Unit -3 Agenda, Meeting and Minutes of Meeting

An Agenda is a schedule or list of items to be attended to in a meeting. The difference between

meetings with and without agendas can mean chaos, tangled viewpoints, misunderstood norms
and very few accomplishments. An agenda communicates to attendees that the meeting will be
conducted in an orderly fashion and that productivity is the goal. Businesses hold meetings to
achieve goals and get things done, share information, develop plans, document progress, provide
precision and make decisions. An agenda can ensure that the meeting stays on track and that
special projects and routine operations proceed as intended. An agenda can help the board of
directors’ function as an effective team. Usually the Board Secretary, who is often the CFO, is
responsible for organizing the Board meeting. The Secretary cannot be effective, however,
without the active support of the CEO and the Board Chairman.

A well planned agenda gives a greater sense of control. The agenda is often sent out in advance
of the meeting so attendees know what to expect and have time to prepare their view points on
action points. An agenda gives the person conducting the meeting control over the flow of
discussions, the issues covered and the attendees responsible for reporting specific information at
the meeting. An agenda also helps keep the meeting within a programmed time frame controlling
when issues are discussed. People are less likely to slow the meeting with interruptions if they
know that their issue is on the agenda. Each attendee can relax knowing that the meeting is under
control and that issues that are important to each are listed on agenda.
An agenda increases productivity at meetings. Attendees of the meeting understand that all
items on the agenda must be discussed and are likely to move at a pace that ensures they will
cover everything. Agendas make it clear which items need action and who are the responsible
people to take those actions. This allows attendees to leave meetings knowing what must be
accomplished before the next meeting. The agenda also allows attendees to evaluate actions at
the next meeting and receive progress report. The agenda helps attendees zero in on the areas
where decisions are needed and clears the way for progress. Attendees can leave the meeting
feeling relaxed and with sense of achievement with the agenda to verify their productivity.
Agendas help in maintaining documentation. As meeting progresses, the person taking minutes
notes on the agenda, the results of each discussion, which action items were completed or which
are newly developed, reports given, issues to be resolved and other documentation of events at
the meeting. The agenda notes help while creating minutes that match the flow of the meeting
and also provide inclusive documentation of the meeting.
It is standard procedure in most workplaces to record everything that transpires in a meeting. The
stupidest thing such as a spat or a quarrel also is recorded. Methods of record-keeping vary from
organization to organization. But the most common method is having a secretary take notes.
These notes which are called minutes, is usually first circulated in draft form so that all
participants have the opportunity to check for accuracy and to make corrections if necessary.
This ensures that all participants agree that the record is precise.

Minutes of the meeting: Are the well written record of meeting, particularly in board of
directors and shareholders corporate meetings. The names of everyone in attendance at the
meeting are usually the first things recorded, the names of absentees is also recorded. This serves
two purposes: one, absent members can stay in the loop and keep abreast of what they missed at
the meeting, and two, their absence from this meeting becomes part of the public record. If some
participants regularly find ways to avoid meetings, they might be more reluctant to skip a future
meeting when they realize their repeated absences have been noted.
We often see that human memory is fallible. Some participants are likely to have selective
memories and forget whatever doesn’t validate their viewpoint; this particularly happens in case
of contentious issues. An open record is a good idea and means to remind everyone what was
agreed upon and why. It is especially important to have records to refer back to after a significant
amount of time has passed and people are no longer sure what had emerged and why certain
decisions were taken in a fashion. New managers find it helpful to review previous meeting
minutes to quickly learn how the organization has been functioning and to detect patterns in
behavior of the participants.

Recording a meeting and making the record available to absent participants in the meeting is a
way to be more inclusive. Even though those absent participants might not have been able to
provide their input during the meeting, they can still see how decisions were made. They will
have some knowledge about the decision-making process and will know who the key decision
makers were. They will be able to approach meeting participants and offer their point of view if
they so choose to do so.

Minutes help in taking suitable actions. Meetings tend to become more efficient when
participants are aware of their discussions being recorded; they are more likely to stay on topic.
The minutes provide a record of decisions made and who is responsible for taking action. There
is an increased chance that these actions will be carried out. Without a record, the participants
might not remember who is responsible for the next step of the action plan and disputes might
arise. With a public record to refer to, those responsible will be held accountable and expected to
proceed as agreed. Unresolved issues won’t be forgotten and can be reopened at a successive
meeting.

Knowledge of agenda and minutes of meeting helps in holding efficient and effective
meetings. Good meeting in turn helps making projects successful. In a good meeting,
participant’s ideas are heard, decisions are made through group discussion and with reasonable
speed, and activities are focused on desired results. Good meetings help generate keenness in
projects, help in building skills for future projects, and provide participants with techniques that
may benefit them in their jobs.

Good meetings require good leaders (chair) and good participants. A good leader understands the
purpose of a meeting, he/she makes sure that all participants understand this purpose; it helps
keep the discussion on track, and ensures that each participant is involved in discussions. A good
leader works with participants to carry out the business of the meeting in the allotted time. These
responsibilities require distributing an agenda, minutes of the previous meeting and other written
materials prior to a meeting.
Good participants come to a meeting prepared for the business at hand; with reports ready,
concerns over key issues thought out, and questions about key issues organized. They don’t
come late for the meetings, they are in time. A good leader does not wait for latecomers. A
good meeting starts in time and ends in time. Late entrants disturb the meeting during the middle
of a coherent discussion. Good participants also bring to the table their best listening skills,
manners and etiquettes and concise discussing manners. Good participants take turns while
talking, stay on the point of discussion, and help to move decisions forward without any quarrels.

I want to quote here James T. Kirk’s thought on meeting in lighter vein “a meeting is an event
where minutes are taken and hours wasted”.
Meeting Minutes format:
Sample minutes:

Sample -2
How to Take Minutes in a Meeting

There are lots of ways to write effective meeting minutes. Here’s what it’s important to
remember:

Before the meeting: Decide who will take notes during the meeting and choose a quiet place to
record the conversation. If you’re the note-taker, focus on the main points to keep your minutes
brief and snappy.
During the meeting: Try to stay neutral when taking notes, and focus on things that happened,
rather than your take on them. You can use templates or AI tools like Tactiq to help you take
accurate notes and summaries.
After the meeting : Proofread the meeting minutes: Do they make sense? Are they well-
formatted? Are they easy to read? Collaborative tools like Google Docs make it easy for people
to share notes, add to the minutes, or make comments. But sometimes, a simple email will do!
Conclusion : Using a meeting minutes template helps you manually share a summary of what
was discussed, along with the next steps. But why bother? Now you can do this easily, with AI
tools like Tactiq that automatically transcribe your virtual meetings.
Tips
Use action words: Use words like “agreed,” “decided,” or “approved” to clearly convey what
actions were taken during the meeting.

Be accurate and objective: Your minutes should accurately reflect what was said and done
during the meeting, without adding your own personal opinions or interpretations.

Keep them brief: Meeting minutes should be a summary of the key points discussed, so try to
keep them as concise as possible.

Be informative: Include the names of attendees, the date and time of the meeting, and a
summary of the key points discussed.

Review and approve the minutes at the beginning of the next meeting: This will ensure that
the minutes accurately reflect the discussions and decisions of the previous meeting.

Distribute the minutes to all team members: This will ensure that everyone is informed about
what happened during the meeting and can stay up-to-date on the progress of projects and tasks.

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