Which of the following are elements you should include in meeting minutes? check all that apply.

Q: Which of the following are elements you should include in meeting minutes?

Whats In. The minutes should include the title of the group that is meeting; the date, time, and venue; the names of those in attendance (including staff) and the person recording the minutes; and the agenda.

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show What are Meeting Minutes? Steps Involved in Recording Meeting Minutes What to Include in Meeting Minutes The Process of Writing Meeting Minutes Distributing the Meeting Minutes Key Takeaway Download the Free Template More Resources Which of the following are elements you should include in meeting minutes? What not to include in meeting minutes? How do I write minutes of a meeting? Why should names of all attendees and absent members be included in the minutes?
	Don't assume that ideas discussed during a meeting will be put into action or even remembered. To ensure follow-through and accountability a meeting leader needs to do three key tasks after the meeting ends. These are discussed in detail below.

1. Distribute minutes		Ensure that minutes are produced and promptly distributed to all attendees including guests. Meeting minutes don't need to include everything everyone said. They do need to include following: Date, time location Attendees Key points raised and decisions made Motions and voting results if votes taken Who is responsible for what follow-up action and by when Name of the Recorder Most word processing software includes templates for agendas and minutes.

2. Archive meeting documents		All meeting documents including the agenda, minutes and supporting documents should be kept together and archived. These records can be checked when quesitons arise about past decisions or actions. It is discouraging to committee or group members to rehash prior discussions or decisions because of poor record keeping.


3. Check on action		Often people need a gentle nudge to remind them about completing action items. Leaders need to check to ensure that action is taking place as agreed. The check can be an E-mail or phone call to the point person or a meeting devoted to checking on progress. Not checking may send a message that not much action is really expected. Tip: Every goal and action item needs a "point person." This person is responsible for reminding everyone of action items connecting people to their work and following up with colleagues to make sure the work has been completed. The point person also reports on results. [See article, What to do at a check meeting]

Notes that are recorded during a meeting

What are Meeting Minutes?

Meeting minutes are notes that are recorded during a meeting. They highlight the key issues that are discussed, motions proposed or voted on, and activities to be undertaken. The minutes of a meeting are usually taken by a designated member of the group. Their task is to provide an accurate record of what transpired during the meeting.

Steps Involved in Recording Meeting Minutes

There are five main steps involved in recording the minutes of a meeting. They are:

Pre-planning
Record-taking
Writing or transcribing the minutes
Sharing meeting minutes
Filing or storage of minutes for referencing in the future

Pre-Planning

If a meeting is well-planned in advance, taking minutes will be a lot easier. That said, the chairperson and the secretary or minutes-recorder should work together to determine the agenda of the meeting beforehand. For example, the person recording minutes could work with the chair to draft a document that will serve as an agenda and provide the format for the meeting.

Meeting Agenda

If it’s not possible for the chair and secretary to meet and come up with a draft, then it’s up to the secretary to get a copy of the agenda before the meeting starts. The meeting agenda will serve as a guide for how to take notes and prepare the minutes. In addition, the agenda also includes other details, which need to be incorporated in the minutes. They include:

Names of all the members present – includes guests and speakers
Documents that may be handed out as the meeting progresses, such as copies of a list of proposals to be voted on

Expectations

When an individual is chosen as the minutes recorder, it’s important for them to know what is expected of them. Therefore, the individual should approach the chair of the committee and ask what their role in the meeting will be. For example, if the meeting will involve proposing motions, the designated member should inquire as to whether he should include the names of those proposing motions and those seconding.

What to Include in Meeting Minutes

Before recording any details, a designated minutes recorder should familiarize themselves with the type of information that they should record. A group may be using a specific format to record notes but, overall, the minutes of a meeting typically include the following details:

Date and time the meeting happened
Names of attendees, as well as absent participants
Acceptance of, or amendments made to, the previous meeting’s minutes
Decisions made regarding each item on the agenda, such as:
- Activities undertaken or agreed upon
- Next steps
- Outcomes of elections
- Motions accepted or rejected
- New business
- Date and time of the next meeting

The Process of Writing Meeting Minutes

When the meeting ends, the individual tasked with writing minutes should get all the resources he needs to write up the minutes in a clear, presentable way. Here are some tips to consider:

Once the meeting ends, don’t take too long to write the minutes. This way, everything that took place in the meeting is still fresh in your mind.
Review the outline that had been created earlier and make adjustments where necessary. This might include adding extra information or clarifying some of the issues raised. Also, check to see that all verdicts, activities, and motions were clearly recorded.
Revise the minutes and ensure they’re brief but clear.

Distributing the Meeting Minutes

Once the secretary completes writing the minutes, he’s supposed to share them with the group members. They can be shared online or through the cloud. Considering that minutes and other types of documents can entail a lot of paperwork, it may be preferable to use a paperless sharing approach.

For example, if the minutes recorder was documenting the minutes using Microsoft Word, which does not offer online sharing, then they might consider using Google docs, which offers a way of sharing documents online with other users.

The recorder is also supposed to save a copy of the meeting minutes for future reference. Most companies store their minutes online – either in Google Docs or OneDrive.

Key Takeaway

Meeting minutes are important because they are used to document the key issues raised during a meeting. For example, effective minutes can state the approaches that were proposed to solve a particular problem and the main reason why members choose one method over the other.

The minutes of the meeting can be recorded manually or on an electronic device such as a laptop or iPad. After the meeting, the recorder reviews the minutes and makes edits where necessary. The meeting minutes are then shared with the group participants. Apart from distribution, the minutes are also saved for future reference.

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More Resources

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Which of the following are elements you should include in meeting minutes?

What's In. The minutes should include the title of the group that is meeting; the date, time, and venue; the names of those in attendance (including staff) and the person recording the minutes; and the agenda.

What not to include in meeting minutes?

Personal observations or judgmental comments should not be included in meeting minutes. All statements should be as neutral as possible. Avoid writing down everything everyone said. Minutes should be concise and summarize the major points of what happened at the meeting.

How do I write minutes of a meeting?

7 things to include when writing meeting minutes.

1 Date and time of the meeting. ... .

2 Names of the participants. ... .

3 Purpose of the meeting. ... .

4 Agenda items and topics discussed. ... .

5 Action items. ... .

6 Next meeting date and place. ... .

7 Documents to be included in the report..

Why should names of all attendees and absent members be included in the minutes?

A common question about meeting minutes is why you should include the names of all attendees and absent members. This is done for two reasons – to keep everyone informed and to document attendance. For board of directors meetings, for example, it's important to have active participation.