Five Reasons Why Meeting Minutes are Important

Meetings may be the bane of your professional existence, but it is vital to achieving success for any company or organization. Meetings bring people together, they bring the team together. With a meeting, you'll be able to share ideas, and decide where to go next. You'll be able to brainstorm, form strategic plans for the company, and get everyone in the same direction.

With such important points being made, there needs to be an accurate record of it all. To do so, it is essential to write down meeting minutes for distribution to all participants and key stakeholders. Some might see meeting minutes as inessential and won't be of any use later on but it’s actually far from the truth.  

Fortunately, there are now meeting minutes services that can help you effectively summarize the crucial points of your meetings.

Here are the 5 reasons why meeting minutes are important:

• It becomes your guide

Every time you take note of the meeting, you create a guide. You and your team will be able to keep tabs on the commitments of every team member. You'll also be able to keep track of the schedule and when they are due. This is why meeting minutes could serve as a map for your team. All the plans will be laid out in front of you, and you’ll have a guide as you accomplish each and every action item. 

• It serves as a reminder

With so many things going on at once, forgetting a thing or two is unavoidable. However, the team can depend on the meeting minutes to check on their progress. Are they on target? Is there anything missing? Is there anything else you need to do? You won’t overlook any task as long as you have a precise document that can help you remember anything and everything. 

Meeting minutes is also beneficial as it's an effective reminder for the next meeting. The team can go over the previous meeting minutes to remind every participant of what happened, what topics they discussed, and the decisions they made.

• It will serve as a reference for members who weren't present during the meeting

Conflicts in schedule or emergencies may happen and some individuals won’t make it to the meeting. By creating meeting summaries, everyone who missed the meeting can be updated on what happened and be informed on what they missed. You can easily send a follow-up email to all the participants after the meeting and attach the meeting minutes. Hence, no one is left behind and every person is on the same page on what are the goals of the company and how to reach them. 

• It is time-saving

With every teammate knowing their own responsibilities, the whole team can fully focus on their designated duties. Whether or not they were in the meeting, they will know what their duties are to the full extent. And of course, the team does not have to meet and use up precious hours just to discuss the same thing again. 

• It may serve as your corporate defense

Companies who strive to reach new heights in their industry would inevitably face litigation along the way. At these times, they would now need solid evidence for their defense. Meeting minutes can serve that purpose and be presented as solid evidence. They contain all the facts about the meeting there. You'll be able to pinpoint who was there when it took place, how members decided on certain actions, et cetera. This can prove the company’s true intentions and get them off the hook. 

Tips for writing meeting minutes:

While there are transcription services with meeting minutes services you can opt for, knowing how to create meeting minutes yourself is also an advantage. Here are several tips for writing meeting minutes for your next meeting:

• Make sure you have all materials needed. This includes your pen, notes, or perhaps your laptop or computer.
• Don't hesitate to ask questions or to clarify. Meeting minutes need to be accurate and on point. Having false information, whether it is intentional or not, will jeopardize the integrity of the document.
• Make sure your language is consistent.
• Take note of all decisions or next steps decided by the team. It's important that every action item or concern has its corresponding solution.
• Format the minutes in a way that's understandable and presentable. You can also factor in your own preference or the preference of the managers or executives, if ever.
• Once done, double-check everything.

It may seem like a mere document and you may even encounter difficulties but summarizing your meeting gives the whole team a guide that would drive them to act in order to fulfill a common goal. It’s seemingly mundane but the truth is, it provides great benefit in the long run.