While meetings may often be seen as burdensome, they hold significant importance for the success of any company or organisation. They bring individuals together, fostering teamwork and collaboration. Within a meeting, ideas can be shared and decisions made for the future direction of the company. Strategic plans can be developed and everyone can be aligned towards the same objectives.
Given the significance of these discussions, it is essential to maintain an accurate record of meeting minutes, documenting the key points to be distributed among participants and stakeholders. Despite some perceiving meeting minutes as unnecessary or irrelevant, this perception is far from the truth.
Thankfully, there are now services available that can assist in effectively summarising the crucial details of your meetings.
What is the Importance of Meeting Minutes?
- A Comprehensive Guide: By diligently taking note of the meeting, you create a valuable guide for your team. This allows everyone to keep track of commitments made by each team member and stay informed about the schedule and deadlines. Meeting minutes serve as a map for your team, outlining the plans and providing guidance as you work towards achieving each action item.
- A Reminder: Amidst the various responsibilities and tasks, it is inevitable that certain details may be forgotten. However, meeting minutes can serve as a reliable source for checking progress. Are you on track? Is anything missing? Is there anything else that needs to be done? This comprehensive document ensures that no task goes unnoticed and provides a helpful reminder for the next meeting, enabling participants to recall previous discussions and decisions.
- Keeping Absentees Informed: Schedule conflicts or emergencies may prevent individuals from attending a meeting. By creating meeting summaries, those who were unable to attend can easily catch up on what transpired. A follow-up email containing the meeting minutes allows everyone to be on the same page, ensuring they are aware of the goals and how to achieve them.
- Time Savings: With clear knowledge of their responsibilities, team members can focus on their designated tasks, whether or not they attended the meeting. This eliminates the need for redundant discussions, saving valuable time for the team.
- Legal Protection: As companies aim to succeed in their industries, they may encounter legal challenges along the way. In such situations, meeting minutes can serve as solid evidence to support a company’s defence. These documented records contain pertinent information such as attendance, decision-making processes, and more, providing proof of the company’s intentions and aiding in resolving legal issues.
Tips for Writing Meeting Minutes:
While there are professional meeting minutes services available, having the ability to create meeting minutes yourself is advantageous. Consider the following tips for writing effective meeting minutes:
- Gather all necessary materials, whether it be pen and paper or a laptop.
- Seek clarification when needed to ensure accuracy in your minutes.
- Maintain consistent language throughout the document.
- Note down all decisions and action items, ensuring that each concern has a corresponding solution.
- Format the minutes in a clear and presentable manner, taking into account personal preferences or those of the managers or executives involved.
- Double-check all information for accuracy and completeness.
Though it may seem like a mundane task, summarising your meetings through meeting minutes provides the entire team with a comprehensive guide that supports their unified pursuit of common goals. In the long run, the benefits of this seemingly simple document are profound.
Having Your Minutes Professional Transcribed
A professional transcription service can be a great option for transcribing your meetings. A professional transcription service can offer you the following benefits:
- Accuracy: A professional transcription service can provide you with a transcript that is accurate. They can handle different types of audio files which takes into accounts speakers, accents, languages, and terminology. A professional transcription service can also proofread and edit the transcript to ensure its quality and consistency.
- Speed: A professional transcription service can deliver your transcript within a short turnaround time.
- Convenience: A professional transcription service can make your transcription process easy and hassle-free. A professional transcription service can accept different formats of audio and video files, such as MP3, WAV, MP4, etc.
- Security: A professional transcription service can protect your data and privacy. They use encryption, password protection, and secure servers to store and transfer your files. A professional transcription service would also comply with the relevant laws and regulations, such as GDPRs.
By using a professional transcription service, you can save time, money, and resources rather than you and your business spending time doing this time consuming process.
About OutSec
OutSec is the UK’s leading online transcription company whose business has grown substantially since 2002. We are one of the most successful transcription companies in the United Kingdom.
OutSec provides secure outsourced transcription services to the medical, legal, property and surveying, universities, media and interviews, advisory boards, conferences & seminars, inventories, financial, corporate, HR, recruitment and Executive Search sectors.
Why is Dictation More Efficient than Typing?
Well, the simple fact is that we can all speak considerably faster than we can physically type:
“The average person types between 38 and 40 words per minute”.
A “good rate of speech ranges between 140 -160 words per minute.”
In other words, dictation is up to four times faster than we can type. Therefore, simply dictating a document is more cost-efficient, giving you more time to dedicate your efforts elsewhere in your business.
Therefore why not add OutSec as a business continuity option for your business? Accounts are free, you pay on a per-minute basis (rounded to the nearest minute) on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no contracts or minimum spend. What do you have to lose? Why not open an account today!
Picture Attribution:
Image by pressfoto on Freepik
