When taking minutes for your team, there are some best practices that will help the minutes to be as accurate as possible. Remember, after each meeting, minutes should be submitted at this link.
When taking minutes, do…
- Plan the minutes in advance: The agenda for the meeting should be the basis for the minutes, and can serve as a template to fill in details.
- Review previous minutes: If there are any items from previous discussions that require followup, make sure they’re added to the agenda.
- Document action items: Be sure to note in the minutes any action items for the team as a whole or for individual members.
- Record any decisions: Make sure any decisions made during the meeting are clearly recorded in the minutes.
- Ask questions: If a decision or discussion isn’t clear, ask the group to clarify before moving on.
- Use tools available: Don’t be afraid to record the meeting or use other technology to help you capture the details of the meeting.
Don’t…
- Go into excessive detail around deliberations: In general, only the final decision needs to be record. As a best practice, focus the minutes on what was done by the team, not what was said by members.
- Include opinions about the business: The minutes should not include opinions about the outcomes of discussions, including your own. Be careful to avoid phrases such as “after a contentious debate…” or “after lively discussion…”.
- Include vote counts (as a general rule): If votes are by voice vote, non-counted raised standing or raised hand votes, or unanimous consent (“if there aren’t any objections we will do x…”), counts do not need to be included. Counts should be included if votes are taken by ballot, or if by raised hands or standing when those are counted.