Organizations often schedule meetings for a variety of reasons. It may be due to a change in organization, notifying the shareholders, to resolve a conflict or anything else that alters the business. The details of that meeting may not be remembered two days later or when someone wants to confirm an important issue that was discussed during that meeting. That is why having a secretary who collects the information of these meetings is a great idea.
It is a part or form of business communication that is the official recording of events or proceedings in a meeting and the decisions reached therein.
It is usually prepared after a meeting has taken place from the notes taken during the proceedings of the meeting.
A Minute is taken in order to store or preserve the business transacted in the meeting and resolutions made afterwards in a clear, concise and objective way for future reference.
Minutes are the sole prerogative of the company secretary or a person whose duties of a secretary are delegated to. Minutes are usually recorded in the Minute’s book/File.
Importance of Minutes
1. They act as a means of accountability to shareholders of the company
2. They are used as guidelines for future meetings
3. Opinions of members can be reviewed in them
4. Acts as documentary evidence that a meeting took place.
5. Provision of an accurate summary of the proceedings in a meeting
Principles of writing a Minute
1. Accuracy and Clarity
2. Non Biased
3. Type of meeting
4. Date , time and place of the meeting
5. Any appointments should be mentioned
6. Resolutions and decisions must be written
7. Must be signed by the chairman
8. Names of members present must be included in the minutes
The Minutes of a meeting should consist of the following:
1. The name of the Company
2. The time, date and place of the meeting
3. The name of the committee calling the meeting
4. Name of the person presiding over the meeting
5. The names of members attending
6. The names of members absent
7. The record of topics discussed
8. The time of adjournment
9. The signature of the secretary or the person presiding over the meeting
Graduates will learn the following;
Of all areas of work, Personal Assistants (PA) or secretaries are the major direct beneficiaries of these courses. Demonstrating that you are capable of taking detailed minutes is considered an invaluable skill by prospective employers in these positions and a course is easy, reasonably quick and can make a major difference to any application, especially in a competitive job market.
These skills may also be beneficial to people in other lines of work, where taking minutes is necessary as a matter of course. Whatever the reason that you choose to learn to take minutes, you will feel the benefits for the rest of your career.
