1.5 - About University

11.8 T HE M EETING M INUTES:W HY, WHAT, AND H OWInspired by Antony Jay, George David Kieffer, M.M. Milstein, Roger Mosvick, and Robert Nelson.Anyone at a meeting can record the minutes. However, the chairperson needs to be accountablefor ensuring that the minutes are accurate and are distributed promptly after the meeting(i.e., within a day or two following the meeting). This tool reviews the purpose and elementsof minutes, and provides guidelines for writing them. Adapt these to the needs of your ownworkgroup or team.The purpose of meeting minutes✔ to encourage action and results and serve as a record for follow-up✔ to avoid reworking old issues (as John Cleese put it, “deciding what was decided at the last meeting”)✔ to provide a record of the items discussed and decisions made✔ to provide input for subsequent meeting agendasElements of meeting minutes➠ Focus the minutes on meeting results or outcomes—decisions and agreed actions—rather than on summarizing andrecording meeting process and dialogue.➠ Clearly list the meeting decisions and follow-up actions to be taken, including who is responsible and by when.[☛ 10.12 RASCI Planning]➠ Indicate the disposition of each agenda item.➠ List the names of the chairperson, any others who played a special role (e.g., recorder, process facilitator), and allmeeting participants.➠ Note meeting date, location, duration, and the times the meeting commenced and adjourned.➠ Note date, time, and place of the next meeting.Guidelines for writing meeting minutes❑❑❑❑❑The recorder should be able to write the minutes in near final form as the meeting progresses. If the chairpersonsummarizes the discussion around each agenda item prior to moving on the next agenda item, the recorder shouldbe able to use these summaries as confirmation for the minutes.In project teams, minutes are often recorded on a flip chart, whiteboard, or electronic media so decisions and actionplanning are clear at the time. [☛ 10.9 Visible Information]The minutes should focus on results and agreed-on actions. [☛ 10.12 RASCI Planning]The minute recorder can be very helpful in enhancing clarity and action, by summarizing the results of each agendaitem in real time during the meeting. For example, “So, what I’m recording is that we decided XYZ, and that Chriswill review this decision with Bryan and Jeff by April 5th.”The minutes should be highly summarized, not a burden to read. Be brief; summarize outcomes and points ofagreement or disagreement; don’t record detailed input.SECTION 11 TOOLS FOR LEADING MEETINGS 359