iBabs’ State of Meeting Management report for 2024 found that more than a fifth (22%) of respondents to the survey spent over half of their working week in meetings. However, only 65% of those questioned confirmed that someone took and distributed meeting minutes in their organisation.
With meeting minutes a legal requirement in some circumstances and an essential tool for record-keeping and maintaining accountability in general, this is a concerning trend. Recording the discussions and decisions in an official document is the key to remembering which decisions were made, why they were made and who was responsible for turning them into actions.
This article explains how to take meeting minutes and explores the topic of meeting minutes, the different types of minutes, what should be included and tips for creating the most effective record of a meeting.
What are meeting minutes?
The meeting minutes are a document that records the events that took place during a meeting. They are used by companies, non-profits, medical bodies, government organizations and any other sector to provide written evidence of elements such as:
- Issues discussed
- Motions put forth
- Decisions made
- Actions agreed upon
The minutes are usually distributed amongst attendees afterwards and are approved either before the next meeting or early on in the next meeting. If there is any discrepancy between the content of the minutes and the memories of attendees, they should request the minutes be updated accordingly with the agreement of the other stakeholders.
The organization should then keep them on file for future reference and, in the case of some types of formal meetings, as a legal requirement.
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