There’s no need to overthink the minutes. This one takeaway could save you hours of time…

In a nutshell, the minute-taker’s role is to record the DECISIONS that are made. It is NOT their role to record everything that is said.

This may sound simple, but in practice, it’s not that easy. Especially if people are reluctant to move on from outdated ways of doing things such as… “but we’ve always done it this way.”

If this phrase gets used in your workplace or committee, well, Houston, you’ve got a problem.

The meeting organisation cycle is more efficient when it goes like this…

• Prepare the agenda on your computer based on the previous minutes and new items
• Ensure the document on the computer is set up to easily capture the decisions made
• As a decision is made, note it and the people who will are responsible for doing it
• Use this amended agenda as the framework for the follow-up meeting

I’ve been a secretary on boards and always use this method for capturing the minutes. It’s so time efficient that the average time it took me to send completely compliant minutes to fellow board members was 3 minutes after the meeting closed – yes it is possible.

David Julian Price Meetings Advisor