Production Notes

 Meeting minutes are important.  They capture the essential information of a meeting – decisions and assigned actions. They keep attendees on track by reminding them of their role in a project and clearly define what happened in a group session. 

At the start of each lesson, the class will meet for 15-20 minutes to plan, follow-up and/or monitor important dates, the progress of work placement and production schedules, etc. Students work in pairs to run the agenda, take minutes and distribute a record of the meeting to all participants at the end of the meeting.

The following instructions will help you take useful and concise meeting minutes.

Before the Meeting

• Prior to class, log on to a computer and download the Meeting Minutes. 
• Open the document and fill in details e.g. dates, chair's name, time, agenda items, etc. 
• Gather as much information from your teacher and from the previous meeting minutes. Additional agenda items can be added prior to or during the meeting.

During the Meeting

• Check off the names of all attendees.
• Don’t  record every word - create an outline.
• Focus on what is being discussed and record what’s been assigned or decided. 
• Record action items and decisions as they happen. 
• If you don’t understand or miss something - ask and clarify.

After the Meeting

• Once the meeting is finished, review the document for errors with your partner. 
• Label (with a date) save and email the minutes to all participants, even to those not present. 

Hints for taking effective minutes

• If you are recording the minutes, make sure you are not a major participant in the meeting. You can’t perform both tasks well.

• Focus on action items, not discussion. The purpose of minutes is to define decisions made and to record what actions are to be taken, by whom and when.

• Be objective. Write in the same tense throughout and avoid using people’s names except for motions or seconds.  

• Avoid personal observations. The fewer adjectives or adverbs you use, the better. Dull writing is the key to appropriate minutes.

• If you need to refer to other documents, attach them in an appendix or indicate where they may be found on the vetentertainment blog.

• Email the final copy of the minutes to attendees right away. Print a copy for yourself because later in the year as part of your production assessment task you will be required to submit a minimum of four meeting minutes as evidence of competency for two core units, Manage Your Own learning and Communication.