What should minutes contain?

Regardless of the format adopted, meeting records should contain the following information, and usually in the following order:

1. name of the group holding the meeting;
2. kind of meeting (weekly, monthly, special, etc.);
3. date (and possibly place if this is not always the same);
4. names of persons attending (often participants are divided according to the tripartite nature of the discussion into government members, employer, members and worker members);
5. minute taker;
6. for each agenda item or issue discussed:
   • a summary of the views expressed, attributed either to the speakers by name (or initial) or to the offices they represent;
   • a clear statement about how each issue was resolved (agreement, no agreement, deferred for further consideration, etc.);
   • follow-up action required and the person responsible for the follow-up.

In an effort to keep meetings productive and to have minutes that are brief and useful, some chairpersons require that records only contain decisions and follow-up action and nothing else. If no decisions are recorded, everyone knows that the meeting has been a waste of time or that issues are still outstanding and need to be considered for the next time. However, in many other cases, it is just as important to record the discussion as it occurred during the meeting in a summarized format.

print friendly 

search 

module map 

activity map 

resources