The note-taker captures and records the basics of the meeting for a permanent record. His or her key responsibilities are as follows:
• Keep the minutes of the meeting using the established format.
• Check with the group for accuracy whenever necessary.
• Finalize the minutes.
• Ensure that copies of the minutes are distributed.
What should the notetaker record? It’s usually enough just to document the essentials, not to provide the equivalent of a court stenographer’s transcript of every word said by anybody. The note-taker should focus on the following four types of information:
• Decisions
• Action items: things that people will do
• Open issues: things to be considered later
• Key discussion points
The note-taker must be accurate, objective, and able to write concisely and in a “reader-friendly” style. He or she is likely to rely on the running record kept by the scribe, but document only the main points. Also, the facilitator may indicate to the note-taker to record a certain idea, point, or comment. It could be suggested that any participant who wishes to make an idea, point, or comment part of the permanent record signal that request to the note-taker.
It usually takes very little time and effort for the note-taker to finalize the minutes after the meeting. (This is particularly true if you provide a laptop computer to whomever you designate for the role.) It’s essentially just a matter of transferring to a computer anything written by hand. Then, the agenda can be attached or you can e-mail the note-taker your computer file, which he or she can then insert into the record. If any participants have presented reports, they can e-mail the note-taker files of their reports. Then the note-taker has only to transfer any other information to the computer and print copies. You should keep a copy of the minutes for all meetings in a notebook, for easy reference. You should also get the computer files and archive them, for easier searching and retrieval as necessary
(and any later corrections).
Is it necessary to have a formal process for approving the minutes? No, not usually. However, the participants may decide at some point to adopt a rule calling for some approval process. Generally it should be enough to encourage participants to review the distributed copy of the minutes of a meeting and then bring any questions or concerns to the attention of the manager before the next meeting or raise them with the group at the beginning of the next meeting.
As noted above, the note-taker should keep the minutes of the meeting using the established format. This means you should specify the format as soon as possible, so that your meetings will be documented with consistency.
Your organization may have a set format for keeping minutes. On the other hand, you may be free to develop a format, on your own, or with your group. A good format allows anybody to know at a glance what’s most important—what was covered in a meeting, what was decided, what actions were planned, what’s expected and by when, and who is responsible for those actions.
What should the minutes include?
1. Date, time, and location of the meeting
2. List of participants
3. List of people invited but absent
4. Participants assigned as facilitator, scribe, timekeeper, and note-taker
5. Agenda
6. Main discussion points and outcomes (decisions and action items) for each agenda item, with the names of the participants responsible for the action items and the dates and times for completion
7. Items for consideration at later meetings
8. Meeting evaluation
9. Reports (attached)
Taken From : The Manager’s Guide to Effective Meetings
