Keeping records

A record of a meeting is a summary of the main points discussed, including what decisions and actions were agreed at the meeting, when they will occur, who will carry them out, and when they will be reviewed.

A useful record

Keep a record of decisions made at a meeting, and make sure everyone has a copy.

It can be useful to keep a record of what was discussed and agreed at the meeting.

A record of a meeting can be written by a note-taker, who is the person given the task of taking notes during the meeting.

A note-taker’s role is to write down the main issues discussed and the agreed decisions and actions, including when these will occur and who is responsible for them. After the meeting, a draft record should be sent to relevant people to check that it is an accurate record of what was discussed and agreed. If a participant does not agree the draft is correct, they can request to have it changed and sent out again.

Keeping records: In practice

• At the start of the meeting when everyone is present, ask who will be taking notes. 
• During the meeting, when a key point is made or a decision is reached, check that the note-taker has made a note of this.
• At the end of the meeting, before people leave, ask the note-taker to summarise the main points.

Forgot to take notes?

If a note-taker was not arranged, it’s not too late to organise a record of the meeting afterwards. This can be done by asking the organiser for a written summary of the meeting, which should be sent to the relevant people.

Keep records of informal meetings

It helps to keep records of informal communications too. For example:

• emails can be saved electronically in a file on your computer
• summaries of telephone calls or face-to-face conversations can be recorded as diary entries, or in a notebook.

A record of an informal meeting or conversation with a teacher can be as simple as a follow-up email or note written by either person. The record helps remind each person about what actions to take and who is responsible for them.

Recording informal meetings: In practice

Here is an example of a follow-up email from an informal meeting:

Dear Ms Allan

Thanks for taking the time to meet with me today to discuss how to keep Tai interested in writing. As we discussed, each week you will provide me with some activities to do at home and I will check that he completes them. I’ll let you know via the communication book how he goes this week with the foam writing and finger paints activities you recommended. We also agreed to meet again in four weeks to discuss his progress. I’m looking forward to working together to help Tai.

Kind regards

Stuart Sung