Taking minutes can act as a valuable method
of recording what transpired during a meeting and the future actions
that have been agreed upon by participants. They can also serve as
evidence to provide protection for employees who act on decisions
made in the course of the meeting.
When you hold the responsibility of conducting a meeting and ensuring
that the conversation remains focused on the agenda, it may not be
possible to also keep detailed minutes. Therefore, allocating someone
the role of minute-taker will help to make sure that a physical record of
the meeting can be accessed after it has concluded.
You should brief the minute-taker before the start of the meeting to inform them of the organisation
requirements for what they should be taking note of. This may vary depending on the purpose of the
meeting. Generally, the role of the minute-taker is to take accurate notes during the meeting, tidy-up
the notes after the meeting so that they make sense to others, distribute the minutes to all relevant
personnel, and store the minutes for future use.