Meetings are one of the unavoidable processes of business. We've all arranged them, held them, attended them, and no doubt sometimes wished they didn't exist. Without minutes being taken, they would be one of the least productive processes of business, too. At any given point in your professional life, it's likely you're going to have to take minutes at a meeting. It needn't be daunting, and it's an easy skill to learn. Here's how to make the process painless, professional, and productive.

What are they?

The minutes are a record of what has been decided and proposed during a meeting. Without them, most people would forget any motions or decisions made by the time the next meeting comes around! Minutes are quite formal: you'll usually find them used in board meetings, annual general meetings, and other instances where they might be a legal requirement (for example, a meeting of a charity's board of trustees).

Avoiding a minutes minefield

One of the keys to taking minutes is preparation. It's best to have a laptop or notepad and pen with you. Laptops are better. For example, if you fired up Microsoft Word and typed the minutes while the meeting is going on, you can amend, change or delete things instantly. Much better than hastily scribbled-down and crossed out changes in a notepad! It also makes you look more professional.

A common mistake of first-time minute takers is 'too much detail'. Terrified of missing something out, people write reams and reams of unimportant detail about what occurred in the meeting. No need. It's not really a legal requirement to note when the treasurer got up to make a cup of tea! There will always be a draft agenda, so you know what the major issues are going to be, and what to expect during the meeting. It's also a huge help to read the previous minutes of a past meeting - how are they recorded? How much detail did they go into? You can use this as guidance on how you're going to record the minutes this time around.

It's always a good idea to sit near the person who's going to be chairing the meeting. You need to hear what is being said, and you won't have to interrupt the proceedings to ask for clarification (but don't ever be afraid to do this, if you miss something).

The meeting starts - what do you do?

When the meeting begins, you need to make a note of the start time (sometimes fancily titled "a call to order"), location, and who is in attendance or absent. It's easier to mark these down in the minutes as initials - for example, Joe Bloggs would be "JB", so if he proposes or comments on anything, it saves you precious writing time.

A meeting will often consist of motions, seconded motions and whether they passed or failed. A motion is an issue that someone would like addressing. For example, if a person was to stand up and say "I move to give the company ten new copies of Microsoft Office", then that's a motion. You have to write down the exact words of motions, so then there's no room for error in determining what was being asked for.

You'll also need to record the 'old business'. What needed to be done at the last meeting? Who did it? What's left to be done? This isn't as daunting as it may seem, because the chair of the meeting will guide this conversation - you simply have to record it. Then there's the "new business": the motions that have taken place during the current meeting. Usually, the chair will double-check that something is being recorded in the minutes, and if you're not sure - ask! Finally, you need to record any other business or notes, and what time the meeting adjourned.

Wait a minute...

When the meeting is over, your job isn't quite done yet. You'll need to type up the minutes. It's always a good idea to do this as soon as possible after the meeting, when everything is still fresh in your mind, and the minds of the people who attended.

The draft minutes should be distributed to everyone as soon as you are able. Any changes, alterations or amendments will be made. Until the organisation approves them, they always remain "Draft Minutes". When finalised, they will be filed away carefully. Make sure you have a backup on that laptop. Then relax, sit back, and enjoy a minute to yourself - you've just learned and completed one of the most basic and essential professional skills in business.