This is an on-going issue for people who take minutes and people who attend meetings. 

What do you record about what people say?

Here is the Golden Rule of minute taking:

Minutes are what is decided and what is done, NOT what is said!

The minutes should record the issues that were addressed, the decisions that were made, the action that needs to be carried out as a result of the decision (with the deadline for the action to be completed). If you believe it is necessary (and it often will be) you should record the major reasons that led to the decision but NOT who said what.

Some people believe that minutes should be a story – they are called narrative minutes. These minutes have no place in the 21st century (nor did they in the last century). 

Think and write in bullet points – not sentences and certainly not paragraphs and your minutes will be much better.

For information about minute taking courses visit www.minutetaking.com

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