"Minutes" are not a record of what was said in the meeting . They are a record of what was discussed.

Business meetings fall into one of two broad categories - the regular and the one-off.

They are generally held to spread information, to discuss issues, to solve problems and/or to decide on future action.

In addition there are the panel meetings, those that investigate HR issues such as disciplinary and grievance or safeguarding issues relating to the care of a child or vulnerable person. Finally there are the short-notice meetings, which are often felt to not need minutes but where a confirmation e-mail or file-note would be useful.

A meeting can be a positive or negative experience, depending on the skill of the chairperson and the attitude of those attending.

The most common complaints from those who attend are:

• Participants couldn't have their say.

• Discussion degenerated into argument.

• The meeting was dominated by one or two 'loud voices'.

• The chairperson took over.

• The chairperson did nothing to control the meeting.

• Irrelevant discussion was allowed.

• Nothing was decided.

• It was generally a waste of time (and often stressful through anger and frustration).

THE MINUTE-TAKER

The role of the minute-taker varies immensely from one group to the next.

Some just want the minimum: take the notes and type them into a first draft of minutes. Others want full administrative support, even going as far as guiding the chairperson during the meeting.

Before the meeting

If you spot something that worries you on the agenda, contact the person who wants to discuss it and ask for help. You might want to meet to discuss it, get hold of some background reading or ask for help afterwards - whatever suits you.

You will also raise awareness of the potential problem and, it is hoped, the person

will make things extra clear for you.

Claim your seat

Make sure that you get to the room early to reserve your seat. If you work for an organization where everyone wants to sit by the chairperson, leave something personal in your place - an old purse with a bit of change in it or some car keys.

People will move papers, a briefcase and even a handbag, but only the seriously determined will pick up someone's purse or wallet.

During the meeting

You should interrupt and ask for clarification. Useful questions include, 'Please could you:

• clarify.. . ? '

• explain ... ?'

• put that in layperson's terms?'

• summarize ... .;, ,

If possible, talk to people at the meeting, rather than wait a few days before ringing them. It's best to sort out problems while memories are fresh.

If interrupting is not appropriate, always make a note of what you don't understand.

For example, 'He's talking about the IT problem that caused the crash last week', or, 'She's explaining the process for the capital planning meetings.'

The five things you MUST get in the meeting (asking later is too late)

1 Who the people are

Never rely on asking the chairperson later; you will probably find they didn't notice who was wearing a particular tie, sitting in a specific place, etc.

2 The approval of the previous minutes

If the chair goes through them and then moves on without actually stating that the minutes are approved, you must get the confirmation: 'Excuse me, do I record the minutes are approved.'

That is the 'rubber stamp' of approval and it should come from the chair/group, not from your assumption. It must be done at the meeting because the chairperson's say-so later is not the same as the group agreement at the time.

3 The follow-up of every action

People who've forgotten their actions are likely to keep quiet but the minutes are an audit trail and every action must be traceable from start to completion/abandonment.

You have to get the information for the minutes and asking tomorrow can be little help when it turns out that the person forgot to do their action - the rest of the group should have known about it.

4 The action itself

A clear definition of WHO is doing WHAT by WHEN. Again, it is probably not best to corner the person but ask, 'Excuse me, could you define the action for item 9?' or 'What is the deadline for giving the order?' Never rely on asking the person later - you might find they were daydreaming but didn't want to admit it and are now waiting for the minutes to tell them what they agreed to do.

5 Explanations of vague terms

When someone says 'next year' do they mean calendar, financial or academic years? If they talk about 'here', do they mean in this building, this department, this sector, this town, county or region?

These present a problem if you ring for more information the next day: you might find that everyone has a different definition!

After the meeting

If your problem is with facts, it is quite acceptable to talk to the relevant individual. However, beware of asking someone approachable for help in understanding an argument or discussion - you will get that person's view and run the risk of bias in the minutes.You should only approach the chairperson in cases like this.

Minutes are not a record of what was said. They are a record of what was discussed.

Your minutes must show:

• who was at the meeting, and who could have been there(apologies/absent);

• that the previous minutes were approved (and amendments if necessary);

• the status of actions from previous meetings;

• the decisions that were made;

• the actions that resulted from those decisions.

Most groups also want a summary of the reasons for the decision that was made.

You can argue endlessly about the difference between the notes of a meeting and the minutes of a meeting. It is easiest to work on the basis that 'notes' are what you take in the meeting to enable you to write 'minutes' which is the document published to the group.

The minutes can be long or short, formal or informal, etc but if they are the document that is circulated to participants they are 'minutes'.

In fact it doesn't matter what you call them so long as you have the distinction clear in your mind: one for your use, the other for the participants' information and ongoing record.

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ABOUT MARWA ABD EL AZIZ

Marwa is a pioneer and expert in developing projects to build revenue, profits and corporate visibility with extensive experience in all facets of projects starting with site identification, developing and overseeing the implementation of the feasibility plans for projects; actively participating in the various financial analysis, acquisition, master planning, design review and tendering.

She is in the UAE Property Development industry Since 2001 during which she has coordinated all administrative activities pertaining to construction projects with an overall budget exceeding 5 billion.

Marwa holds an Architectural Engineering degree, PMP and Master in Project Management from the American Academy U.S.A.

More info: http://pdcconsult.com

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