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8+ Meeting Minute Templates in Word
When a formal meeting has to be held, there is usually an attendee who is given the task of taking down everything that happens during it. This includes the number of people that have attended, the topics that are discussed, the solutions that have been considered and much more.
Should you be that person, then you will need to learn how to come up with a meeting minutes. This article is going to teach you all that you need to know in order for you to be able to come up with one.
Meeting Minutes Template Bundle
Construction Minutes of The Meeting Template Bundle
Elements of a Meeting Minutes
If you are going to make any kind of detailed meeting minutes, then you are going to have to learn about its basic elements. This type of document requires that you are able to consider all of the information that allows it to serve its purpose: to help explain all of the details regarding a particular meeting that has taken place.
Knowing that, here are the basic elements that just about every meeting minutes should have:
1. Heading: This is where you are going to have to provide the name of the committee that is in charge of holding the meeting, the location in which the meeting is held, and the time and date in which it started. This applies when making informal meeting minutes as well.
2. Attendees: No meeting minutes is complete without a list of attendees. This is where you are going to be placing the complete names of those that have attended, those who have failed to be present, and those that will require a copy of the minutes.
3. Approval of Minutes: This is where you point out if the minutes of the previous meeting is approved. This is also where you will but putting information regarding whether or not any corrections had to be made and any outstanding actions and responsibilities.
4. Action Items: This would be unfinished business from the previous meeting and any current and new actions that will require immediate attention. It will require you to put in a detailed report on each topic that was discussed during the meeting and any decisions that have been reached. Include the names of any other individuals, third parties, or organizations if there is a need to clarify a particular item in this section.
5. Announcements: It is here where you point out the agenda for next meeting, as well as a state any apologies for the people that are unable to attend the current one.
6. Next Meeting: This is where you place the information regarding where the next meeting is going to be held.
7. Signature Line: To whoever is tasked with creating a simple meeting minutes document, that person will need to provide his/her name, signature, and the date in which the document was created. Take note that some meeting minutes will require more than one name and signature as this all depends on the importance of the meeting.
8+ Meeting Minutes in Word
Simple Meeting Minutes Template
Professional Meeting Minutes Template
Board Meeting Minutes Template
Committee Meeting Minutes Template
Construction Meeting Minutes Template
Project Meeting Minutes Template
Safety Meeting Minutes Template
Church Meeting Minutes Template
How to Make a Meeting Minutes in Word
Now that you have managed to learn about the basic elements of a meeting minutes document, the next thing that you are going to have to do is to learn how to make one. You should know just how important it is that you are able to provide all of the information that the document will need in order for it to actually serve its purpose.
So with that, here are the steps that will help you come up with proper meeting minutes.
I. Make Use of a Word Program: If you are going to make any kind of meeting minutes in Word format, then that just means that you will need to make use of a word processing program to help you. Take note that while there are many available for you to use, the best one to use as of this moment is Microsoft Word. This is because it is easy to use and it has generally been accepted as the program for making any kind of documents in Word format. So should you decide to use Microsoft Word, be sure to do the following:
1. Open up Microsoft Word.
2. Click on the “File” tab.
3. Select “New.
4. Choose if you would like to start using a blank document or if you want to choose from the list of available MS Word templates.
As you can see, the process of making a meeting minutes via Microsoft Word is very quick and easy. You can even use the exact same steps to help you come up with other types of documents other than meeting minutes. Also, take note that other Word programs can also help you make documents in Word but in their own process. It’s all a matter of personal preference when it comes to choosing which one you are going to use.
II. Make Your Meeting Minutes: Whether you decide to make use of a template or if you are going to make one from scratch, you still have to ensure that the document has all of the information that it needs. To guarantee that it does, be sure to do the following:
1. Check attendance right away: Before the meeting even begins, you are going to have to check attendance immediately. The document must be able to point out everyone that is supposed to attend, who is present during the business meeting, and who is not.
2. Pay attention to all of the details: When it comes to taking down information that is being shared during a meeting, you are going to have to pay close attention. Make sure that you are able to take note of everything from the topics discussed, issues raised, solutions suggested and accepted, etc.
3. Provide Your Basic Information: Remember that those who will be going through the meeting minutes will want to know who is responsible for its creation. What this means is that you must not forget to include your complete name and signature. Also, do not forget to include the names and signatures of those that are required to approve the document should it be necessary.
Tips for Making a Meeting Minutes
1. Go with a proper format: No matter what kind of information you end up putting into your meeting minutes, you have to ensure that it can be easily read and understood. This means that you must consider the format of the document. You must think about the font and font size that you are going to use, as well as how you should go about in presenting the information. If you like, you can check out the many different samples of meeting minutes format that you can find just about anywhere online.
2. Check to see if there is anything that you have to correct: The last thing that you want to do is to submit a meeting minutes that contains any a lot of mistakes. To prevent that from happening, you are going to have to proofread and edit your work. It is always best that you go through the document at least twice so to ensure that you are able to fix all of the of the mistakes that you may have missed.
Types of Meeting Minutes
Now that you know about the basic elements as well as the steps that allow you to make a meeting minutes, you must now learn about the types that you can make. Take note that different types of meeting minutes are for putting in information for different types of meetings. Knowing what you can make ensures that you create the right document for the right situation. So knowing that, here are a few examples:
- Board Meeting Minutes
- Church Meeting Minutes
- Construction Meeting Minutes
- Committee Meeting Minutes
- Project Meeting Minutes
- Safety Meeting Minutes
- School Meeting Minutes
Should you wish to learn more about the other types of meeting minutes that you can make, or if you would like to learn about other types of documents, then all you have to do is to go through our site until you are able to get all of the information that you need.
Meeting Minute FAQs
How Do I Make Sure that I Cover Everything in the Meeting?
The best way to do this is to categorize the different pieces of information. For example, point out what are issues that have to be solved, what has already been solved, what solutions have been accepted and so on. To help you even further, you can ask someone to assist you in taking down notes on what has transpired during the meeting.
Is There an Easy Way to Make One?
Yes. The only thing that you are going to have to do is to download a printable template and open it to make whatever changes you think are necessary. If you like, you can make use of the templates that are available in this article.
So long as you make the most out of the information that is presented in this article, then you should not have to worry about coming up with a proper and effective meeting minutes document.
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