MINUTES OF MEETING

INTRODUCTION
 Minutes also known as protocols, are the
instant written record of a meeting.
 These minutes are intended to better
assist us in the decision making process
 Minutes are written as an accurate record
of a group’s meetings
 Minutes also inform people who were not
at the meeting about what took place
 WHY MEETING MINUTES
MATTER
• Capture the essential information of a
meeting like decisions and assigned
actions.
• Useful because people can forget what
was decided at a meeting
• Can be saved and used for future
reference
 DURING THE MEETING
• Pass around an attendance sheet
• Give a list of committee members &
make sure you know who is who
• Note the time the meeting begins
• Don’t try to write down every single
comment – just the main idea
• Make note of any motions to be
voted on at future meetings
• Note the ending time of the meeting
 AFTER THE MEETING
• Type up the minutes as soon as
possible after the meeting
• Include the name of organization,
name of committee, type of meeting
• Include the time the meeting began
and ended
• Proofread the minutes before
submitting them.
 TYPES OF MINUTES

MINUTES MINUTES
OF OF
RESOLUTIONS NARRATION
 DO’S
 Type of meeting, name of the organization,
date and time, name of the chair or facilitator,
main topics and the time of adjournment.

 For formal and corporate meetings

include approval of previous minutes,
and all resolutions.

 An outline based on the agenda ahead

of time, and should leave a plenty of
white space for notes.
 Prepare a list of expected attendees and
check off the names as people enter the
room. Or, one can pass around an
attendance sheet for everyone to sign as
the meeting starts.

 To be sure about who said what, make a

map of the seating arrangement, and
make sure to ask for introductions of
unfamiliar people.
Use the device with which one is
comfortable like a notepad, a laptop
computer, a tape recorder, a steno pad,
shorthand.

Study the issues to be discussed and

ask a lot of questions ahead of time.
 DON’TS
 Don’t record every single comment, but
concentrate on getting the gist of the
discussion and taking enough notes to
summarize it later.

 Don't wait too long to type up the minutes,

and be sure to have them approved by the
chair or facilitator before distributing
them to the attendees.
 CONCLUSION
• ·The official records of discussions held
and decisions taken at a meeting are
known as minutes.
• ·They usually contain the main points
of a discussion, the recommendations,
tasks assigned and the conclusions
reached. They are infact, a summary
of what happens in a meeting.
 POINTS TO BE NOTED
• Keep your minutes brief and to the point. You can
organize them into various topics.
• The kind,date,time and place of the meeting
must be stated.
• When approved, minutes of meetings are official
and can be used as evidence in legal
proceedings as well.
• Be consistent in the way you refer to people.
E.g. do not call one person Mr. Gupta and
another Rita Joshi.
• Minutes should always be objective and impartial.
• Minutes of the meeting are not verbatim records of
what happened in the meeting. The emotions or
feelings expressed by the members are generally not
to be recorded. Tone should be impersonal with
reported speech.

• Avoid adjectives or adverbs that suggest either

good or bad qualities. E.g. Mr. Gupta presented a
very good report.
• Avoid being abstract and too general. Give specific
details. For e.g. if it was decided to order 20 tables
do not write ‘some furniture should be ordered’.
• Financial statements and reports presented and
approved must be attached in the appendix.
• Work delegated must be clearly stated.
• Dates, figures and references be precisely
stated.

• Thus in general, minutes of the meeting

must be clear, concise,objectively stated and
require effective listening and writing skills.
 Follow the format of the sample meeting minute
template below to help you record meeting minutes

• Name of Organization
• Board Meeting Minutes: Month Day, Year
• Time and location
• Present:Name board members in attendance
• Absent: Name absent board members. You may
want to subdivide this category into people with
and without proxies.
• Others Present: List any organizational staff and
guests and their affiliations here
• Proceedings:
• Meeting called to order at (time) by (person,
usually chair)
• Minutes from (prior meeting date) amended and
approved.
• Subcommittee Reports – (highlights of
information presented and discussions had)
• Any action taken. For instance, MOTION to (do
action); seconded and passed.
• Meeting adjourned at (time)
• Future Business:
• Here is a place to remind people of:
• conversations that were tabled until next time,
• possible agendas for upcoming meetings,
• assignments that board members have taken on
• Minutes submitted by (name)
• Name of Organization
(Board Meeting Minutes: Month Day,
Year)
(time and location)
• Board Members:
Present: Bhata Bhatacharia, Jon White
Bear, Douglas Carver, Elizabeth Drucker,
Pat Kyumoto, Jack Porter, Mary Rifkin and
Leslie Zevon
Absent: Melissa Johnson
Quorum present? Yes

Others Present:
Exec. Director: Sheila Swanson
Other: Susan Johns, Consulting Accountant
• Proceedings:
· Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chair,
Elizabeth Drucker
· (Last month's) meeting minutes were amended
and approved
· Chief Executive's Report:
- Recommends that if we not able to find a new
facility by the end of this month, the organization
should stay where in the current location over the
winter. After brief discussion, Board agreed.
- Staff member, Jackson Browne, and Swanson
attended the National Practitioner's Network
meeting in Atlanta last month and gave a brief
extemporaneous presentation. Both are invited
back next year to give a longer presentation
about our organization. After brief discussion,
Board congratulated Swanson and asked her to
pass on their congratulations to Browne as well.
- Drucker asserts that our organization must ensure its name
is associated with whatever materials are distributed at that
practitioner's meeting next year. The organization should
generate revenues where possible from the materials, too.
- Swanson mentioned that staff member, Sheila Anderson's
husband is ill and in the hospital. MOTION to send a gift to
Anderson's husband, expressing the organization's sympathy
and support; seconded and passed.

· Finance Committee report provided by Chair, Elizabeth

Drucker:
- Drucker explained that consultant, Susan Johns, reviewed
the organization's bookkeeping procedures and found them to
be satisfactory, in preparation for the upcoming yearly
financial audit. Funds recommends that our company ensure
the auditor provides a management letter along with the
audit financial report.
·.
- Drucker reviewed highlights, trends and issues from the balance
sheet, income statement and cash flow statement. Issues include
that high accounts receivables require Finance Committee attention
to policies and procedures to ensure our organization receives more
payments on time. After brief discussion of the issues and
suggestions about how to ensure receiving payments on time,
MOTION to accept financial statements; seconded and passed

· Board Development Committee's report provided by Chair, Douglas

Carver:
- Carver reminded the Board of the scheduled retreat coming up in
three months, and provided a drafted retreat schedule for board
review. MOTION to accept the retreat agenda; seconded and passed.

- Carver presented members with a draft of the reworded By-laws

paragraph that would allow members to conduct actions over
electronic mail. Carver suggested review and a resolution to change
the By-laws accordingly. Kyumoto suggested that Swanson first seek
legal counsel to verify if the proposed change is consistent with state
statute. Swanson agreed to accept this action and notify members of
the outcome in the next Board meeting.
· Other business:
- Porter noted that he was working with staff member, Jacob
Smith, to help develop an information management systems
plan, and that two weeks ago he (Porter) had mailed
members three resumes from consultants to help with the
plan. In the mailing, Porter asked members for their opinions
to help select a consultant. Porter asked members for their
opinions. (NOTE: Zevon noted that she was also a computer
consultant and was concerned about conflict of interest in her
Board role regarding this selection, and asked to be
ABSTAINED from this selection. Members agreed.) The
majority of members agreed on Lease-or-Buy Consultants.
MOTION to use Lease-or-Buy Consultants; seconded and
passed.
- Swanson announced that she had recently hired a new
secretary, Karla Writewell.
·Assessment of the Meeting:
- Kyumoto noted that the past three meetings have
run over the intended two-hour time slot by half an
hour. He asked members to be more mindful and
focused during discussions, and suggested that the
Board Development Chair take an action to identify
solutions to this issue. Chair, Carver, agreed.

· Meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

· Minutes submitted by Secretary, Bhata Bhatacharia