Concise minutes? This is how you do it!
31 October
Good minutes contain all necessary information, but also no more than that. How do you keep minutes concise? And what does that entail? We will tell you more so that you can achieve your goals: concise minutes for happy clients.
What are concise minutes?
We will begin with the trickiest thing: what one person finds concise, the other finds way too long. It all depends on what type of minutes the client prefers. Some want to see all arguments by all participants made in the meeting, whereas others only want to read the decisions and actions made during the meeting. That’s why your first task as a minutes secretary is to choose from the different types of minutes with your client. But, even if the client wants comprehensive summary minutes, unnecessary information should still not be included. So even then, you can use our tips and tricks for concise minutes.
Why concise minutes?
Very few people like writing a twenty‑page long verbatim epistle for a one‑hour meeting. You can just as well let speech recognition software do the job. No, as a minutes secretary, you are called in precisely to produce an easy‑to‑read summary of the meeting. Even – or especially – if the meeting is less structured. Concise minutes that contain all necessary information. This is how you prove your added value as a minutes secretary.
Keep your eye on the prize
At Emma Handson we prepare minutes for the boards and committees of pension funds, amongst others. In these meetings, important decisions are made that have an impact on many people and are assessed by the regulator. That is why the minutes must clearly reflect the arguments and advice given for making the decision. If you focus on this, it is easier to separate main and minor issues and get to the heart of the matter.
Use the meeting documents
Meeting documents, such as agendas and supporting documents, can help you decide what to include or exclude in the minutes. After all, these documents often give an indication of whether something is on the meeting agenda for information, for discussion or for decision‑making. A topic on the agenda for information usually does not need much text. And sometimes discussions are not about the agenda item at all. Then one sentence can be enough. Or you can omit the discussion altogether.
Avoid emotions and expressive language
Minutes serve as a tool for reference and accountability. As enjoyable as writing is, you are not writing a novel. Therefore, proverbs, adjectives, imagery and emotions have no place in minutes. Stick to the facts and take neutral minutes. This will make the minutes more concise and clear.
Use your own words
Minutes are not an interview either. Meeting participants want to recognise the discussion, but you don’t have to quote them verbatim. If you understand what is being discussed in the meeting, you can summarise discussions in your own words. That saves a lot of (vague) wording!
Formulate actively and concisely
The way you express something greatly impacts the readability of the minutes. Make sure you have good sentence structure so that the reader has to make as little effort as possible to understand your text. Could the style be the reason the minutes feel too lengthy? Consider each word carefully and see if anything can be omitted.
Dare to delete
Don’t write down more than necessary. Period.
Seriously: sometimes a chainsaw works better than a cheese slicer, so don’t hesitate to leave things out if they are not important for the discussion. As long as you have the client’s goal in mind, you can trust your own judgement. This way, you’ll write concise minutes that make the client happy.
Want to learn more about taking minutes and work in a top team? The minutes secretaries at Emma Handson receive in‑house training and continuous feedback from colleagues, ensuring that all minutes meet client expectations and the high standards we aim for.