Business Minute Writing

• At the end of this chapter, you should• * understand the uses of minutes• * recognise the different types of minutes• * identify the different components of minutes• * organise the different components of minutes• * use appropriate language expressions in writing

minutes• * use different reporting verbs in writing minutes• * use reported speech effectively in writing minutes• * write a minute from a verbatim record

• Introduction

• Organizational Elements

• Types of Minutes

What is a Minute？• Simply put, a minute is the written record

of a meeting taken or produced by the meeting’s Secretary and serves to provide an accurate record of what has been said, discussed and legible to someone who was not present at the meeting. It is an accurate and concise summary of all decisions and main points for future reference.

• Technically speaking, minutes are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing. They often give an overview of the structure of the meeting, starting with a list of those present, a statement of the various issues before the participants, and each of their responses thereto.

• They are often created at the moment of the hearing by the secretary of the meeting, who may record the meeting in shorthand, and then retype the minutes and issue them to the participants afterwards. The minutes of certain entities, such as a corporate board of directors, must be kept and are important legal documents. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minutes)

• A business minute is a written record of the events of a corporation, typically including all of the events taking place at both shareholders’ meetings and board of directors’ meetings.

• These records are usually kept in the corporations’ record book. Specifically, the corporate minutes are the written record of transactions taken or authorized by the board of directors or shareholders. These are usually kept in the corporate minute book in diary fashion (http://www.activefilings.com/en/information/glossary.htm).

• The corporate minutes are prepared by the Secretary of the Corporation, signed, and then approved by the Board or shareholders, as the case may be, at the next meeting or in the next action.

• This will minimize any claim that the written minutes do not accurately reflect the action taken. Minutes should always reflect that proper notice was given or waived, who was present and who was absent, and that a quorum was present.

• And project minutes are a concise collection of resolutions, action items, and issues that promote accountability. The resolution and action items each have a completion date and the name of the person responsible.

The Purpose of Minutes

• Minutes are a formal brief summary of proceedings at meetings and so are a snapshot of the decisions made and actions agreed at a meeting. The purpose of minutes is to record what was done, not what was said. The main reasons for keeping minutes are to:

• 1) provide an authoritative source and permanent record of proceedings for future reference

• 2) provide formal evidence of decisions, e.g. appointments, financial allocations, authorized actions

• 3) provide a record of policy decisions made and the basis for them

•

• 4) provide a starting point for action to be taken in future • 5) create an official record which can be used in legal

proceedings • 6) inform members not present at the meeting and any

others of the actions of the body concerned • 7) assist in the conduct of subsequent meetings • 8) set out precedents for future occasions, in the case of

rulings from the chair • 9) provide documentary evidence for audit purposes

• At some meetings, especially of bodies with less formal accountabilities, the term “minutes” is sometimes replaced by the term “notes”. Notes differ from minutes in that, typically, they are less formal, depending on the status of the committee / working party concerned. Notes typically:

• 1) are less detailed, involving a shorter précis of discussion

• 2) emphasize action to be taken after the meeting

• 3) need not be approved at the next meeting.

What constitutes a good minute?

• A good minute is brief, self-contained and to the full extent that the discussion allows, decisive.

• Brevity can be achieved in two ways:

•

• First, a minute should be selective. It is not a verbatim record, and should not attempt to reproduce, however summarily, what every speaker said. It is a skilled summary of proceedings and should record only the essence of the discussion, picking up the main threads which lead to the conclusion.

• Secondly, the points selected for inclusion in the minute should be recorded as briefly as possible. The secretary may make use of any striking phrases used in the discussion but should not attempt to set out the course of the arguments as they were developed by the speakers, as this will lead to an unnecessarily diffuse style.

• A minute should normally be self-contained, so that it is able to be understood without reference to other documents. This may not seem important at the time, when the subject is topical and other relevant documents are fresh in people’s minds. But minutes are usually designed not only as a basis for current action, but also for permanent record; and for purposes of subsequent reference they are much more valuable if they can be understood by themselves.

• The minute should be as decisive as possible. This is especially important for the conclusions. But it applies also to the record of the discussion. The secretary should not try to reproduce what the speaker said; they should get down to the essential core of discussion and record that as briefly and as clearly as possible.

Organizational Elements

• Minutes should often include the following: • 1) Nature of the meeting, i.e. what meeting it is (AGM--

Annual General Meeting, Board, Regular, Special) • 2) Date, time and place of meeting (or notation that

meeting held by teleconference) • 3) Names of the members present and any apologies,

especially, of the Chairperson• 4) Names and titles of officers present • 5) Call to order and confirmation or quorum by Chair • 6) Verification of minutes of previous meeting • 7) Business arising out of the minutes not covered in the

agenda

• 8) Elections or appointments • 9) Resolutions transacted, outcome of votes including

those dissenting or abstaining and conflicts of interest • 10) Financial matters considered and the outcome of the

discussions • 11) Reference to reports and other documents

considered by the members during their deliberations • 12) The nature of information provided to the members

by officers and external consultants or experts • 13) A brief summary of points put forward during debate • 14) Time of termination of the meeting

Structure of a Minute

• The first purpose of a minute is to set out the conclusions reached so that those who have to take action will know precisely what they have to do. The second is to give the reasons why the conclusions were reached. A minute should fall clearly into three parts:

• 1) opening statement i.e. background;• 2) points in discussion;• 3) conclusions, i.e. resolutions or

recommendations.•

• It is a good rule to think out the sequence of a minute before beginning to compile it, and to work backwards from the conclusion. The secretary /minute-taker should first decide what the conclusions to be recorded are and keep those clearly in their mind while preparing the minute. This will help them decide how much of the discussion needs to be recorded and in what order it can be best arranged.

• To produce a good minute the secretary must get clear before they start about the framework round which they are going to build, i.e. the essential points leading up to the conclusion. They will not get the same result if they first try to summarize everything and consider what they can afford to miss out.

• MINUTES report what was discussed and decided during a meeting.

• 1. Uses

Minutes are used:

• as a record of the decision-making process

• as a record of the decisions made

• as a guide for future action

• Who writes the minutes?• The secretary writes the minutes. In reality,

anyone taking part in a meeting may be appointed as secretary. In many committees and working parties where they do not have a full-time secretary, business executives often have to play the role of a secretary and write the minutes themselves.

• So, you may be made the secretary at any meeting.

• There are three common types of minutes in business. The table below summarises their differences.

Narrative Minutes• Narrative minutes are most common in business. The

writer of narrative minutes “tells the story” of a meeting from a third person’s perspective.

• Narrative minutes:• * record the discussion and decision process• * Who raised the idea? / * Who made a suggestion?• * Who supported it? that all members of a• * Who opposed it? group agree with• * How was the decision reached?• * by consensus? / * by vote?• * record the decisions and resolutions• * record the actions planned• * record who will be responsible for the actions

Action minutes

• Action minutes are very similar to narrative minutes, but usually less detailed. In the minutes there is a side columna side column, which clearly indicates who will be responsible for the decided actions (See Sample Minutes 1).

Resolution minutes

• Resolution minutes record only decisions made during a meeting.

• The discussion process is omitted (See Sample Minutes 2)

• Read Sample Minutes 3 and answer the following questions.

1. What kind of minutes are these? Please explain.

____________________________________

2. Are the minutes written for an internal or external meeting?

_____________________________

3. Why isn’t there an item on Minutes of last meeting?

Components and structure of minutes

• Like an agenda, minutes should carry the following items:

• 1. Organisation name

• 2. Introduction — nature, date, time and place of the meeting

• 3. End matter — signature, name, date, enclosure reference, initials

• In addition, minutes should have:

• 4. A list of the people present and absent, indicating the chairperson and the secretary

• 5. Minute headings

• 6. Minute paragraphs

• 7. A closing

Strategy focus

• As the minute writer, you should:

• * tape-record the meeting, if possible, to supplement your notes

• * write the minutes immediately after the meeting, while memory is fresh

• take an objective stand

• record only important points of the discussion

• avoid recording irrelevant talk, jokes, or stories

• avoid recording bias or implication of bias

• avoid your own judgement or opinion

• vary your reporting verbs

It would be awkward and boring to keep on saying “The Chairman said...”, “The Secretary said...”, “Mr Chan said...”.

• write your minute headings based on the agenda items

Language focus

• The following are some useful sentences for minute-writing. You should also learn to use a variety of appropriate reporting verbs and write your sentences in the correct reported speech.

Useful sentences

• To help you understand a key presentation issue, let’s do the Task below first.

• Compare the following extracts from minutes. Which one can easily tell you how many people attended the meeting?

• It is always advisable to:

* create a list of the meeting participants

* avoid using a paragraph• In some companies, minutes are set out in a

preset blank form. This has several advantages:

* Information is easy to find.

* The minutes appear neat and tidy.

* Everything is brief.

• Sample Minutes below shows an example of form minutes set in a table format.

The Structure of a Meeting

• One of the most common requirements of business English is holding meetings in English.

• Meetings generally follow a more or less similar structure and can be divided into the following parts:

• Introductions

• Reviewing Past Business

• Beginning the Meeting

• Discussing Items

• Finishing the Meeting

• I - Introductions• Opening the Meeting

Welcoming and Introducing ParticipantsStating the Principal Objectives of a MeetingGiving Apologies for Someone Who is Absent

• II - Reviewing Past Business• Reading the Minutes (notes) of the Last Meeting

Dealing with Recent Developments

• III - Beginning the Meeting• Introducing the Agenda

Allocating Roles (secretary, participants)Agreeing on the Ground Rules for the Meeting (contributions, timing, decision-making, etc.)

• IV - Discussing Items• Introducing the First Item on the Agenda

Closing an ItemNext ItemGiving Control to the Next Participant

• V - Finishing the Meeting

• SummarizingFinishing UpSuggesting and Agreeing on Time, Date and Place for the Next MeetingThanking Participants for AttendingClosing the Meeting

• Let's call the meeting to order

• order 在此是指“会议的程序与规则”；• call 有 " 宣布 " 的含意， call (a meeting) to

order 是开会时的惯用语，是 " 会议开始 " 的意思。此句型适用于主席宣布讨论要开始时，示意与会者安静，遵守会场的秩序。这个句型适用于正式的场合中。

• There are no strict rules in writing minutes. Minutes may be written in detail or in brief depending on the anticipated readership. But the main elements are always the same (sometimes some of them are omitted):

• Where and when a meeting took place; • Present, i.e. the names of the participants; • Apologies, i.e. the names of those absent; • Subject; • Minutes of the previous meeting; • Items on the agenda: the discussion held, the motions made, the

resolutions carried (; Seconder; the results of the vote); • Any Other Business (AOB); • Date of the next meeting.

voice vote口头表决 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_vote

• A voice vote in a legislative body refers to a vote taken on a topic where the participants merely respond verbally to a question with a spoken "yea" (yes), "nay" (no), or "present" (abstain) vote.

• Typically the chairperson or speaker of the assembly will ask a question to the effect of "All in favor?" followed by "All opposed?" and so on. The decision is then decided based on the chairperson or speaker's discretion, although it can be challenged. In such a case, if a certain proportion of the assembly agrees, a recorded vote or division vote takes place.

• As a result—when utilizing the voice vote procedure—no names or numbers on who voted for what are recorded due to its impracticality, and the record will often stand as something to the effect of "unanimously approved by Voice Vote." This tactic is used when the matter in question is either uncontroversial or paradoxically when the matter at hand is quite controversial and participants wish to enjoy "political cover."

• Alternative formulations for the vote, depending on the custom of the body, include "aye" for the affirmative and "no" for the negative.

• During a VOICE VOTE, members say "aye" aloud as a group, followed by the group saying "no."

• The presiding officer decides which group prevailed and announces the result. No names are recorded.

Division (vote) 点名表决• Division of the house is a parliamentary

mechanism which calls for a rising vote, wherein the members of the house literally divide into groups indicating a vote in favour of or in opposition to a motion on the floor

• To vote by dividing. 表决：分组进行表决

• division 分组表决 • voice vote 口头表决 • secret ballot 不记名投票 • affirmative vote 赞成票 • negative vote 反对票 • absolute majority 绝对多数 • bare majority 勉强多数

recorded vote 记录投票 • A recorded vote recorded vote is a vote in which the

names of those voting for and against a motion may be recorded.

• In many deliberative bodies (e.g. the United States Congress), questions may be decided by voice vote, but the voice vote does not allow one to determine at a later date which members voted for and against the motion. Upon the demand of any member, a division may be held; the members supporting and opposing the motion stand successively and are counted. However, even in the rarely used division procedure, the names of the individuals voting on each side are not officially recorded. A recorded vote, under the Constitution, may be obtained upon the demand of one-fifth of the members present.

记名投票• 可采取呼声表决 (Vote by

Voice) 、举手表决举手表决 (Hand-(Hand-show Vote)show Vote) 、起立表决(Standing Vote) 、电子表决器表决 (Mechanical Voting) 、点名表决 (Roll Call) 、投票表决 (Ballot) 、分组表决 (Division) 、点票员表决 (Teller Vote) 等形式

• 一致同意 unanimous consent

•     “ 口头表决” (taking a voice vote) ：对于不需要比“过半数表决”更高额度的提议，一般都采用口头表决。

• 主席“提请表决”时说，“下面表决是否通过如下提议：…… [ 重申或澄清提议内容 ] 。所有赞成的请说赞成 (aye) 。 [ 停顿，等待响应， ]…… 所有反对的请说反对 (no) 。”

• 对于决议形式的提议，可以说，“下面表决是否通过如下决议： [ 宣读决议 ] 。所有赞成的请说赞成(aye) 。 [ 停顿，等待响应， ]…… 所有反对的请说反对 (no) 。”如果决议刚刚读过，主席认为大家不需要再听一遍，可以说，“下面表决是否通过刚才宣读的决议。所有赞成的请说赞成 (aye) 。 [ 停顿，等待响应， ]…… 所有反对的请说反对 (no) 。”

•  “ 起立表决” (taking a rising vote; taking a division vote) ：不对正反两方的人数进行计数的起立表决叫做“简单起立表决” (a simple rising vote) 。它主要用于已经进行了口头表决但结果不是很明朗的情况，以及要求“三分之二表决”的情况。如果只要求“过半数表决”，但主席认为口头表决很可能结果不明朗，也可以一开始就采用起立表决以节省时间。起立表决的提请格式是，“所有赞成邀请琼斯先生作为下次会议嘉宾发言人的，请起立……请坐。……所有反对的请起立……请坐。”

• motion carried 动议获通过 • motion debate 动议辩论 • motion defeated 动议遭否决 • second the motion 附议

Exercise

• The following are extracts of what was actually said at a meeting.

• For each extract, rewrite it in reported speech to make it suitable for inclusion in minutes.

• 1. The Chairperson: Miss Lee, could you ring the moving company and get a quotation for us please?

• 2. The Chairlady: I’m wondering if we can use the area near Block F as an extension car park.

• 3. Mr Law: Why don’t we organise a contest for staff to design a logo for the Department?

• 4. The Chairperson: Right, can we meet here again at the same the time on Monday, 27 — is that okay with everyone? Good —that’s settled then.

• 5. Mr Dickens: Don’t forget that the deadline for submitting articles for the newsletter is Friday.

• 6. Bruce: I’ll make arrangements for staff to visit the new multimedia facilities next week.

• 7. The Chairman: Have the progress report on my desk by 5 pm tomorrow.

• 8. Mr Lun: I think we need to buy a new copier.

• 9. The Chairman: Let’s get started.

• 10.The Chairman: Well, it’s already 5:30. I think we’ll stop here.

Assignment

• The following is the verbatim record from a recent meeting you the actual words attended. As Secretary of the meeting, write the MINUTES with the heading “Financial Prospects”.

• Chairman:

Looks like we’re going to have a hard time in the coming financial year. Last year, the company suffered serious losses and sales dropped drastically. John, I understand you have been appointed Financial Controller and maybe you can help us look into ways of cutting expenses and increasing revenue in the coming year. If you can, please let me have your written proposal by the end of the month. Okay?

Taking meeting minutes

• Taking minutes is a necessity of many organizational gatherings. It is a final accurate record of what transpired at a meeting. It does not have to be a difficult task. The following article addresses some basic items to remember when taking minutes at a meeting.

• The meeting needs to be organized. If a meeting is not structured or if it is disorganized, chances are the minutes will reflect this. Make sure that the Chairperson holding the meeting understands the fundamentals of what must occur. This will be the first step in the whole process running smoothly.

• The minutes-taker should not be a participant in the meeting. In order to allow for the minutes-taker to pay the best attention possible, he or she should not be a participant in the meeting—only the taker of the minutes. Their sole responsibility should be that of taking the minutes.

• The minutes-taker should sit as close as possible to the Chairperson. Having the minutes-taker sit close by the Chairperson will make it easier for that person to clarify any points that might have been made.

• The minutes-taker should have a list of all attendees at the meeting and a copy of the Agenda. The minutes-taker should have a complete list of all attendees of the meeting. If this is not possible, before the meeting begins, pass around a piece of paper for everyone to print his or her name on.

• Note anyone who arrives at the meeting late or leaves early.

• For the record, it should be noted if any of the attendees arrives late or leaves early.

• Have an agenda for the meeting ready and a copy of the minutes for the last meeting. The minutes-taker should have at his or her disposal the agenda for the meeting and a copy of the minutes for the last meeting. All background information pertaining to the meeting should also be provided to the minutes-taker. They may need to refer back to this information during the meeting. The whole process can flow much more smoothly if the minutes-taker has some knowledge of the subjects to be discussed.

• Make sure the minutes reflect the ‘address’ of the meeting.

• The minutes should reflect the name of the association meeting, the location, date and time of the meeting as well. An example of this would be; “MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF ABC COMPANY”, January 1, 2000, Tucson, Arizona, the Hilton Hotel on Broadway Avenue, 8:00 am.

• Do not deviate from the agenda. It is best to stick to the agenda as much as possible in order to keep all information on record. Do not allow any business to be discussed that is not on the agenda. This will make for mass confusion.

• Use a tape recorder as a backup. In case the minutes-taker become distracted and misses something at the meeting, having a tape recording of the meeting can be of great value. It can be replayed for the vital information that might have been overlooked.

• Record motions properly. A motion is a formal suggestion made by an attendee at the meeting that has been seconded by another attendee, and then passed by a vote. The minutes-taker may need to restate a motion after a lengthy discussion. It is therefore very important to record these motions exactly as they have been stated. An example of how to document a motion is as follows: Moved, seconded, and carried that all members of the Board will receive a three percent cost of living raise. Be sure to list the names of all attendees making and seconding any motions.

• Record every action taken. The minutes-taker should record every action taken, whether they seem trivial or not. If there are any questions regarding importance, the minutes-taker should speak to the Chairperson as soon as possible after the meeting.

• After the meeting has finished, the minutes must then be transcribed into the style that was previously followed. This should be done as soon as possible. There are three basic styles for minutes. It is best to keep the minutes in the same style as they were recorded in the previous months meeting. The following styles for minutes are:

• a. Report – this is a full record of all discussions that includes the names of all speakers, movers and seconders of any motions, written in a narrative style.

• b. Minutes of Narration – these include some of the discussions that took place and important details. This style of minutes is considered a legal document.

• c. Minutes of Resolution – these are limited to the recording of the actual words of all resolutions that were passed. Movers and seconders are not recorded. Each resolution that is made commences RESOLVED THAT. This style of minutes is also considered a legal document.

• GSVQ Communication and Media

• Course Board Meeting on Monday, 14th February 2000 at 01.30 pm in Seminar

Room C

• MINUTES

• SEDERUNT: G. Redgrave (Chair), B. Leary (Secretary), A. Nother, B. Rother, C. Linton, D. Maggio;

• 1) Apologies: M Cready

• 2) Minutes of the previous Board

• The Minutes of the previous Board Meeting on Monday, 15 November 1999 were approved unanimously

• 3) Matters arising

• There were no matters arising which are not subsumed within the present agenda

• 4) Student Representative’s Report

• It was resolved that B. Leary should liaise with the IT Manager to standardize software across all College IT Facilities.

•  02.10 pm Student Representative leaves

•  5) Student Results and Progression

• It was resolved that the Course Tutor, B Leary, should interview all students who are not up-to-date with their work.

• 6) Quality of Teaching and Learning

• It was resolved that G. Redgrave should investigate alternative funding sources for additional IT-teaching facilities in classrooms.

• 7) Future Course Development

• It was resolved that B. Rother should liaise with administrative staff with a view to create the relevant administrative infrastructure for the new SGA Communication and Media at Higher.

• 8) Student Retention• Discussion of relevant issues on student

retention was subsumed within item 5)• 9) SQMS Report Completion• The Board completed the SQMS Report• 10) AOB• The Board resolved to undertake collective

staff development for Web Authoring.• The date of the next meeting was to be

confirmed.• The meeting ended at 03.30pm