How to Prepare Staff Meeting Minutes

Managers meet with their staff to track the progress of projects, give updates on company and customer news, announce human resources related information and to provide their staff with support and encouragement. These meetings are significant in the operational process of most businesses and offer a means of communication essential to employees and employers. Because of the importance of staff meetings, managers often ask the office's administrative professional to take notes during the meeting and prepare the staff meeting minutes afterwards. Preparing staff meeting minutes requires an objective, accurate approach.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Word processing program
• Email account
• Printer

Instructions

1. Open a blank document using a word processing program on your computer. Include the name of your company at the top of the page, along with the date the meeting occurred. Include a single-line space and save your document.

2. Type "Call to Order" and bold the text. In this section, include the name of the meeting facilitator, who is typically a manager or supervisor, who called the meeting to order. List the name of your company. Include the time and date of the meeting. Include a single-line space to begin the next section of your staff meeting minutes.

3. Type "Roll Call" and bold the text. Include the name of the individual who took attendance at the meeting. List the names of everyone who attended the meeting. At a staff meeting, a sign-in sheet may circulate to take attendance, rather than someone calling attendance. Insert a single-line space to begin the next section.

4. Type "Approval of Minutes from Last Meeting" and bold the text. In this section, you can list the name of the person who read the minutes from the last staff meeting and whether or not the minutes were approved or an addendum was made. If an addendum was made, you can attach it to the staff meeting minutes you're currently preparing. Include a single-line space to begin the next section.

5. Type "Open Issues" and bold the text. This area should disclose old business on the table from the last meeting that needs to be further discussed or resolved. Use a bullet format and briefly describe each issue and give a summary of what was discussed at the most current meeting. Include a single-line space to begin the next section.

6. Type "New Business" and bold the text. In a bulleted list, include each item of new business. Next to the item of new business, give a summary of what was discussed. Filter through your notes and only include the key details staff members need to know. Include a single-line space to begin the next section.

7. Type "Adjournment" and bold the text. Include the name of the manager who adjourned the meeting and the time the meeting ended.

8. At the end of the document, include your name as the person who submitted the minutes and include the name of the person who approves the minutes.

9. Proofread the staff meeting minutes, then send them to your manager for review. Once they are approved, distribute them via email, print or both to fellow staff members.

Tips & Warnings

• Use Roman numeral to separate each section.

• Include page numbers on your minutes.

References

• Webster's New World Robert's Rules of Order: Simplified and Applied; Herny M. Robery and Robery McConnell Productions; 2001
• Taking Minutes of Meetings; Joanna Gutmann ; 2006
• MeetingWizard.com: Meeting Minutes Format

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• MindTools.com: Running Effective Meetings
• EffectiveMeetings.com: How to Record Useful Meeting Minutes
• Microsoft Office Online: Minutes Template