How to Write Meeting Minutes
The basic purpose of minutes is to provide an historical account of official business conducted during a meeting and supporting the group as it carries out its responsibilities. Although there is flexibility when writing minutes there are also some basic guidelines and tips that add cohesion and clarity while capturing the gist of the meeting.
Instructions
1.
Step 1
Put the date, time and place of the meeting at the top of the page. This enables others to look up a particular meeting if they need to refer back to earlier business. The date and time also links a particular meeting to its minutes.
2.
Step 2
Follow with the organization's title, and frequency of the meeting--weekly, monthly or quarterly. If the minutes are for a special meeting that was called, be sure to capture this as well.
3.
Step 3
Make sure you include the names of the members who were present and whether the previous minutes were approved. You may include the titles of the officers, whether the attendee was a voting or non-voting member, or an Ad Hoc member and any guests who are at the meeting.
4.
Step 4
The body of your minutes summarize what took place at the meeting. You need to include all main motions and who made the motion, the number of yes and no (or yea and nay) votes, any requests for an appeal or for a motion to be tabled in separate paragraphs. New and old business would be nested here as well.
5.
Step 5
Conclude with the time the meeting was adjourned, who moved and seconded the motion, and your signature as the secretary. Your signature validates the integrity of the minutes and the meeting content.
6.
Step 6
Submit completed minutes for approval, whether it is by email, fax, mail or at the next meeting. It is always preferable for the members of the group or organization to receive the minutes before the next meeting so they can read over them.
7.
Step 7
At the next meeting the chairperson or president calls for the minutes to be approved, asks if any corrections need to be made, accepts any valid corrections and announces that they have been approved.
