Minutes of Meeting – Step by Step Guide
Meetings are held on a continuous basis within the business world. Many of these meetings would be of a casual basis and between a couple of people. However, in important meetings, or when there are many stakeholders involved “minutes of meeting” become a necessity.
By recording minutes of meeting, you will assure that everything in the meeting has been documented to help in documenting decisions and taking actions. In project meetings, this is an essential tool to move the project forward. It’s also a key part of business etiquette.
Minutes of meeting allow you to ensure that everyone in the meeting is on the same page and that there is no ambiguity about what was agreed. This is essential when working on projects with clients so that you ensure that you have an agreement on the scope of a project and how you are progressing against that scope.
Related content: Setting a project scope
So, let’s move on to the steps you can follow to prepare your minutes of meeting.
Minutes of Meeting
Step 1. Before the Meeting
Create a template to record minutes of meeting this; template should include:
- Date and time of the meeting
- The purpose of the meeting
- The meeting lead’s name
- Assigned action items
- Decisions made
Step 2: During the meeting
- Write notes or record the meeting. If you are recording the meeting, make sure you have informed everyone that you will be doing so
- Check if all attendees are present and take their business cards.
- Try and take an outline of what is said or done and don’t go too much into detail.
- Record all notes directly into the template so you don’t get confused later
- Number the pages so the sequence of the meeting is identified
Step 3: After the meeting
- Review the notes and add additional comments, or clarify what you didn’t understand right after the meeting.
- Type your notes on the template so it is easier for everyone to read
- Assure that your document is reviewed with the meeting lead before sending it across
Try to send the minutes of the meeting to all participants, as close to the actual meeting time as possible. The minutes of meeting document is like an ice cube, the more it is delayed the more its value melts away.
If you would like to see a video of the above tips, check it out here.
Following these three steps will help you create a clear and concise “minutes of meeting” document.
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