minutes to a meeting : How to take minutes meeting effectively

Karen Hainsworth discovers the secret to keeping a record of meetings is all in the preparation If you've never taken minutes in a meeting before, you're bound to be a bit nervous. But minute-taking can cause anxiety even in the most experienced of individuals, says Nandi Roos, a trainer on Pitman Training's Meetings and Minutes course.

"The most difficult thing for any minute-taker is knowing what to write down," she says. "The main problem that all my students have is writing too much because they're worried."

If you want to avoid writing a novel rather than notes, do a bit of research beforehand. "Any kind of preparation is going to make you more relaxed and more able to pick up on the important points," explains Roos. And familiarising yourself with what's on the agenda will help.

"Research what kind of topics they'll be discussing by reading the last minutes and speaking to the last minute-taker."

It's also helpful to understand the nature of the meeting. Basically there are two types, says Roos: informal, such as managerial briefings and progress updates; and formal, such as board meetings, annual general meetings and shareholder meetings.

With all formal meetings you need to know what rules and, in the case of shareholder meetings, which laws, govern that assembly.

Problems can arise if the gathering involves people who don't get on. "One of the hardest parts is knowing if there are any hidden agendas," says Roos, "but if you know what the aims are then you can weed out all the rubbish in between."

As a start, she suggests cutting out anything that does not involve the company or the people involved. And if you're not sure whether you should write up the juicy bit about the chief executive, she adds: "You can make a note of it and ask the chairperson if he or she think it is relevant."

A key part of meetings is the final resolutions that are made. These, says Roos, need to be recorded in detail, particularly if someone raises a point of order, such as when the constitution is to be changed.

But any topic should detail the names of individuals who have spoken.

"It's also very important to write in a point form," says Roos. "If you try and get it down verbatim, you are going to struggle."

Though she doesn't believe it is necessary to use shorthand, she says, "It's a very good tool to have, particularly when you are going into six-hour board meetings."

If you're in the unfortunate position of being dropped in the minute-taker's role at the last moment, you may not understand a word of the jargon that is being bandied about. That's difficult to deal with but not impossible. Roos advises that you write down as much as you can. If you miss a point, speak to the chairperson at the end.

He or she should also be making notes and, ultimately, the chairperson needs to sign off the minutes as being a correct account of what took place.

It is up to him or her to ensure they are right.

"It's not the most sought-after job in the world," says Roos. But there are some benefits to the minute-taker's role. "You learn a lot about the business, meet different people in different departments and you get to know what's going on."

And, as we all know, that can be a very interesting (and powerful) position to be in.
For details of Pitman Training's Minute and Meeting Seminar, call: 020 7256 6668.
Copyright 2002
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
Evening Standard (London), Aug 12, 2002 by KAREN HAINSWORTH