How to Organize Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes are a collection of notes written during a company meeting to document discussions and important issues. A secretary or assistant is often in charge of writing down everything discussed. After the meeting, the secretary must organize the meeting minutes so the attendees can read through the discussions and recall everything discussed. The secretary may also be required to file the document away with other copies of older meeting minutes.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Include the names of all the company employees or board members that were present during the meeting. Include both the first and last name, as larger companies may have individuals with the same first or last names. Add a separate list to name those who were absent and a third list to provide the names of attendants outside the office, such as visiting managers from other branches or locations.
-
2
Add the location of the meeting and the time the meeting started and ended. Include your name on the document to indicate that you are responsible for the minutes.
-
-
3
Organize the notes taken during the meeting so they are in chronological order. This helps the employees reading the meeting minutes to find specific information or details.
-
4
Write a heading to describe the issue or problem discussed. For example, the first issue in the meeting may have been regarding increasing communication in the office, so the heading must indicate this. Include the name of the person leading the conversation or addressing the issue. Summarize the points or discussions made by each individual during the meeting in regard to the communication issue. For instance, you could write "Martha explained that she missed a deadline because she was unaware the deadline had changed." This point must be listed underneath the communication heading and include Martha's name, as she discussed the issue. This is done for future referencing.
-
5
Repeat these record keeping steps with all discussions made during the meeting. A single meeting may include various topics of discussion, so make sure you address both internal issues and administrative matters in the meeting minutes.
-
6
Send a copy of the meeting minutes to everyone present at the meeting and to those who were absent. It is especially important for those who were absent to be informed about the discussions and decisions made in the meeting.
-
7
Print a copy of the meeting minutes and sign the document. The signature indicates that you have written the minutes and you approve the document. Place the minutes in a binder with other meeting minutes. Use dividers to keep the minutes in chronological order so they can be easily retrieved in the future.
-
1
