How to Complete Meeting Minutes the Right Way
Meeting Minutes are records of a meeting. They are often straightforward, clear, and brief and include the key points, needs, action items, and opportunities discussed at a meeting. Well-taken minutes can help a company in terms of transparency, continuity, and accountability, among other objectives.
But here’s the thing. Not everyone knows how to take minutes the right way.
Are you looking to improve your minute-taking skills? If you are unsure about them, you will want to keep reading the rest of the article.
How to Take Meeting Minutes The Right Way
Many managers and executives are still confused about the best way to take minutes during the meeting they are attending. There are many factors to consider, including the culture of the meeting, and skill level of the minutes gatherer. The first is a culture, which is not only based on the meeting topic but also the personality of the meeting's chair or members. Minutes can add value to an organization when handled the right way. Here’s how to go about it.
Ask the Right Questions
You must find out exactly the most useful and worthwhile items of a meeting before you record. So you’d need to ask the right questions from the meeting owner. Here are some questions that you might want to ask when you reach out:
What is the most important goal of this meeting?
Are there secondary goals? If yes, what are they?
What’s the most important decision you hope to reach during this meeting?
Which of these agenda items is the most important in your mind?
Who will likely have action items at the end of this meeting?
What do you expect out of these minutes?
What is your preferred format?
Is there another minute taker?
Design A Template
Having a template for the minutes ensures that the minutes are comprehensive. A template makes sure you will be better positioned to stay on track while taking the minutes.
To arrive at the right template, you might start by looking at previous meeting minutes taken at the organization. If you are not privy to that kind of information, you might want to include the following items in your minute:
The note-takers name
Organization name
Date and time
Meeting participants
Meeting purpose
Summaries of reports and announcements
Decisions made
Alternative actions/options discussed
Follow-up items, including agreed-on roles and responsibilities
Be Professional
This is where you take the minutes. If you went about the tips above this should be a walk in the park for you. You have to be as professional as possible.
Start by numbering the pages and taking the time to format everything(bullet lists and all) before the meeting starts. It helps with the organization of the minutes.
To do that, listen to what is being said. At this point, you want to be more of a therapist than a typist. Listening is the only way to do this. You will be able to grasp the key points, needs, and opportunities that occur in the course of the meeting.
You must understand that you can’t capture everything during the meeting without having messed-up notes. So it is a great idea to record as much as you can, including actions where necessary.
We suggest you toggle between your meeting minutes and a draft email. That way, you can easily copy and paste action items directly into the email that you can easily edit and send out later.
Proofread and Edit
Proofreading and editing the assortment of notes you took during the meeting will enhance them. So remove as much as possible until you have the most important points left. We recommend that you do this while the meeting is still fresh in your mind. Important that you don't forget the contexts and ideas your mind registered while taking the minutes.
Store The Minutes
Storing the minutes is important. So file the minutes in a reliable system of record. It could be anything from Google Drive to a meeting minutes tool or a dedicated location on the organization’s network.
Use Meeting Minutes Software & Tools
Using minute software and tools makes taking minutes a seamless, efficient, and more organized process. How? These tools offer real-time recording and editing. They also help streamline the notes template process. This helps everyone concerned can stay updated by checking in on the official record of a meeting. Some of these tools turn meeting recordings into transcripts, while others facilitate real-time document management and collaboration. Finally, with some of these tools, you can take things a step further. By turning all your minutes into a useful knowledge base for future references.
There is a meeting minutes software for every business situation, so you no longer need to fret when taking meeting minutes the right way.
Takeaway
Taking good meeting minutes is a key project management skill. When you go about it the right way, you provide the necessary clarity for making key decisions that can grow a business. Are you looking to be better at taking minutes? Then sign up with us as soon as you can.