8/4/2019 How to Make Minutes of Meeting

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Instructions

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CREATE A HEADERInsert the following information at the top of the document:- Meeting name or title

- Date of the meeting- Location of the meeting - include name of facility, city, and state

While there is no strict format for recording meeting minutes, centering the header information at the topof the page can enhance readability.

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DESCRIBE THE MEETING PURPOSELeave a couple of blank lines after the header, and type the words "Meeting Purpose" (or "MeetingObjective"). If the purpose has been previously published, such as for a symposium or through an emailannouncement, use that text verbatim. If the meeting is more informal, then describe, to the best of yourknowledge, the reasons for getting together.

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LIST THE ATTENDEESLeave a blank line after the purpose statement and list the names and affiliations of all of the meetingattendees. For example, "John Smith - XYZ Corporation." If there are more than about ten or soattendees, however, it's preferable to include the detailed attendance list as an appendix to the minutes.In this case, write "Attendees: See last page" or "Attendees: See Appendix."

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DOCUMENT THE DISCUSSIONSOrganize the body of the notes according to topic, committee department, etc. For each major area of

discussion, list:- The discussion topic and a brief (2-3 sentence) overview- The outcome or decisions that were made- Any actionable items, along with the person responsible for ensuring the action items are completed andthe item's due date

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SIGN AND CIRCULATEType the name, date, and contact information of the person recording meeting minutes, and then sendthe minutes out for review. For a small meeting, all attendees should be given the opportunity to commenton the minutes before they are finalized. For larger meetings, only key attendees, such as chairpersons,division heads, etc. should review the document. When distributing the draft copy of the minutes, makesure to specify the date by which you need comments back. It's also a good idea to add a note indicatingthat no response signifies agreement (or something to that effect).

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FINALIZE THE MINUTESOnce you receive comments back (or you reach your deadline), make all necessary changes. As theperson recording meeting minutes, you'll also need to you'll need to resolve any issues or disagreementsas soon as possible.

8/4/2019 How to Make Minutes of Meeting

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Type the time, date and place that the meeting took place at the top of the minutes.

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Record the names of those in attendance. Also, record the names of those who are required to be at themeeting, but are absent. You may be required to note whose absence is excused. If so, you can simplyput "excused" in parenthesis next to the person's name who has been excused from attending themeeting.

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Document whether or not the minutes from the last meeting are approved. The minutes should have beenhanded out as each person arrived at this meeting. Or, they can be emailed, see "Tips" below.At times, something from the last meeting's minutes will need to be amended in some way. If so, you canrecord it like this: "Minutes from the meeting dated ____ are approved pending the change of ___ in item# __". Usually this will be something simple such as a name or correction on attendance.

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Follow the agenda (that should have been given to all of the principle meeting attendants prior to the

meeting). The agenda will help you to record each discussed topic in order.

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Record the main, major points made for each topic in the agenda. The minutes should cover anydecisions made or follow-up needed for each agenda item.

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When typing the minutes, type the word "Action" under any agenda item's minutes that has a requiredaction from a member of the board or an attendee. The word "action" should be bold and in italics. Itshould occupy a line of it's own. This makes it easy to find and helps to keep track of who is to be doingwhat.

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Write or type any "Other Business" topics that are discussed and who was responsible for bringing up theitem at the meeting. The agenda should have provided for attendees of the meeting to bring up new or"Other Business". There should also be a time limit indicated on the agenda for this.

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Indicate in your minutes the agreed upon time, date and place of the next meeting.

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Sign off on your minutes. The last line of your typewritten minutes should read something like, "Minutesrecorded by (your name and title, if any).