Each day, over 11 million meetings are conducted in workplaces across America. Some of these are bold spaces for groundbreaking innovation and others are huge wastes of time, but they all have something in common: conversation.
With so much going on at any given meeting, it’s easy to forget what different people have said. This can mean trouble for business because you want to remember an interesting idea that someone had to improve productivity later. You also want to trace good ideas back to the source and reward these thoughts. Meeting minutes are essential for this reason.
But what are meeting minutes? That’s what we’re going to look into today. Read on to learn more about this essential part of conducting a meeting.
What Are Meeting Minutes?
The name ‘minutes’ came from ‘minuta scriptura,’ a Latin phrase that means ‘small notes.’
In the most general sense, meeting minutes are notes taken on a given company meeting. However, there’s more to them than that.
If you’re like most professionals, you’ve scribbled notes during a meeting like mad only to find out that none of the information you took down was important. Not only that, but you’ve likely realized later that, to your chagrin, you retained nothing from the meeting.
Meeting minutes stop this from happening. A designated notetaker will take notes that capture the key points and purpose of the meeting. These points include the date and time, the purpose of the meeting, those in (and out) of attendance, agenda items and decisions, and action that has been agreed upon at the meeting.
Why Are They Important?
Meeting minutes are essential to saving any business time and money. You’ll be able to look back at them later and figure out what was important about the meeting. This ensures that you won’t miss anything when trying to remember what decisions were made about actions that your workplace needs to take.
If colleagues within a given office have different recollections of what was said and agreed upon in a company meeting, arguments can break out. People might attempt to take different actions, which is a huge waste of company time and resources. In extreme cases, the meeting may need to be repeated.
Having minutes ensures that everyone has the same memories of what took place during a meeting. Everyone will know what happened and what needs to be done. The minutes will also provide employees with an official guideline for the timeframe when things need to happen within the office.
Get Cracking
So, what are meeting minutes?
Above all, they’re an essential part of running an effective business.
Now that you know all about meeting minutes and why they’re essential to conducting business, it’s time to get more tips for staying up-to-date in the workplace. Check out the ‘professional’ tab on our homepage for insight on how to interact with others in your industry, drive business success, and make a profit.
