Glossary
What does “Minutes” mean?
The official written record of a meeting: who attended, what was decided, and what actions were agreed.
What it means
The official written record of a meeting: who attended, what was decided, and what actions were agreed. Minutes are usually approved at the next meeting, after which they become the formal record.
An example
“Item 3. Budget. The committee approved the 2027 budget of $84,000 (proposed by A. Patel, seconded by L. Kim; 7 for, 1 against). Action: the treasurer to publish it by 15 January.”
Not to be confused with: Transcript
Minutes summarise decisions and actions; a transcript records every word spoken. Most organisations keep minutes as their record and treat transcripts as a working aid.
Where you will see it
In boards, committees, councils, charities and companies; often required by law or bylaws for formal meetings, and approved as the first item of the next meeting.
Questions
Who takes the minutes?
Usually a secretary or a named note-taker, not the person chairing, so the chair can run the meeting.
What should minutes leave out?
Usually the back-and-forth of the discussion: they record decisions, votes, actions and key reasons, not who said what at length.
Do minutes need to be approved?
In most formal bodies, yes: the next meeting reads and approves them, correcting any mistakes first, and the chair signs them. Until then they are a draft that can still change.
Other meeting words
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