Meetings: Preparing the minutes

On this page

• General information on minutes
• What to include in minutes
• Guidelines for writing minutes
• Additional information

General information on minutes

The minutes of a meeting provide a factual record of the meeting. They summarize what was said, discussed and decided during the meeting and what actions would be taken after the meeting. Minutes should include all essential information in as concise a form as possible.

Some organizations have a prescribed format for minutes. For example, information might be recorded in a table or in a bulleted or numbered list. If your organization has a prescribed format, use it. If not, you’re sure to find a standardized format online that will meet the needs of your organization.

What to include in minutes

The opening paragraph may include the following details:

• the name of the committee, group or team holding the meeting
• the nature of the meeting (especially whether regular or special)
• the date, time and location of the meeting
• the name of the person chairing the meeting
• the names of the participants, present and absent, and of organizations represented
• the name of the person taking the minutes
• a verification of quorum requirements

The body of the minutes may include the following details:

• the time the meeting began
• the reading and approval of the previous meeting’s minutes
• the items that were discussed, in the order they were addressed (even if this order differs from that of the agenda)
• motions, their adoption or rejection, and the names of the people who made them
• the actions to be taken and the names of persons responsible for taking these actions
• the motion to adjourn or close the meeting
• the time of adjournment or closing of the meeting
• a distribution list

Documents (reports, motions, etc.) are sometimes appended to the minutes.

Guidelines for writing minutes

Here are some guidelines for drafting minutes that are informative, objective, clear and concise.

Decide how to refer to meeting attendees

Depending on the context, the minute-taker might refer to the attendees by their first name (informal context) or use their courtesy title followed by their last name (formal context):

• Sabrina said that she had discussed the vandalism issues with Maxime.
• Ms. Sinclair explained in detail the process for creating a memorandum to Cabinet.

For more information on courtesy titles, read our writing tip Abbreviations: Titles with personal names.

The minute-taker might also use the attendees’ roles:

• The chair of the working group presented the agenda.
• The treasurer asked for clarification regarding deadlines.

Use indirect speech

Minutes are a record of what was said at some point in the past. Therefore, use indirect (reported) speech.

Indirect speech involves placing verbs in a past or conditional tense, if they express statements made by persons at the meeting:

• said [not says]
• had forecast [not has forecast]
• would decide [not will decide]

However, the present or future forms of verbs may be used for general statements of fact not directly attributed to participants (for example, Alberta will require a finance officer). In this example, there is no specific source for the statement.

For more information on indirect speech, see Quotations: Indirect (reported) speech.

Stick to the essentials

Minutes should be concise. It’s important that they highlight key facts and avoid going into too much detail. For example, provide a summary, rather than recording every word that was said. And don’t include extensive details about supporting documents, as meeting attendees can simply consult the documents if they require further information.

Stay neutral

Minutes should be factual and neutral. Don’t include judgments, personal opinions or subjective interpretations.

Include details of motions and decisions

Unlike other elements of minutes, resolutions, motions and other decisions must be recorded in detail. Pay special attention to the wording used, particularly if there’s a chance that there will be differences of opinion on what was resolved, moved or decided. In some cases, you may need to provide context or reasons for the decisions that were made. If it’s a formal meeting, write out all motions verbatim.

Additional information

• Meetings: Preparing the agenda
• Abbreviations: Titles with personal names
• Quotations: Indirect (reported) speech
• Why do minutes count? (Favourite Articles)