Meeting Minutes

The content of a meeting, such as decisions and action items, should always be recorded for future reference. It is a good idea for the facilitator to appoint someone as a formal scribe to take detailed notes and then produce the meeting minutes (ideally, this role can be assigned before the meeting). Yet, the appointment of a scribe certainly does not automatically guarantee accuracy. I have attended a number of project and committee meetings over the years where important issues or discussions have been omitted (usually by mistake) or the specific details within this document were contrary to the actual outcome at the meeting.

I highly suggest that you take your own notes when attending meetings and make an extra effort to properly record anything that directly impacts you. When the minutes are prepared by the scribe (assuming it is not you), then you will be able to double-check for correctness. If there is a conflict or error, then have the scribe modify the official minutes to reflect the correct record. This will save you time, money, energy, and unwarranted stress.