What is Minute Taking

Minutes, also called notes in an informal manner, are a written record of a meeting. They describe the events of the meeting, a list of any items to be discussed, and sometimes, a list of attendees.

It’s the job of the designated minute taker to create an official document before a meeting that notes who will be attending the meeting, and a page containing the subjects that the meeting will revolve around. During the meeting, the minute taker will take notes on any further topics that come up, and the resolutions for each point.

Alternatively, meetings can be audio recorded, or video recorded, and the minute notes can be added to a document later. Minutes are not a transcript, but rather an official written record of what was done at the meeting in regard to the points raised. There is no need to record every word any member of the meeting says. Organisations will have their own rules regarding the content of the minutes that they prefer; though most companies will only want a summary of the decisions made. Verbatim reports are typically not useful to a company, and it can be difficult to completely record everything that is said by each person. Some minute documents must be kept on file because they are considered important, legal documents. This is usually for professional meetings, like board meetings, or client meetings.

Writing minutes is a basic skill for personal assistants, though any member of a meeting may be asked to be the minute writer at any time.