Recording Minutes of the Meeting

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Recording Minutes of the Meeting

In the course of our working lives, all of us will, at some point, attend a meeting at which
minutes are produced. The purpose of minutes is to provide a permanent, and publicly accessible, record of the business transacted at a meeting. Simply put, they are notes of decisions made, and a record of who is going to implement those decisions.

For those unable to attend a meeting, they provide a summary of the discussions which took place, the decisions which were reached, and the actions which are to be taken as a consequence of decisions reached at the meeting. Minutes summarise the key points of a meeting and ensure accurate representation of the discussions that took place.

Meeting minutes are objective and have a neutral tone. The breadth of the information they provide:

• recording of all discussions,
• no bias or inclination toward a particular discussion or topic.

This guide helps individuals to write the minutes for meetings. It details all aspects
of drafting minutes, from taking notes and structuring minutes, to the style and language
expected.

Definition
The dictionary definitions of ‘minutes’ are:
1.The official written record of what is said at a formal meeting;
2.A written note or statement sent to a colleague; a memorandum.

Chambers 21st Century Dictionary
3.A short note or memorandum.

Collins English Dictionary
Where a memorandum is,
4.A written statement or record, especially one circulated for the
attention of colleagues at work;
5.A note of something to be remembered.
(From Latin memorare, meaning ‘a thing to be remembered’.)

Collins English Dictionary
Minutes are the official record of what passed at a formal meeting where each item (‘minute’)
is a short note intended to remind readers of a decision that was reached, and the actions
that should be taken as a consequence.

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