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Help with Minute Taking
Created By: Whyte, Nathasia On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 08:16 PM


First let me be clear that I have never been on any seminars, conference or workshops.

I am an executive secretary and is required to take minutes at our Executive meeting every week for about 4 hours. 

My difficulty is tht I am unable to capture all the information that was discussed and my minutes are always geting a lot of edits.

I type at a good speed and tried using my laptop in the meetings and the result is the same. 


Can any one help me???
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Comment  
Nathasia Whyte
3/25/2010
4:49 AM
Thanks guys for all you comments, there were very helpfull. Thanks Rosemarie for your suggestion, I have started sending them out with the draft watermark.
Thanks again.
Myrna Thompson
3/22/2010
6:41 PM
Dear Ms. Whyte,
Try this web-site for a web-inar or an actual class workshop: www.on-the-right-track.com by Rhonda Scharf.
Cynthia Lokovich
3/19/2010
3:11 PM
As Marie said, your minutes should only reflect action items and subjects of discussion. They should not include all of the discussion. However, this is a matter of preference for each board or commission you work with. Trying to capture everything verbatim is impossible. Even those who attended will "remember" the same thing three different ways. Remember, less is more. Cover the highlights and any motions taken. You will be less likely to miss something. The more "discussion" you include, the more you leave yourself open to criticism and mistakes.
Pat Bronson
3/16/2010
10:22 AM
I must take minutes daily...not only do I use shorthand (to keep the speed up) but I am allowed to tape it. I transcribe my notes first, then listen to the tape to fill in the gaps (yes, there are some). This system has worked for me...maybe you'll be allowed to do this. I use headphones to keep the meeting 'private' and no one else hears what was said during the meeting. Good luck!
Rosemarie Martinez
3/13/2010
3:04 PM
By the way, I have never been in any seminars or workshop to learn how to take minutes. I happen to have a photographic memory and good writing skills. I learned it on the job training and adapted the format according to the needs.
Rosemarie Martinez
3/13/2010
2:47 PM
Nathasia,
I agree with Marie. I used to take minutes from diverse meetings. Don't feel bad about the corrections. A minute is not suppose to be a verbatum of every single thing that was said a meeting. It is intended to inform the topics that were discussed and summary of the decision made. This way they serve as a historical data that people can refer to. My former boos used to highly praise my minutes a lot because I was very inclusive. But I got better over time. When you are new to a subject or the specific discussions, you might have a lot of corrections and is normal. I follow the Agenda topics and type the minutes as soon as I can after the meeting. This way, I give them to my boss (first of all) for revision. If there is anything major to correct it stays between both of us and we always look good. Then, after his/her revision, I distribute a draft to each of the members or participants of the meeting (make sure to mark it as DRAFT - Watermark) so they can also sent you their revisions. No one says you have to be perfect. Think about it. Not everyone is capable or has the skills to take minutes. Once, you get to know the participants and learn their names; as you get knowledgeable of the subjects and issues discussed, it will come naturally and you will see that the corrections will be fewer because the thoughts flow better. Keep it short but informative. Not everyone likes to be recorded and could present legal ramifications. So unless, I am totally sure about it, I will suggest to take notes. I personally feel that using a laptop slows me down. But that is personal preference. Hope I have been helpful. Good luck.
Marie Herman
3/13/2010
9:23 AM
Can you record (i.e. audio) the meeting so you have it for feedback? What kind of edits are you getting? That will make a difference in what we suggest. You don't need to record what is said at a meeting. You only need to record what is done and action items assigned. Are the edits grammatical? content based? corrections of names? Are they the same kinds of corrections every time? Are they things you should realistically be expected to know? How long have you been taking these minutes? Are you still fairly new at the process?
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