MAKING MINUTES
WHY ARE MINUTES IMPORTANT?
Minutes are an essential way for societies to keep track of their meetings, discussions and
activities, which ensures that things operate in an organised manner. It is also a great
way to avoid misunderstandings, and include members who were unable to attend. They
will act as useful reminders, especially if societies decide to meet after long periods of time,
for example after school holidays. Reviewing the minutes from previous meetings allows
you to seamlessly restart discussions and activities.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WRITING MINUTES?
The writing and distribution of minutes is mainly the responsibility of the society’s Secretary.
However; for clear and accurate minutes to be recorded, all society members must
proactively strive for clarity during meetings. The Chair has a significant responsibility for
directing and focusing the discussions, but also to ensure that the secretary has adequate
time to take notes and record salient information. If members talk over one another or
have several discussions at once, it makes it very difficult for the secretary to accurately
record information. Therefore, good minutes will be a result of all of the society members
working together.
RECORD TAKING
How you choose to record information is up to you. Some people like to make notes by
hand, whilst others like to type them as they go along. Very proficient minute takers will
actually be able to write the minutes using the template as the meeting progresses. This
might be something that you will be able to do after a few meetings with more practice.
The term ‘minutes’ can be a bit misleading – you do not have to record what happens
minute by minute! The most important things to make a note of are:
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Decisions
Next actions
Results of any voting that has taken place
Deadlines for tasks
The most important thing is to complete the minutes as soon as possible after the meeting.
Usually, minutes should be completed by the same person who made the notes within 3
days of the meeting taking place. Try to be as objective as possible. Writing minutes is
similar to writing a scientific piece of work, in that it should not be written in the first
person or be informal. We have provided you with a template below to make this a little
easier for you!
DISTRIBUTION AND SHARING OF MINUTES
The secretary is also responsible for sharing the minutes. This includes members who
were absent from the meeting and teachers who are involved in supervising your society.
You should discuss the easiest and most appropriate way of sharing minutes with your
society at the outset. This could involve emailing everyone, cloud sharing, loading these
onto your school website or on a website that has been created specifically for your student
society. It is also important for the secretary to file hard copies of the minutes and agendas
in chronological order. This folder should be brought to every society meeting in case you
ever need to look back at these for reference.
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[INSERT SCHOOL NAME]
Medic Mentor Student Society
MEETING INFORMATION
Objective:
Date:
Time:
Location:
Chair:
MEETING PARTICIPANTS
Those in Attendance
Apologies:
ACCEPTANCE/AMMENDMENTS TO PREVIOUS MINUTES
Before the agenda is discussed, it is a good idea to discuss the minutes from the previous
meeting. This can be done simply by asking members if they were happy with the minutes or if
there was anything that needed changing, adding or updating.
DECISIONS MADE FROM THE AGENDA
This section should reflect the agenda topics. The Chair should be working with the Secretary
during the discussion of the agenda. Whilst the Chair is responsible for focusing the discussion
and introducing each subject, the Secretary is responsible for noting important decisions and
points made during the discussion. The Chair should allow time for these notes to be made by
the Secretary and also ensure that ‘next actions’ are decided upon. Tasks that arise should be
effectively delegated by the President and recorded in the minutes by the Secretary.
[Insert topic for discussion]
[Name of members who are presenting or leading discussion]
 Write a short description of the main decisions made.
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Next Actions:
 Make notes on what the ‘next actions’ are going to be and who is responsible for completing
the tasks. Each task should also be given a deadline for completion.
[Insert topic for discussion]
[Name of members who are presenting or leading discussion]
 Write a short description of the main decisions made.
Next Actions:
 Make notes on what the ‘next actions’ are going to be and who is responsible for completing
the tasks. Each task should also be given a deadline for completion.
VOTING OUTCOMES
During your meeting, you may have decided to vote on certain decisions. If any voting has taken
place, ensure that this is noted here. It is also useful to note how many votes were for, against
and abstained.
OTHER BUSINESS
This is an opportunity for society members to discuss concerns or ideas that are not on the
agenda. Each subject discussed should follow a similar outline to the way the agenda topics are
also discussed and noted.
[Insert topic for discussion]
[Name of members who are presenting or leading discussion]
 Write a short description of the main decisions made.
Next Actions:
 Make notes on what the ‘next actions’ are going to be and who is responsible for completing
the tasks. Each task should also be given a deadline for completion.
NEXT MEETING
Towards the end of the meeting, it is important to establish the date, time and location of the
next meeting before the members disperse. It will be much harder to agree on a time for the
next meeting once everyone has left!
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