Preparing the Agenda

Every private meeting should have a definite agenda-paper and it will be the duty of the Secretary, after consultation with the Chairperson, to prepare a proper agenda-paper and to arrange to produce enough copies for distribution among the members.

Where the chairperson is inexperienced and the proceedings are largely formal, as in the case of an annual general meeting or a meeting convened to consider one item of special business only, it is a good practice for the secretary to prepare a special chairperson’s copy, on which each motion that is to be moved at the meeting is set out with the appropriate wording, which the chairperson will use when putting the motion to the meeting.

Preparing the Minutes After the Meeting

When preparing the minutes of the meeting, the secretary should bear in mind that minutes are the official record of what was decided at the meeting, they are not a record of what was said – that would be a report. An awareness of this distinction will greatly reduce the work of the secretary besides saving time at the meeting at which they are adopted.