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Minutes of a Meeting
Completion requirements
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Definition
Minutes may be defined as a written record of the business transacted at a meeting. They usually take the form of minutes of narration rather than minutes of resolution.
Institutional Policy regarding minute taking states that the hand-written manuscript can be destroyed when the minutes have been typed and approved. A mere recording of decisions of a meeting does not give the flavour of the discussion which lead to a decision, therefore, in this case, the manuscript record must not be destroyed.
What are Good Minutes?
Accurate –The content of the meeting, the topic discussed, and the decisions made are reflected as they were discussed.
Clear – Unless a literal account is required of everything said, the minutes should be a clear, business-like, and a fair summary of the discussion and the decisions made.
Concise – The longer the minutes, the smaller the chance they will have any effect after the meeting. A good recorder summarizes the meeting briefly, without diminishing accuracy and clarity.
Timely – Minutes should be presented to all attendees and other concerned parties as soon as possible, when the meeting is still fresh in their minds and the motivation to carry out decisions is the greatest.
Click here to download a handout that explains content of minutes.