Taking minutes is an essential skill for a successful manager. The first step to creating a successful team is to be able to delegate the tasks that need to be done, and then to record these accomplishments in writing. Meeting minutes often make up the initial meeting report that goes back to the boss for review and approval. While meetings can go very smoothly with no recorded minutes, if there is a consistent room for discussion or deliberation, then the entire meeting may benefit from some form of documented documentation.
Minutes serve many purposes. In the most simple of terms, minutes are simply the official report of each meeting and its agenda. The effectiveness of any team or administration depends on how well the minutes allow for debate and review as well as their suitability for the particular meeting at hand. For example, if the meeting has begun with an overview of the agenda item, then minutes would be more appropriate than a summary report. If the meeting had been started with specific task-based objectives, then minutes would be necessary. The overall purpose of all agendas is to create a formalized process by which goals and missions can be accomplished through a series of regular meetings.
Even though it may seem unimportant or unnecessary, a meeting's success is often tied to the quality of the minutes taken by the individual meeting member. As previously mentioned, the majority of meetings will begin with an agenda item and end with a summary report. While the minutes for each of these items may be relatively similar, their differences will often prove to be significant. An agenda can have many different agendas and sub-agendas, while a summary report only contains information that is directly pertinent to the meeting. A good manager should understand the differences between these two reports and try to appropriately adjust the format, number of pages, and other elements so that they better fit the individual meeting.
A key requirement for effectively taking minutes is the ability to type concisely and correctly. While most people know how to type on a keyboard, many are unable to type correctly when it comes to taking minutes. As a result, many meeting minutes are written on pieces of paper or documents. One of the major problems with written notes is that they can become disorganized. While certain portions of the written record might need to be changed, there is usually a vast amount of space left unused. Since meeting minutes are not used to make a final product, the resulting paperwork often has more problems than the actual minutes.
While it can be difficult to type while in meetings, taking minutes while sitting in an office chair offers the additional benefit of ergonomic support. Ergonomically designed chairs and desks will prevent the user from developing bad posture habits that result in stress-related injuries. In addition, an accurate typing hand should help reduce the risk of slurring and typing errors. All individuals who take part in business meetings should be encouraged to take advantage of a variety of different options for taking notes and typing official meeting minutes.
In some cases, a participant may type the entire meeting minutes in one session. When this is the case, it is important for that person to take separate written notes for each individual item that is included in the official record. If several people are taking notes on a particular item, it can be difficult for one person to take an accurate amount of notes.
Official meeting minutes can often contain a great deal of information regarding a specific matter. For example, if an official announcement is to be made, the minutes might need to include information regarding when the announcement was made, what was said at the meeting (if relevant), the full name of the speaker, the length of the address, and other specifics. Transcription services can help individuals whose hands are unable to type properly while taking minutes. This is especially helpful if someone is having difficulty remembering a key detail.
A good transcription service will allow its clients to take notes on official meeting minutes from other similar situations. When a person takes notes while sitting in front of their computer, they might struggle to type accurately and remember a specific detail. Some people who suffer from a hand-eye coordination disorder might also find it difficult to type while taking minutes. Good transcription services will provide options to take notes or type the entire meeting minutes.