Meeting minutes are a record of official meetings, including decisions, invoices, and approved documents. They are drafted by an individual, approved at the next board meeting, and taken by a designated secretary. The format varies but is usually simple and chronological. Minutes are factual and become official after board approval.
Meeting minutes are a record of an official meeting, usually of a board of directors of a corporation or government agency. However, many volunteer groups also keep meeting minutes to keep a historical record of all approved documents, decisions, and invoices. Minutes are normally drafted by an individual and then approved at the next board meeting, once all board members have had an opportunity to review and make any corrections.
More often than not, meeting minutes are a very technical and factual account of what happened during the meeting. Approval of the minutes is usually done with very little or no discussion. However, in some cases, such as if there is a highly controversial issue or bug, there can be considerable discussion. Usually, the vast majority of members agree on what the minutes should say. They do not become an official part of the registry until approved by the board.
The format of meeting minutes can vary from one organization to another, but is usually very simple. It begins by listing the body meeting, provides the date and time of the meeting, the members present, and offers a brief review of each agenda item and a record of the vote, if one was taken, for each item. It will also note the update time and usually lists the date and time of the next meeting.
Minutes of meetings are taken by a person designated as secretary. Depending on the situation, this may or may not be a member of the board of directors. If not a board member, the secretary’s entire job will be to take notes. If he’s a board member, the job is a little more difficult because they can be expected to participate in discussion and votes as well as taking notes. Typically, for a government agency or corporation the secretary will not be a member of the board of directors. For voluntary organizations, the secretary is usually on the board of directors and considered a board officer.
Minutes may differ from other minutes of a meeting, such as those found in a newspaper, in that the minutes are very chronological in nature. Each item in the report is reported in the sequence in which it occurred. If a meeting is covered in a newspaper, the reporter will generally start writing on the issue that is deemed most newsworthy. Other issues may or may not be covered, depending on their relative importance. It should be noted that each type of account, meeting minutes and newspaper article, is correct for its particular style.
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