Steps in Writing Minutes of a Meeting

Indonesia Business Guide: How to Ensure Effective Writing Minutes of a Meeting

People conduct meetings, whether it be for business or for nonprofit purposes, for specific reasons. So, it’s important to be knowledgeable about writing minutes of a meeting so that everyone can work towards the same goal. One person usually takes down the minutes to record what everyone says in the group. It also reminds the whole group of what still needs to be accomplished.

 

Who Is Responsible for Writing Minutes of a Meeting?

The company’s or organization’s secretary used to have the sole responsibility of writing minutes of a meeting. Nowadays, however, the person who will jot down minutes of the meeting may be any member of the group. As long as the designated recorder can still participate actively in the discussion, this is not a problem. But the recorder should know how to do their task the right way, to facilitate group activities during the meeting.

 

Correct Procedure for Writing Minutes of a Meeting

1. Be aware of the main goal or goals of the meeting.
2. Jot down attendance of group members.
3. Indicate what time the meeting started and what time it ended.
4. Record precisely topics discussed during the meeting.
5. Highlight the key decisions and connect these to the goal of the meeting.
6. Indicate who made the decisions during the meeting. Who is actively leading the group towards these decisions? Was the decision a group decision, or did someone make the decision for the group?
7. Always record for the group the next set of goals which may be covered in the next meeting.
8. Don’t forget to proofread your report after writing minutes of a meeting before you submit the report.
9. Be sure you know whom to report the minutes of the meeting to. Who would be interested in reading these minutes?
10. When is the deadline for submitting the minutes of the meeting?
11. Always specify in your report when the group will be meeting again. You may also indicate who is expected to attend that next meeting. (It is possible that some of those who attended the previous meeting will not attend the follow-up meeting).
12. Do not assume you always have to be the one writing minutes of a meeting. You may take on other roles in the group during successive meetings, such as group facilitator, for example. However, you should make sure the next recorder will know what to do, so you may volunteer until another group member takes on the role.

 

Conclusion

Recording the minutes of a meeting is very important for the group to know what was discussed before action is taken towards a specific goal. It is important to record the meeting because sometimes there are decision-makers who are not present during the activity. Check also if the group will meet again and if the output is dependent on the current meeting. In addition, try to ask group members if they need to read through what was earlier decided in the previous meeting.

A person skilled in taking down the minutes of a meeting may be a contributor to the group. The secretary of the group or office may also take on this task. The important thing is that the minutes of the meeting adequately record the details that will help the group become more productive and proactive, until the next meeting.

If you are in need of secretarial services, we at 3E Accounting services may be able to provide you with the right personnel for such tasks. Consider us as your Indonesia Company Secretary Service Provider.