’s a best practice to list the leadership of the Board first. In that
case, the President or Co-Presidents would be listed first, followed by the Vice
President, followed by the Secretary, and then by the Treasurer. Then all other names
of attendees would be alphabetized by last name.
It is also common practice to note if a participant joined the meeting via conference
call. This can be indicated by writing: “By Phone” and listing the participants who
called in.

4. Naming Convention
Generally, the first time someone speaks in the meeting will include his or her name
and often the title.

For example, “President of the XYZ Board, Roger McGowan, called the meeting to
order.” The next time Roger McGowan speaks, though, you can simply refer to him
as “Roger.” If there are two Rogers in the meeting, use an initial for their last names
to separate the two. “Roger M. called for a vote. Roger T. abstained.”

5. What, and What Not, to Include

Depending on the nature of the meeting, it could last from one to several hours. The
attendees will be asked to review and then approve the meeting minutes. Therefore,
you don’t want the minutes to extend into a lengthy document.

Capturing everything that people say verbatim is not only unnecessary, but annoying
to reviewers.

For each agenda item, you ultimately want to summarize only the relevant points of
the discussion along with any decisions made. After the meeting, cull through your
notes, making sure to edit out any circular or repetitive arguments and only leave in
the relevant points made.

6. Maintain a Neutral Tone

Minutes are a legal document. They are used to establish an organization’s historical
record of activity. It is essential to maintain an even, professional tone. Never put
inflammatory language in the minutes, even if the language of the meeting becomes
heated.

You want to record the gist of the discussion objectively, which means mentioning
the key points covered without assigning blame. For example, “The staff addressed
board members’ questions regarding the vendor’s professionalism.”

Picture a lawyer ten years down the road reading the minutes to find evidence of
potential wrongdoing. You wouldn’t want an embellishment in the form of a colorful
adverb or a quip to cloud any account of what took place. Here’s a list of neutral
sounding words to get started with.
7. Record Votes
The primary purpose of minutes is to record any votes a board or organization takes.
Solid record-keeping requires mentioning which participant makes a motion — and
what the motion states verbatim — and which participant seconds the motion.

For example, “Vice President Cindy Jacobsen made a motion to dedicate 50 percent,
or $50,000, of the proceeds from the ZZZ Foundation gift to the CCC scholarship
fund. President Roger McGowan seconded the motion.”

This vote tabulation should be expressed in neutral language as well. “The Board

voted unanimously to amend the charter in the following way,” or “The decision to
provide $1,000 to the tree-planting effort passed 4 to 1, with Board President
McGowan opposing.”

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Most Boards try to get a vote passed unanimously. Sometimes in order to help the
Board attain a more cohesive outcome, a Board member may abstain from
voting. “The motion passed 17 to 1 with one absension.”

8. Pare down Notes Post-Meeting

Following the meeting, read through your notes while all the discussions remain
fresh in your mind, and make any needed revisions. Then, pare the meeting minutes
down to their essentials, providing a brief account of the discussion that summarizes
arguments made for and against a decision.

People often speak colloquially or in idioms, as in: “This isn’t even in the ballpark” or
“You’re beginning to sound like a broken record.” While you may be tempted to keep
the exact language in the minutes to add color, resist.

Additionally, if any presentations are part of the meeting, do not include information
from the Powerpoint in the minutes. However, you will want to record the key points
from the post-presentation discussion.

9. Proofread with Care

Make sure that you spelled all names correctly, inserted the correct date of the
meeting, and that your minutes read clearly.

Spell out acronyms the first time they’re used. Remember that the notes may be
reviewed by others for whom the acronyms are unfamiliar. Stay consistent in
headings, punctuation, and formatting. The minutes should be polished and
professional.
10. Distribute Broadly
Once approved, email minutes to the full board — not just the attendees — for
review. Your minutes will help keep those who were absent apprised of important
actions and decisions.

At the start of the next meeting, call for the approval of the minutes. Note any
revisions. Try to work out the agreed-upon changes in the meeting, so that you don’t
spend a huge amount of time on revisions.

Ask for a motion to approve the minutes with the agreed-upon changes. Once an
attendee offers a motion, ask for another person in the meeting to “second” the
motion. They say, “All approved.” Always ask if there is anyone who does not
approve. Assuming not, then say: “The minutes from our last meeting are approved
once the agreed-upon changes have been made.”

11. File Meticulously

Since minutes are a legal document, take care when filing them. Make sure the file
name of the document is consistent with the file names of previously filed minutes.

Occasionally, members of the organization may want to review past minutes. Know
where the minutes are filed!

One Caveat
In this day and age of high technology, you may ask yourself: Wouldn’t it be simpler
to record the meeting? This depends on the protocols of the organization, but
probably not.

Be sure to ask what the rules are at the organization where you are taking minutes.
Remember that the minutes are a record of what was done at the meeting, not what
was said at the meeting.

The minutes reflect decisions not discussions. In spite of their name, “minutes,” the
minutes are not a minute-by-minute transcript.

Bottom Line
Becoming an expert minutes-taker requires a keen ear, a willingness to learn, and
some practice, but by following these tips you will soon become proficient.

This Insider's Guide provides you with a solid system to stay focused, so you can
achieve more in less time.