Three Ways to Effectively Record Meeting Minutes

With something as crucial as meeting minutes, accuracy is a must. The strategic proposals, approvals and denials, the key issues happening right now and the solutions they’ve agreed to implement are all discussed. Only someone reliable can be entrusted with such a task, and so the question of how could a company effectively record their meeting minutes arises.  

Here are Three Ways to Record Meeting Minutes:

• Designate a member of the team

A team member is usually assigned to do the minutes during a meeting. It’s definitely the most economical action, having a trusted individual take notes while the group continues with their discourse. The disadvantage here is that, at times, critical discussions require everyone’s full attention. 

How can the assigned note-taker fully concentrate on the meeting all the while taking down crucial key points from the meeting? This is where discrepancies and inconsistencies start to come in, especially if you’re assigning this task to someone who’s doing it for the first time. It can be confusing and challenging. Designating an internal person may be cost-effective, but plausible limitations can emerge from it. 

• Hire a professional note-taker

If you don’t want someone from the team to do the meeting minutes, another way to jot it down is by hiring a professional note-taker. He will be physically present together with the group throughout the meeting. With his own preferred devices, he’ll record everyone’s opinions and concerns and witness how all come together with a final decision on certain objectives. Having a note-taker in charge of the minutes is convenient, however, this benefit may be killing your budget. The fee for the time and labor of the note-taker and the fee of the actual meeting minutes document are two separate payments. This wouldn’t be a problem for companies who can afford to shell out large sums every month. Of course, the same can’t be said for the smaller players.

• Send the recording and have it summarized by a third-party company

Another option to manage your meeting minutes is to record the entire conference and then employ the services of a dependable third-party company to do the transcriptions. The only cost you would have to face is the meeting minutes itself. Just make sure to send over a clear audio recording of your meeting and the rest will be taken care of by the third-party company. If you’re concerned about sensitive and confidential information leaking out, you just have to find the right company that puts security and client confidentiality on its priority. 

One good example is TranscriptionWing’s InSummary service. TranscriptionWing is GDPR and HIPAA compliant and ensures that all the necessary procedures and precautions are done to keep your information safe. Choosing to use InSummary, too, would mean saving money since you will only pay for the summary itself. The cheaper route wouldn’t equate to lesser quality either because TranscriptionWing’s meeting notes service is an all-human process where experts identify the key points for you. In a nutshell, the service is secure, affordable, and reliable; everything you need in a partner you can trust.

Here are some more effective tips when writing the meeting minutes:

• Make sure to check your materials and equipment. It's better to be prepared for everything.
• Do not forget to take note of the attendance.
• Use the appropriate language in the minutes.
• Take down every decision and/or next steps that the team will be taking.
•  Do not hesitate to ask questions and clarify things.

Many may not recognize the benefits of meeting minutes, but at some point, everyone will agree. It is fundamental. It is a need. It is a valuable weapon a company can use to tread the path toward success.