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Division Secretariat Advisory

Preparing Meeting Agendas & Minutes

Presented by Myron Iseminger

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• Research suggests that the average manager will spend about 20% of his or her time each week stuck in time consuming tasks such as meetings. That is one full work day each week.

Source: How to Create an Effective Meeting Agenda How.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4729685_effective-meeting-agenda.html#ixzz1GxWRxbEq

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• Stewardship of time stresses the importance of efficient planning prior to meetings and proper preservation of committee minutes.

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Creating a Meeting Agenda

• Purpose:– The meeting agenda is a roadmap for

the meeting. It lets participants know where they're headed so they don't get off track. Most importantly, the meeting agenda gives a sense of purpose, direction and transparency to the meeting.

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Agenda Preparation

• All items for the agenda are routed through the secretary’s office.

• The secretary serves as agenda coordinator…• responsible for gathering the information

that is to be placed on the division agenda, • responsible for the preparation and

distribution of the agenda.

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Agenda Content

All agendas should list the following: • Meeting name• Meeting date and time • Meeting location • Heading for each action• Initials of presenter beside each topic• May indicate the suggested action and

time allocated for each topic

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Agenda Review

• It is the usual plan for the division officers to review the proposed agenda and agree which items are to be listed for the next meeting.

• As a rule, items should not be listed on the agenda until after the three officers have come to some kind of a consensus that would offer an expected outcome for the proposed agenda item.

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Agenda Preparation

• Before each meeting the secretary will contact each individual who has items to present on the agenda to make sure that he/she will be present to care for the assigned item.

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Agenda Sequence

• Ensure any urgent issues are placed near the top of the agenda. Non-urgent items place down the agenda. If you are going to miss any you can more easily afford to miss these.

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Agenda Sequence

• Try to achieve a varied mix through the agenda order.

• If possible avoid putting heavy or controversial items together.

• Vary the agenda to create changes in pace and intensity.

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Agenda Sequence

• Put some less important issues near the top of the agenda. If you put them all on the bottom you may never get to them because you'll tend to spend all the time on the big issues.

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Agenda Sequence• People are most sensitive at the

beginning of meetings, especially if there are attendees who are keen to stamp their presence on proceedings. Schedule a particularly controversial issue later in the sequence, which gives people a chance to settle down and relax first, and maybe get some of the sparring out of their systems over less significant items.

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Agenda Sequence

• Be mindful of the lull that generally affects people after lunch, so try to avoid scheduling the most boring item of the agenda at this time.

• Instead, after lunch get people participating and involved, whether speaking, presenting, debating or doing other active things.

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Support Material for Agenda Items

• Individuals having recommendations on the agenda must prepare the support material.

• The item title is listed on the agenda, but the details are listed on a separate sheet.

• Support material for distribution should be given to the secretary’s office at least one day before the committee meets.

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Deadline for Agenda Submissions

• The deadline for listing agenda items is to be decided by the three officers.

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Questions and Suggestions about the Agenda

Preparation

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Meeting Minutes• Meeting Minutes are a compilation

of the points discussed at a meeting.

• They provide a historical record of decisions for individuals not present.

• Minutes keep track of the progress of the actions approved so one can refer back to the minutes to take stock of the current status.

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Meeting Minutes

• Record what was DONE at the meeting, and NOT what was SAID.

• Minutes should be as concise as possible. Include only dialogue necessary to understand the action taken.

• Discussions memorialized by the minutes can become a tool against the organization in litigation.

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Meeting Minutes

• Make sure that all of the essential elements are noted, such as type of meeting, name of the organization, date and time, name of the chair or facilitator, and the actions voted.

• For formal and corporate meetings include approval of previous minutes, and all resolutions.

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Meeting Minutes

• Use whatever device is comfortable for you, a notepad, a laptop computer, a digital recorder, etc.

• For many meetings, use of a recording secretary is appropriate.

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Meeting Minutes

• Some people routinely record important meetings as a backup to their notes. Note that there can be legal implications if you preserve the audio recording.

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Meeting Minutes

• Include the names of the chairperson, secretary and recording secretary.

• Don't wait too long to type the minutes, and be sure to have them approved by the chair or facilitator before distributing them to the attendees.

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Meeting Minutes Distribution

• Minutes should be prepared and distributed as soon as possible after the committee meeting.

• Minutes of Midyear Committee/ Yearend Committee should be distributed as soon as the meetings are adjourned so union officers can take the minutes with them when they leave after the meetings.

• The distribution of minutes may be done both electronically and in hard copies.

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Meeting Minutes Distribution

• Copies of the Division Executive Committee minutes are furnished to the division as follows:•A complete set of minutes to the Archives.•One copy to the division president,

secretary, and treasurer.• Copies distributed to members and others

as authorized.

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Implementation of Actions

• A normal procedure would be for the three officers to meet briefly after the committee meeting to assign responsibility for implementation of actions.

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Meeting Minutes Summary

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 responsibilities and clearly define what happened at the meeting.

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Questions and Suggestions about Committee Minutes