Writing Minutes of Meeting

Introduction
Minutes are a written record of a board,
company, or organizational meeting.
Meeting minutes are considered a legal
document
Strive for clarity and consistency of tone.
Permanent record of the meeting, should be
proofread before sending.
Supervisor or seasoned attendee – to ensure
statements and information are accurately
captured.
 Minute Taker Characteristics
The best meeting minutes takers are careful
listeners, quick typists, and are adequately
familiar with the meeting topics and attendees.
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.
Should not simultaneously lead and take
notes.
Steps in Taking Minutes of
Meeting
 1. Develop an Agenda
Work with the Supervisor/Meeting Chair 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.
Assign 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 outline for the
meeting minutes.
2. Follow a Template from Former Minutes Taken

If writing minutes for the first time, ask to

see the past meeting minutes
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.
 2. Follow a Template from Former
Minutes Taken
Most groups who meet do so regularly, with
set agenda items at each meeting. Some
groups include a Next Steps heading 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 takes
the meeting minutes.
In organizational meetings - project
coordinator or assistant to a manager or CEO.
Arrive a few minutes before the meeting 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.
3. Record Attendance
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.
3. Record Attendance
If a member of the Board could not attend
the meeting, cite his or her name after the
phrase: “Copied To:” 
Attendees are listed alphabetically by
their last names or according to their
position in the organization.
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, 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.”
Questions or Comments ???