Writing a Minutes of Meeting

Learning objective:
After studying this information sheet, the trainee will be able to write an
effective minutes of meeting.

WRITING MINUTES OF THE MEETING

Minutes are the official record of an organization. It is crucial

that they are accurate since they are the legal record of the
proceedings and actions of the organization
Meeting minutes capture the essential information of a meeting
decisions and assigned actions. They keep attendees on track by reminding
them of their role in a project and clearly define what happened in a group
session. Minutes are meant to record basic information such as actions assigned
and decisions made. They can be used for reference or background material for
future meetings relating to the same topic.
Study the minutes of meeting below.
Sample Minutes of Meeting

MINUTES of Aklan Catholic College

Meeting date: October 28, 2015
Call to order: A staff meeting of the committee heads for accreditation
preparation, was held in Audio Visual Room of Aklan Catholic College on
October 28, 2015. The meeting convened at 1 oclock in the afternoon,
Rev. Fr. Jose Gualberto I. Villasis, the head of the accreditation committee
presiding, and Mr. Richard I. Diocena, secretary.
Members in attendance: Rev. Fr. Gualberto I. Villasis, Ms. Marion
Pescasiosa, Sr. Delia S. Alcabasa, Mr. Richard Diocena, Mr. Noli Resterio,
Ms. Carolina Gonzales, Ms. Aiza Nahil, Engr. Leo Patacsil, Ms. Darlene O.
Braza
Members not in attendance: Mr. June B. Mijares
Approval of minutes: Motion was made by Ms. Carolina S. Gonzales, and
seconded to approve the minutes of the October 20, 2015 meeting.
Officers' reports:
Rev. Fr. Villasis recommends that if we are not able to find a new facility

for the Quality Assurance office by the end of this month, the organization
should look into converting Lab 1. After the brief discussion, the
committee agreed.
Committee member, Richard Diocena attended the Meeting on PAASCU
Accreditation Updates. Mr. Diocena discussed the changes and updates in
the accreditation procedures.
Sr. Delia Alcabasa mentioned that the documentation of every department
on the teachers and students community involvement is 80% complete,
Unfinished business:
Finance Committee report provided by Chair, Ms. Marion Pescasiosa:
Pescsiosa explained that consultant, Marry Tusca, reviewed the
organization's bookkeeping procedures and found them to be satisfactory,
in preparation for the upcoming yearly financial audit. Finance committee
suggests that our company ensure the auditor provides a management
letter along with the audit financial report.
New business:
New information system
Mr. Noli Reterio noted that he was working with staff member, Edward
Gumban, to help develop an information management systems plan, and
that two weeks ago he (Resterio) had mailed members three resumes from
consultants to help with the plan. In the mailing, Resterio asked members
for their opinions to help select a consultant. Porter asked members for
their opinions. (NOTE: Zevon noted that she was also a computer
consultant and was concerned about conflict of interest in her Board role
regarding this selection, and asked to be ABSTAINED from this selection.
Members agreed.) The majority of members agreed on Lease-or-Buy
Consultants. MOTION to use Lease-or-Buy Consultants; seconded and
passed.
Announcements:
Ms. Carolina Gonzales announced that the graduates of the College of
1994 are donating P 200,000.00 for the rehabilitation of the College Gym.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 pm.
John Robert Vega

Date of approval:

Aklan Catholic College

Tips in Taking Meeting Minutes

1. Before the Meeting. If you are the secretary recording the minutes,
make sure you arent a major participant in the meeting. You cant perform both
tasks well. Gather as much information from the host as you can. Ask for a list
of attendees, as well as some information on the purpose of the meeting. This

way you wont need to scramble to understand whats going on while youre
recording notes.
Decide how you want to record your notes. If you arent comfortable
relying on your pen and notepad, try using a tape recorder or, if youre a fast
typist, take a laptop to the meeting.
Create a template for recording the meeting minutes and make sure to
leave some blank space to record your notes. Include the following information:
Date and time of the meeting
The purpose of the meeting
The meeting lead or chairs name
Assigned action items
Decisions made
2. During the Meeting. Check off names on your attendee list as they
enter the room. Ask the meeting chairman to introduce you to meeting attendees
you are not familiar with to help you record assigned tasks or decisions.
Do not record notes verbatim. Minutes are meant to give an outline of
what happened in the meeting, not a record of who said what. Focus on
understanding whats being discussed and on recording whats been assigned or
decided on.
Record action items and decisions in your template as they happen dont
wait until after the meeting to pull them out of your notes or you could make a
mistake. If you dont understand exactly what decision has been made or what
action has been assigned, ask the meeting lead to clarify.
3. After the Meeting. Review the notes and add additional comments, or
clarify what you didnt understand right after the meeting while the information
is fresh in everyones mind. Type your notes out in the template you created
before the meeting this will make the notes easier for everyone to read and use.
Number the pages as you go so you arent confused later. Remember,
though, that the minute-taker is responsible for providing good flow. Dont force
yourself to write the minutes in the actual chronological order of the discussion
- it may not work.
Focus on action items, not discussion. The purpose of minutes is to define
decisions made and to record what actions are to be taken, by whom and when.
Be objective. Write in the same tense throughout and avoid using peoples
names except for motions or seconds. This is a business document, not about
who said what.
Avoid inflammatory or personal observations. The fewer adjectives or
adverbs you use, the better. Dull writing is the key to appropriate minutes.

If you need to refer to other documents, attach them in an appendix or

indicate where they may be found. Dont rewrite their intent or try to summarize
them.
When you finish typing the minutes, ask the meeting lead to review the
document for errors. Send the final copy of the minutes to attendees right away.
Keep a copy of the notes (and the template) for yourself in case someone wants
to review them later.
Parts of Minutes Meeting
1. Content. The first paragraph must contain the following: kind of
meeting (regular, special, etc.); the name of the organization; the date, time and
place of the meeting; the name of the presiding officer and secretary;
approximate number of members present; establishment of a quorum; and
recording of the action taken on the minutes of the previous meeting.
2. Body. The body should include, with each motion being a separate
paragraph the following:

The exact wording of motions, whether passed or failed, and the way they
were disposed of, along with the name of the maker

If the vote was counted, the count should be recorded. Tellers reports, if
there are any, are included. In roll call votes the record of each persons
vote is included

Notices of motions previous notice is sometimes required e.g.

amendments of the bylaws

Points of order and appeals

Last paragraph: hour of adjournment

The following items should not be included in the content:

The opinion or interpretation of the secretary

Judgmental phrases e.g. heated debate valuable comment

Discussion: Minutes are a record of what was done at the meeting, not
what was said at the meeting

Motions that were withdrawn

Name of seconder is unnecessary

3. Attachments. The official copy of the minutes should have attached

to it the original signed copy of:

Committee Reports

Officers Reports

Written Motions

Tellers Reports

Correspondence

Minutes Proceedings
Approval . If the minutes have been distributed to the members before the
next meeting the presiding officer simply states Are there any corrections to the
minutes as printed? If there are none, or after all corrections have been made,
the presiding officer may say If there is no objection, the minutes will be
approved as printed (or as corrected).
Signature. After the minutes have been corrected and approved by the
members, they should be signed by the secretary and can be signed by the
president. The word approved and the date of the approval should also be
included.
Minutes Book. The official copy of the minutes should be entered in the
Minutes Book and kept by the secretary. These are the property of the
organization, not the secretary. If the organization has a headquarters office,
the official copy of the minutes should be kept there.
Copies . If the members receive a copy of the minutes, it is not necessary
for them to receive all the attachments. When they do not receive the
attachments, the minutes should include a brief summary of the attachments.

Below is a sample template of meeting minutes.

MINUTES of [Organization name]
Meeting date: ________
Call to order: A ______________ [kind of meeting] meeting of the
_________________ [organization name], was held in ____________ [place, city,
state] on __________ [date], 20__. The meeting convened at ______ [time],
President __________________ [name] presiding, and ______________________
[name], secretary.

[Some small organizations choose to list attendees. This works well for boards
of directors.]
Members in attendance: [optional item]
Members not in attendance: [optional item]
Approval of minutes: Motion was made by [name], and seconded to approve
the minutes of the ______________ [date] meeting. Motion carried.
Officers' reports:
President
Vice president
Secretary
Treasurer
Board and committee reports:
Unfinished business:
[Subject title]
Motion: Moved by [name] that [state motion].
Motion carried. Motion failed. [leave only one of these]
New business:
[Subject title]
Motion: Moved by [name] that [state motion].
Motion carried. Motion failed. [leave only one of these]
Announcements:
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at ______________[time].

________________________________
Secretary
[Organization Name]

___________________
Date of approval

SELF-CHECK 2.2-4
1. The following statements describe the minutes of the meeting except
a. Minutes serve as official record of an organization
b. Minutes function as record of transaction

c. Minutes inform attendees of their rate to what happened is the session

d. Minutes serve as references for future meetings.
2. Before taking minutes of a meeting, what should the recorder do?
a. Type previous minutes
b. Know names of the attendees
c. Prepare tape recorder
d. information to be noted
3. What is the best way of taking minutes during the meeting?
a. record actions and discussions only
b. record notes verbatim
c. record of what was discussed
d. record personal perception
4. When should meeting minutes be prepared?
a. after the meeting
b. after a week
c. after an outline has been made
d. after the presiding officer had checked it
5. What should be due once the recorder had written or typed the meeting minutes?
a. review for possible errors
b. file documents for record purpose
c. send copies to attendees
d. ask Chairman as to review documents for errors
6. The following should be parts of the content particularly in the first page except.
a. head of meeting
b. name of organization
c. date, time and place of meeting
d. names of attendees
7. Which of the following actions of the recorder is correct when motion are raised?
a. Record exact wording and the name of maker.
b. Record maker, exact wording of motions and whether it passed or
failed.
c. Record how motion had been disposed.
d. Record who voted and did not vote the motion.
8. The following items should be included in the content except
a. interpretation of the secretary
b. committee reports
c. motion that were in drawn
d. discussion during the meeting
9. Which of the following statement facilitate the approval of the minutes of the
meeting?
a. Are there any correction to the minutes as printed?
b. If there is no objection, the minutes will be approve as corrected
c. Is there any second to the motion?
d. Is there any motion for approval of the corrected minutes.
10. Who should sign the minutes after they have been corrected and approved?
a. president and member
b. members, secretary and president
c. secretary and president
d. secretary, chairman or president