GAIKU is a powerful web app that guides you to better meetings. The next meeting isn’t for another month, and nobody took any minutes. Ready for efficient meetings? Importance of Minutes 3. Active listening – Improve your communication skills! A month later and you find yourself repeating the same points and plans, all because your colleagues failed to remember what transpired at the previous meeting. While it's not a terribly difficult job, taking minutes is an important one. Fergus White on Climbing Everest - Part 2, Fergus White on Climbing Everest - Part 3, Effective Status Meetings - How Can I Improve My…, Fergus White on Climbing Everest - Part 1. – Any decisions reached, big or small, should be noted in the minutes. Decisions made in these meetings may involve a lot of time, money and can even change people’s careers. You might remember a point made immediately after the meeting and half-heartedly jot it down. check out our blog on the various types of meetings you can encounter! Bringing minutes from a previous meeting to the next one can help eliminate the tendency to rehash topics that have already been addressed. The actual transcribing of an idea immediately makes that idea feel more “real”. You are here: Home / Blog / The Importance of Taking Minutes and What to Include In Yours. Meeting minutes keep a record of what was done or talked about at a meeting, including any decision made or action taken. Save time and effort when it comes to minutes by making use of our automatic transcription feature. – If you missed a point, or didn’t quite understand something that someone was saying, clarify it directly after the meeting. With important things at stake in meetings, it’s no wonder meeting minutes are considered of great value. Just by recording what’s discussed and disseminating that information, silly time-wasting situations like this can be easily avoided. Meeting minutes provide a written record of what was discussed and agreed at a meeting, so you and your colleagues will have the same recollections from the meeting and the same ideas about what was agreed. Actions that need to be done. With good meeting minutes, you make sure everyone knows what was decided and what needs to be achieved by what date. These added perks include: If you have a large conferencing event on the horizon, be sure to head over to 247meeting where we cater for conference calls of any size. It serves as a legal document when it is confirmed by the next meeting and signed by the chairman. – Make sure they’re clear and legible. It serves as a permanent record of the actions of the members and decisions taken at the meeting. Subscribe to newsletters and view the content. That’s why meeting notes are called minutes. Minutes are defined as the written record of a meeting which typically describes the events of the meeting, as well as a list of attendees, and a description of the issues being discussed by those present. Minutes. Features 4. Meeting minutes can be used to provide clarification and serve as a historical document to ensure that rework is minimized, if not eliminated. Aspects. Every day, important meetings take place in your office. 2. Reviewing the previous minutes in advance is a good practice as there may be subjects that are carried over from one meeting to the next. The meeting minutes could serve as a map where all the plans are laid out in front of you, and you’ll have a guide as you accomplish each and every action item. – Present the minutes in a clear format and share them with all the relevant stakeholders. Enter your mobile number below and we will send you a link to your phone to download the application. The ‘minutes’ in meeting minutes, have nothing to do with time, but with ‘small’. There is great importance in keeping proper meeting minutes because they are the only means the board has to provide proof of the decisions made in the board room. Effective meeting minutes are clear and to the point, but at the same time, they do not leave out important information. It preserves a clear, concise, and accurate record of the business transacted at the meeting. When you are writing meeting minutes you need to include different kinds of information. What Are Meeting Minutes? Documenting ideas also builds trust among colleagues. Several important topics are discussed in a meeting, and important decisions are taken. Meeting minutes are notes taken of discussions and decisions made during meetings. They also act as a first-hand source when it comes to measuring a project’s progress. Importance of Keeping Minutes The meeting minutes of the Board of Directors hold very important information not just for the auditor but for the Association as well. Meeting minutes establish ownership While votes are often the stars of board and committee meetings, tasks are definitely their most important consequences. In this blog, I’ll discuss the immediate and long-term importance of taking minutes. Minutes should capture the purpose of the meeting and the outcomes of the meeting. With good meeting minutes, you make sure everyone knows what was decided and what needs to be achieved by what date. Contents 3 min read. – Establish an agenda for your meeting. Agree beforehand who exactly will be taking minutes. Team meetings are a learning and improvement opportunity – meetings are an inevitable part of business and organizations. Before you rush into your meeting, remember to: There are some less obvious benefits to consistent minute taking during meetings. Meetings tend to become more efficient when participants are aware of their discussions being recorded; they are more likely to stay on topic. Meeting minutes offer legal protection. Minutes capture the important actions of a meeting without recording a verbatim transcript of what was said. Not taking meeting minutes can be costly in terms of both time and money, for example when you and your colleagues have different recollections of what was agreed during a meeting. Apart from these essential constituents of any meeting, there are two more important aspects. This potentially exposes the company to legal trouble in future, as well as creating internal friction. © 2020 247Meeting.com. Meeting minutes, or mom (for minutes of meeting) can be defined as the written record of everything that's happened during a meeting. You can easily become overwhelmed with deliverables that result from a meeting, or even directions you need to provide to your team. Meeting minutes are the detailed notes that serve as an official written record of a meeting or conference. Check out Meeting minutes: how to make them effective and Meeting minutes Do’s and Don’ts. Good business meeting minutes are to the point and clear to read. This gives the agenda a clear direction. Minutes are important details that you can’t ignore if you want to keep your business in line with state laws, and to back up your tax returns. Read this article to learn about Minutes for a Meeting. Now that we’ve covered the immediate importance of taking minutes, we should have a better idea of what typically appears on them. So meeting minutes are a reference to something small, not something that has to do with time. Meaning of Minutes: The minutes are accurate but condensed official records of what have taken place at a meeting. 3. So, now you know what meeting minutes are and why they are important. Ensure everyone agrees to the minutes and a consensus is formed. Having a database of old minutes allows for companies to go back and examine actions taken in the past. Meetings are held for taking decisions and adopting some facts and events. Other chapters include meeting agenda, meeting types, meeting rhythms, what are meeting minutes, giving and receiving feedback, group decision making methods, and much more. Get help managing your business. where we cater for conference calls of any size. Most of us have attended a meeting madly scribbling what we thought were meeting minutes only to find out later that we’ve missed important information of that the notes we took were never used. The Immediate Importance of Taking Minutes Avoid Repetition – You’ve had a productive meeting. require that we keep the minutes of directors’ meetings and other general meetings. There is an increased chance that these actions will be carried out. If a vote on a particular course of action occurs, recording who voted in which way can offer legal protection in the case of a lawsuit. We’ll explain all this to you in this article, as well as how GAIKU can help you with your meeting minutes and keeping your meeting records organized. They serve several purposes: Inform absent team members of the discussion and decisions made; Serve as a record of discussions for future reference; Provide “takeaways” for meetings that are informational – Most companies have their own preferred format for taking minutes. – Minutes are usually taken by a secretary or an assistant but doesn’t have to be limited to just them. – Note what the next steps are in your project, who you’ve agreed to assign it to, and the deadline agreed. Meeting minutes are essential. Essentially, your minutes should be a mirror image of the meeting agenda. Also known as board meeting minutes, these records will also be necessary should organization members ask for them. Your notes, actions and follow up meetings will all be saved. Minutes can also be used as proof that a meeting took place to provide reference for those who were unable to attend. – You’ve had a productive meeting. This avoids any repeat mistakes and works as an example of how to make good decisions in future. What exactly is included in meeting minutes? You can write the most stunningly concise minutes of all time, but if they don’t even have the time & date on them, they aren’t worth a thing! Recording effective meeting minutes doesn’t have to be hard! Note any deviations from the agenda. All rights reserved. Reviewing minutes is also a common procedure with any potential audits of the company. How is it possible to keep track of every point and plan made, or any decisions reached during these meetings? The format for keeping meeting minutes starts with the date and purpose of the meeting. Assigning a task owner and a due date creates a social pressure to carry out the idea. Handling cultural differences in your meeting. This is all part of the psychology of meetings, be sure to read up on. Meeting minutes provide a written record of what was discussed and agreed at a meeting, so you and your colleagues will have the same recollections from the meeting and the same ideas about what was agreed. If your company needs assistance creating or managing your minutes, you can work with an online service provider. Want to learn more? Besides all this, minutes of the meeting also offer insight of the meeting to those who failed to attend the meeting. Everyone leaves with a plan in mind, fully aware of the work required in between meetings. Importance of minutes in Business Meeting. This possibly came directly from the Latin ‘minuta scriptura’, meaning ‘small notes’. This browser doesn't support WebRTC so you won't be able to use Computer Audio to join a conference call. Typically, they will describe the events of a meeting, include a list of participants, record issues discussed and decisions made concerning these issues. After reading this article you will learn about: 1. As previously mentioned, delaying these incidents can lead to uncertainty further down the line. Minutes help in taking suitable actions. – Once you’ve completed and presented the minutes in a clear format, and all relevant stakeholders agree to their contents, file them away where others can easily find them in future. Off to better meetings! 1. – This one is fairly self-explanatory. As the minutes have the entire details of duties and accountability they also … Let us learn the details of Drafting Minutes of a Meeting and ATR. GAIKU saves your meeting records, so you’ll always know when you held a meeting, what was discussed and who attended. Do you often question what information you should record and what you should leave out? Note any key points made by individuals along with these decisions, as well as any dissension or conflict between attendees. The next meeting isn’t for another month, and nobody took any minutes. Minutes are used to document business conducted at a meeting. Following are five important reasons for making sure you have someone take clear minutes at your next meeting: 1. So, being of such great importance, what are meeting minutes? Although it may seem like writing meeting minutes can take a lot of time, they will, in fact, help you save time and money. Whether you like them or not . Minutes for a meeting are often a highly important part of any type of meeting. What Are Business Meeting Minutes? Everything has its time It offers you a lot of features that can help you take meeting notes and keep your meeting history. They're used to inform people who didn't attend the meeting about what happened, or to keep track of what was decided during the meeting so that you can revisit it and use it to inform future decisions. Meeting minutes: how to make them effective. – Minutes are often the only evidence on how a decision was reached and by whom. Sign up today. Why are meeting minutes important? Another key thing is that they do not leave out important information. Consider how many people a large multinational corporation employs, imagine the collective time spent attending meetings. In the worst case, if meeting minutes are not written you may end up having to repeat the meeting. Here are the 5 reasons why meeting minutes are important: It becomes your guide By taking note of the meeting, you and your team can keep tabs of the commitments and when they are due. Should this person need to contribute to the meeting, appoint an alternative minute taker for those parts of the meeting. Many of you likely spend your entire day in meetings, and often the result of a meeting is to have another meeting. If you do this, you might notice some colleagues withdrawing from the meeting. Typically, meeting minutes are recorded by a secretary or assistant, but it can be done by any appointed individual. So team meetings are a good place to learn about the wider organization, how to work in a team, how to manage a team towards its objectives, and what improvements a team can achieve together. Here’s a list of what needs to be included in effective meeting minutes: Prepare your meeting minutes by writing down the things you know beforehand, like date, time, location, purpose and agenda items. – Unless you’re attending the first in a long series of meetings, typically in a formal office environment the minutes of the previous meeting will be read aloud and agreed upon before continuing. This agenda must be distributed prior to the meeting and reflected in the minutes. Meeting minutes can also be used to keep things moving. Do you want to learn more about meetings and how you can improve them to save time and money? This blogpost is part of our e-book ‘A brief introduction to meetings’. 2. Their purpose is firstly to record Action Points, ie, what actions have been decided upon, who is responsible and what the milestones and deadlines are. GAIKU helps you to be more efficient when it comes to recording effective meeting minutes. Minutes are no less than a measuring stick: Minutes of the meeting when authentically jotted, make a review document of great importance. – Who called the meeting to order, those who made it, plus those who didn’t make it and why. And why are these things important? Any decent set of minutes should include: Remember, don’t simply write down everything said at the meeting, just summarise the main points carefully. One of them is the minute of the meeting draft, while the other one is the action taken report. Meeting minutes serve as a record of what was discussed and decided in a meeting, what actions must be taken, who must take them and when. 2. These are the sources of reference and guidance which have to be recorded accurately and methodically in writing. The minutes provide a record of decisions made and who is responsible for taking action. Include the deadline and who it was assigned to. Indeed, the role of minutes is very important for participants present and absent during a meeting because: The participants to the meetings have a reminder aid The minutes say who will do what and when They are the starting point of the following meeting So, getting into the habit of taking meeting minutes is good practice. This is why it’s encouraged to document every point raised, as opposed to just the ones you agree with. Save time and effort when it comes to minutes by making use of our automatic transcription feature. Minutes that capture the purpose of the meeting and its agreed outcomes are a record that can be referred back to and can be used for follow-up purposes. When you are writing meeting minutes you need to include different kinds of information. – Documenting the purpose of each particular meeting provides you with a quick and easy reference point when re-analysing minutes in future. This helps ensure that sponsors or other stakeholders who cannot attend each meeting are up-to-date with the project. Meeting minutes document the most important points discussed during a meeting. Publicly held companies are required by law to keep minutes of shareholder meetings, board of directors meetings and executive committee meetings. Interestingly, minutes have nothing to do with time. In my experience, a project without consistent and regularly updated minutes is a recipe for disaster. If there are any decisions made at the meeting this is clearly recorded in meeting minutes. – As well as providing all stakeholders with an idea of what they have to do prior to the next meeting, minutes present us with a tangible and easy-to-follow timeline of the project. That is the essence of great minute taking, clear and to the point without omitting any details. Meaning of Minutes 2. This review document can be used for measuring the progress. Meeting minutes are an important record that keep your business on track and organized. LEARN MORE. Minutes are super-important in two cases: 1) board of directors meetings. This way you will only have to add the things that you discussed, like the outcome of the meeting. The importance of minutes is the following: Importance of minutes . One day, that someone could be you. But when you’re transcribing them at a later date, or if someone else has to transcribe them, important points are often lost or forgotten due to their lack of clarity. The name derives from the Latin ‘minuta scriptura’, meaning small notes. A minute is prepared so that the motion and resolutions taken at a meeting can be used as a reference in the future. Taking Minutes forms an essential part of most meetings. Here’s where the understated importance of taking minutes occurs. Having your point acknowledged and added to the minutes can inspire confidence. Here’s a list of what needs to be included in effective meeting minutes: Names of attendees and those who were unable to attend. At the same time, providing a guide on how to take effective minutes in your own meetings. The basics of effective meeting minutes. You can even see if you voted on an issue and what the outcome was. Minutes should capture the purpose of the meeting and the outcomes of the meeting. 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