HOW TO WRITE GOOD MINUTES DURING THE MEETING

MINUTES WRITING

The process of writing minutes began when we learnt how to write a notification inviting participants to the meeting, and it gathered momentum when we studied how to build meeting agendas, which are the issues to be discussed during the meeting. The final stage is minute writing, in which we record what happens throughout the meeting.

Minutes are formal recordings of what was discussed and decided during the meeting. Thus, learning how to write minutes is vital, as it is a valued talent that is sought after not only at school but also in the workplace, where one can be a secretary to a club, organisation, group, etc. The group's secretary is responsible for taking minutes at meetings.

Why Taking Minutes Is So Crucial

• They provide detailed details about what happened during the meeting.
• They keep a record of the proceedings for future reference.
• They provide a foundation for future decision making.

Characteristics of Minutes
They should be concise, recording simply what was agreed upon.
They must be written in grammatically correct English.
Members require a true record of what was discussed and agreed upon, thus they should be factual.
They should be written down in accordance with specific rules.
It is critical to emphasize that in order to accurately document what occurred during the meeting, one must employ both listening and summary writing skills.

Learn how to write notifications of a meeting here.

Format for Minute Writing

Heading/Title

This is expressed in capital characters and is underlined. It should comprise four essential items:

1. The name of the group that is gathering
2. The meeting's date and time.
3. The place where the meeting takes place.
4. The meeting's time.

As an example,
MINUTES OF A MARIACHI  COOKING CLUB MEETING HELD IN THE COMMUNITY HALL ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH, 2023 AT 4.00 PM

Records of Attendance

This will include the following:

Present
The names of those who attended the meeting are included under this subtitle. The names of the office-bearers are written down first, beginning with the chair and progressing to the other members.
When recording the names, one should include the titles or positions.
Currently Useful Example

Present

1. David Kimani      Chairperson
2. Ann Muthoni       Vice-Chairperson
3. Edwin Momani    Secretary
4. Joseph Khatib      Member
5. Ruth Masese        Member

Absent with Apologies/Apologies
Names of members who were intended to attend the meeting but did not due to unavoidable circumstances are recorded under this section.
These members have excused themselves or conveyed their apologies for their absence. They can be addressed as apologies. It is important to highlight that, despite their absence, they might influence the events taking place during the meeting, for example, by voting by proxy.

To Demonstrate 
Apologies

1. Samael Otieno          Member
2. Geffrey Aswani        Member

Absent without Apologies
The names of members who were expected to be there but did not appear, provided no explanation, or offered any apologies are listed here. These members have no effect on the meeting's decisions.
In example,
Absent

1. John Kebenei     Member

In attendance
The names of guests attending the meeting as a courtesy, professionals, experts, or consultants invited to offer assistance are listed under this subtitle. These visitors are not members of the group and merely participate in conversations; hence, they do not have voting rights or affect decision-making within the meeting. They include the patron of the club, principals, and anyone else whose skills and expertise are important to the group meeting. A teacher of agriculture, for example, could be invited to give advice on farming to a school-based agricultural group or club.
For example, 
In attendance

1. Jeremy Peter           Teacher of English
2. Terry Wanda            Patron

The Agendas

The agendas in minute writing must be highlighted and explained in the correct order as they are designed up early. To refresh our memories, agendas are either a list of items to be discussed during the meeting or the key topics to be addressed. They are normally made known to the members two weeks before the meeting. The following items should be included on the agendas:

Preliminaries

It refers to the practices that signal the beginning of a meeting, which are frequently carried out by the meeting's chairperson. Among the activities are:

• Prayers to mark the start of the meeting.
• The meeting is called to order by the chair.
• The chairperson's welcoming address includes a thank you to the attendees.
• Introduction of new members or invited guests to the meeting.
• Taking note of any apologies.

Reading and confirming previous minutes

At this point, the secretary goes over the minutes from the previous meeting. Members then make any necessary changes, which may include correcting incorrect spellings, omitting members who are not present and adding those who were present but missing in the minutes, punctuation, or grammar errors.
When the process of correcting errors is completed, a member who was present at the last meeting when the minutes were collected endorses that the minutes accurately reflect what occurred during that meeting.
At this point a member proposes and the other seconds. It is vital to highlight that the members who proposes and seconded the minutes had to be present at the meeting. Similarly, the chair and secretary cannot confirm or second because they are required to sign the minutes only after they have been confirmed and seconded by members. In a nutshell, the names of the members who approved and seconded the motion are listed in this agenda.

Matters Arising.

They are concerns that arise from the previous meeting's minutes and are considered in the current or ongoing meeting. This agenda item allows members to review the previous meeting and evaluate whether or not the previous meeting's decisions were followed through on.When documenting issues that arise, the precise agenda item referred to must be specified.
To demonstrate
Min. 3/2021: Matters Arising
      Min. 5/2019: Buying of T-shirts
A member inquired whether all members had paid for the suggested t-shirts and if they had been bought as agreed at the previous meeting. The treasurer reported that all members had paid for the t-shirts, and that they were already at the school, ready to be handed to individual members after the meeting.It is important to note that it is not necessary to specify the name of the member inquiring and the one responding; simply stating that the member(s) is sufficient. Most of the time, it is the member(s) who wish to know, while the office bearer is the one who responds or answers the query on the agenda item raised/matter occurring.

Business of the day

The word "business of the day" does not refer to a specific minute, but rather to all of the agendas or issues to be discussed at the current meeting. As a result, the phrase is used generally to refer to several agenda items which necessitated the convening of the meeting. Preliminaries, confirmation of earlier minutes, and matters arising have always been present, and the new agenda items to be debated are stated as minutes 4,5,6,7, and so on.It is critical to note that most exam questions will identify the agendas to be covered; in this instance, the candidate just needs to use them in the order they appear. In contrast, where they are not stated, a candidate can develop agendas related to the organisation or club that is meeting.

Any other Business (A.O.B)

It relegates to other matters that were discussed during the meeting but were not on the agenda. They are relevant to the group or club, and they are always well numbered, not as individual minutes, but through the use of bullets, numerals, or roman digits.

Adjournment

Adjournment draws the meeting to a close. The time and manner in which the meeting was brought to a close are given below.
To demonstrate
Min.10/21: Adjournment
There being no more business to discuss, the meeting concluded at 4.30 p.m. with prayers led by Madam Evelyn Kantian.

Next Meeting

Subsequently the adjournment, should be a minute to demonstrate the date, time and venue of the next meeting.
As an example,
Min. 11/21: Next Meeting
The next meeting will take place on the 12th of November 2024, at the same location and time.

Note that you can also integrate details of the agenda item of adjournment and the next meeting.

Signing off

After the minutes have been reviewed and confirmed as the authentic record of what transpired, space is provided for both the chairperson and secretary to sign them.

Minutes Numbering

For ease of reference, certain agenda items are numbered as individual minutes. There are various approaches to this:

• Monthly Format, such as Min.1/3/2021: Emerging Issues

The number one represents the agenda item number, the number three represents the month number, and the year 2021 represents the year the meeting was conducted.

• Annually Format, for example, Min. 2/2022: Confirmation of Previous Minutes 

In this case, the number two refers to the agenda item number, and the year the meeting was held is 2022.

• Format of Accumulated Minutes, For Example, Min. 54/2023: Fish Project

The number 54 denotes the fifty-fourth minute of the year 2023. The minutes are compiled from the first meeting of the year to the last meeting of that year in this style of minute recording.

• Meetings in a serialized format, such as Min. 6/13/2025: Trip to Amboseli

The number six represents the item on the agenda, and the number thirteen represents the thirteenth meeting of the year 2025.

Please keep in mind:

• Minutes are counted based on frequency as well as regulation.
• Min. is an abbreviation for minutes in minute numbering.
• There should be a full stop/period following the term Min. to indicate that the word is unfinished, and a colon to separate the minute's number from the minute's title.For example, Min. 2/2021: Emerging Issues.
• Titles and subheadings should always be underlined.
• Language for taking minutes.
• It is not necessary to describe who said what and how the voting took place when documenting minutes; instead, the following phrases might be used:

It was decided...

It was decided that....

It had been decided...

It is vital to note that names of members who make contributions, argue, or even say anything during the meeting are not mentioned in minute writing unless they are assigned a role, such as saying opening or closing prayers, or when they are chosen to create minor committees. When minutes are taken, names of new members and guests can also be recorded.
Finally, it is worth noting that minutes are formal/official documents, therefore formal language and tone should be used.

Minutes are also reported in the first person, such as 'a member said,' and in the passive voice, such as, It was agreed..., It was unanimously agreed that..., A member wanted to know..., A member requested..., It was proposed..., There was an opinion that..., The chair explained..., and so on.

A Sample of Minutes

MINUTES OF THE MENYENYA HIGH SCHOOL HEALTH CLUB MEETING HELD IN THE DINING HALL ON TUESDAY, MAY 25TH, 2023 AT 4:30 PM

Present

1. Dan Owiyeh Akoth -Chair
2. Nelson Nyandieka -Vice-chair
3. Shem Isoe -Secretary
4. Douglas Sagwe -Member
5. Robert Karanja-Member
6. Abigale Maina- Member

Apologies

1. Miriam Memo- Treasurer
2. Jeff Asigogo- Member

Absent

1. Peter Kamau- Member
2. Joan Ondari- Member

In Attendance

1. Dr. Catherine Mbunya- MOH Kijauri Hospital
2. Mrs. Kiiru Jane- Patroness

Min.1/2021: Preliminaries
The meeting began at 4.30 p.m. with prayers led by Mrs. Abigael Maina. The chair thanked everyone for coming, and he mentioned that Ms. Miriam Memo and Mr. Benson Nduati had conveyed their apologies. He went on to thank the club patroness, Mrs. Kiiru Jane, and Dr. Catherine Mbunya for making time to attend the meeting with the members.
Min. 2/2021: Reading and Confirmation of Previous Minutes
The secretary read through the minutes of the previous meeting, made a few adjustments, and then proposed by Mr. Douglas Sagwe as a true record of what happened during the meeting. Ms. Abigale Maina seconded him. The chairperson and secretary then signed the minutes.
Min.3/2021: Matters Arising
Min.4/2020: Trip to Kenyatta University Teaching National Hospital
Members wanted to hear how many people had paid for the trip and how the planning was proceeding. The chair noted that, so far, all members have paid for the trip, and that the school is finalizing the logistics for the trip's success.
Min. 4/2021: Environment Day
Members resolved to continue their termly activity of collecting and burning waste in the neighbouring Kijauri centre after much consideration. Members agreed to hold the activity on Saturday, June 20, 2021, at 10 a.m. for the second term 2023.
Min. 5/2021: Elections
The chair notified the members that the club elections will be held in June, prior to the start of the Mocks tests. It was suggested that the elections take place on July 10, 2023. The secretary was tasked with informing all club members about the election regulations, positions that can be run for, minimal qualifications, and ensuring that ballot papers are ready on time.
Min. 6/2021: Recruitment of New Members.
It was commonly observed that the introduction of multiple clubs in the school has increased competition for membership among clubs. As a result, it was agreed that members should be aggressive in marketing the club to the rest of the students, particularly form one and two. There was universal consensus that additional membership would allow the group to participate in more activities.
Min. 7/2021: Any Other Business
The patroness expressed gratitude to the members for their active participation in club events and wished them a prosperous year.
Dr. Catherine Mbunya was asked by members to organise a voluntary counselling and testing exercise within the institution. She stated that she will address the matter with her staff and provide feedback as soon as feasible.
Min. 8/2021: Adjournment
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting concluded at 5.45 p.m. with prayers led by Mr. Robert Karanja. The next meeting will be held at the same location on the first Tuesday of July, 2024.

Minutes Confirmation

Secretary …......................................... Signature ……… ................Date……….......
Chairperson………….............................Signature…….... ................Date………...…

Exercise for Practise
1.You are the secretary of the Young Farmers Club in your school. The club has just held its meeting. The patron of the club and eight of its ten members attended. The deputy principal also attended. During the meeting, the issue of starting a fish pond was revisited. Members also discussed the following issues: the club’s financial status, members’ annual trip and sale of the club’s produce. Write down the minutes of the meeting. [ KCSE 2015]