Business meetings – they can be great. But if you want to get the most out of them, you need to approach them proactively. And that means taking minutes effectively.
Unfortunately, minute-taking is notoriously difficult. You have to write down relevant information in real-time, recording precisely what people say, and when they say it, often for an hour or more. Sometimes exchanges fly by so quickly that it’s hard to keep up.
Fortunately, the following infographic is here to help. The trick, it says, is to prepare properly. Rather than going in with a pen and a piece of paper, think carefully about which medium will serve you best. (Perhaps you’re someone who prefers to type on a keyboard).
Next, consider your template, a sort of skeleton outline of the meeting that you can fill in when you go along. This prevents you from having to write titles or draw up sections as the meeting progresses.
You should also endeavor to record each discussion topic separately. Use your judgment to break the contents of the meeting down into chunks so that team members can refer to relevant segments quickly later on to get the information they want.
Afterward, finalize everything. Make sure that you have all the relevant information written down, and correct any typos you might have made or eligible sentences.
If you’re struggling with minute-taking, take a look at the following infographic. It explains what you need to do before, during, and after the meeting to make it a success.