Last month we looked at report writing – a task that many people find daunting. I’m going to continue the theme of writing tasks that people often find difficult this month by talking about preparing the minutes of meetings.
So, why do people hate being asked to take the minutes of a meeting? I suspect that the following are some of the main reasons:
You need good organisational skills.
You need to listen carefully – you can’t afford to go off on a day-dream half way through the meeting (and this is something that many people find difficult). And, you have to concentrate to ensure that you record everything that is discussed.
You have to have a basic knowledge of the topics under discussion to make sense of them.
You need to have the ability to prioritise – to decide what must be included and what must be left out.
So let’s look at each of these in turn:
When you start to prepare for a meeting you need to provide an ‘Agenda’ – this is a list of things that will be discussed at the meeting. It needs to be clear and must include any items that have been deferred from the previous meeting (if there was a previous meeting); any new items that the Chairman feels are important and any items that have been raised by other people attending. You should draw up this list, get the Chairman to agree it and then make sure it is circulated to the people who will attend. Make sure this is done far enough in advance for them to think about what will be discussed and get any information they need, but not so far in advance that they forget about it! Also make sure that it clearly states where and when the meeting will be held.
Next, those listening skills! Lots of people are good at talking, but not so good at actually listening. And you’ve got to listen to everyone that speaks and actually concentrate on what they are saying if you are to write good minutes.
We’d assume that you know something about the subjects under discussion, or why else would you be expected to take the minutes? But if someone says something that you don’t understand don’t be afraid to ask them to explain. Or, if you don’t hear what someone is saying (because they are talking quickly or another person has started to speak) don’t hesitate to ask them to repeat themselves.
Finally, you need to be able to make quick decisions on what points are important and what are not. You can’t take everything down – you must be selective. Try to decide what is important and what is just waffle (and you’ll encounter plenty of that at most meetings). Also, it may help to develop your own list of abbreviations that you can use to speed things up.
And when the meeting is finished? Read through your notes as soon as possible to check that you have got everything you need and that you understand what you have written. If anything is unclear check with the Chairman or contact the person who was talking for clarification. Then write up your minutes so that they are concise, clear and grammatically correct, and pass them to the Chairman for a final read through before you circulate them.
That sounds straightforward, doesn’t it? But if you want more detailed information on preparing the minutes of meetings, and how they should be set out, then you might want to consider our Business English with Spoken English Diploma Course.
Author: Diana Nadin
