Welcome and Introductions

The minutes will include a full list of those present, and all who sent apologies.

To save you scribbling frantically as people introduce themselves around the table, circulate a sign-up sheet asking people to give their names, organisations and contact details. Note down any apologies for absence provided during introductions: people often introduce themselves as “So-and-so’s replacement and, by the way, he/she sends their apologies”.

The Main Business

How you take notes in the meeting depends on how formal the minutes need to be.

If you are only reporting a brief summary of the discussion, plus any action points, then you can afford to listen to the discussion and then summarise it in note form.

If you are expected to write down the main points made by individual speakers, then you will need to make a fuller set of notes, including the speakers’ names or initials.

It’s a matter of choice whether you use a laptop or pen and paper to make notes, although it’s as well to check with the chair in advance.

Handy Hints for Minute Writing

• Develop your own shorthand for key words or phrases or jargon in your field so that you can just use initials for common phrases.
• Use initials to identify speakers in your notes. If you’re not sure of the name, use the organisation: nobody will object to being identified as ‘Representatives from x organisation’, but unattributed views could get you into trouble.
• If several people make the same point, just add ‘X & Y agreed’.