Which of the following would you not want to do when taking meeting minutes?
Often people need a gentle nudge to remind them about completing action items. Leaders need to check to ensure that action is taking place as agreed. The check can be an E-mail or phone call to the point person or a meeting devoted to checking on progress. Not checking may send a message that not much action is really expected. Show
Tip: Every goal and action item needs a "point person." This person is responsible for reminding everyone of action items connecting people to their work and following up with colleagues to make sure the work has been completed. The point person also reports on results. [See article, What to do at a check meeting] The first time someone asks you to take meeting minutes can be confusing to say the least. You might nod vaguely. Of course you can take meeting minutes. You know what a meeting is and you know what minutes are of course, so obviously meeting minutes are… As you think about the assignment you just accepted, the chilling, inevitable truth sets in. You actually have no idea what meeting minutes really are, and therefore, you don’t know, technically speaking, how to record them. Download Your Free Meeting Minutes Template Page Contents (Click To Jump)
What Are Meeting Minutes?Meeting minutes are records that help stakeholders quickly understand the purpose and outcomes of a meeting. Clear and concise, these records should include the key points, needs, action items, and opportunities discussed. Any stakeholder, whether they attended a given meeting or not, should be able to skim the minutes and know how they can contribute to a project or make a key decision. Meeting minutes can be agents of transparency if, for example, you use them to communicate and clarify how leadership made certain decisions. Minutes can be the saviors of continuity if, for example, they get new employees and leaders up to speed on the history of a project. They can even act as progress trackers if you use them to launch and manage a mini-project of agreed-upon timelines, action items, and goals. 👉 Try monday.com’s free meeting agenda template So as you can see, meeting minutes can be whatever you make of them, serving a variety of purposes and bolstering a variety of goals. If done well, meeting minutes could actually serve a strategic and enriching purpose, enhancing decisions at your company, especially if as Marcia W. Blenko, author and consultant, said in one of HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Strategy, the notes are strategically planned to democratize company knowledge and cultivate a common understanding:
Despite the nomenclature, taking “meeting minutes” does not mean you have to detail every minute of a meeting. Nobody, especially not everyone who already sat through the meeting, wants to curl up with a laboriously detailed play by play. As it turns out, calling these critical takeaways “meeting minutes” makes them sound far more granular than they need to be. In fact, we actually learned from Wild Apricot that “minutes” refers to the practice of recording minutiae—not the actual minutes of a meeting. Keep reading to learn not only how to take meeting minutes but also to take minutes that help everyone at your company be more strategic, decisive, and informed. Use the tips along with our favorite meeting minutes template to build your reputation as the company minutes master.
Have You Heard Of The Employee Retention Credit? See If You QualifyHow to Take Meeting Minutes and Notes: Step-by-Step InstructionsStep 1: Design A Process & A Template
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