Report Writing

BUSINESS MEETING

Components of a Business Meeting:

Notice, Agenda and Minutes
Some of the major components of a business meeting are : 1. Notice of Meeting, 2. Agenda of Meeting and 3.
Minutes of the Meeting

Notice of a Meeting:
When a meeting is to be convened, a notice is required to be sent to all who are to attend it.

It should satisfy these conditions

1. It should be under proper authority

2. It should state the name of the organisation

3. It should state the day, date, time, and place. Also, sometimes, how to reach the pl

4. It should be well in advance. Some require seven days’ notice, some 48 hours’

5. It should state the purpose and, if possible, the agenda

6. It should carry the date of circulation and convener’s/secretary’s signature

7. It should go to all persons required at the meet

8. It should mention the TA/DA etc. payable and the arrangements for this

In practice, it is necessary to ensure that the notice has reached in time. This may be done telephonically.
Dispatch section and post are prone to delays

We often find that between the date of a letter from a major public organisation and the post mark on the letter,
there is a gap of 10-12 days. A notice that should reach seven days before a meet should not reach seven days after
the meet.

Meaning of minute

Minute is an official written statement of the motions and resolutions taken in a meeting. It is brief but a
complete record of all discussions held among the members of the meeting. It is also defined as the official record
of the proceeding of a meeting that should be needed to approve by the participating members of the meeting.

An accurate written record of meetings is essential not only for all those who attended the meeting but also for
those who were unable to attend. Some definitions of minute are as follows:

According to Rajendra Pal and Korlahalli, “Minutes are the official records of the proceedings of
meeting.”
So, minutes are the brief and complete official written record of all discussion which is held among the members
of the meeting.

Types of minute

Generally, the minutes of a meeting can be divided into two groups. They are the follows:

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1. Minutes of narration: These minutes will be a concise summary of all discussions which took place, reports
received, actions to be taken and decisions made. It includes:

 Names of the participating members.

 Name of the proposer and supporter.

 Discussion summary. Resolutions.

2. Voting pattern etc.Minutes of resolution: Minutes of resolution means the written statement of the
decisions that have been taken and approved by the participating members of the meeting. Only the main
conclusions which are reached at the meeting are recorded in minutes of resolution. These are usually used for
minutes of AGMs and other statutory meetings.

Example: Purchase of photocopier- the company secretary submitted a report from the administrative manager
containing full details of the trial of the AEZ photocopier. It was resolved that the AEZ photocopier be purchased
at a cost of $250

Difference between agenda and minute

Both agenda and minutes are the important documents of a meeting. But they differ from each other in respect of
the following points:

Factors considered in drafting minute

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The following factors should be considered in drafting minutes of a meeting:

1. Name and address of the organization

2. Name of the meeting
3. Date, time and venue of the meeting
4. Name of the chairperson
5. Name and signature of the participating members
6. Serial number
7. Following of the rules and structure of minutes
8. Name of the prosper and supplier of resolutions
9. Number of regret letters
10. Easy and understandable language
11. Divisions
12. Proper data
13. Signature of the president

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Agenda:
As stated earlier, an agenda is the list of items to be considered at a meeting. It is also called business or order of
business. It comes from the Latin word agendum (singular) which means ‘a thing to be done.’ But agenda (the
Latin plural) is used as a singular noun.

It is the route map of the meeting. The specimen notices above already contain a hint of how it is written. The
agenda may be a part of the notice or may be attached as an annexure. The convenor/secretary prepares it in
consultation with the chairperson and gets his approval.

The items of agenda should cover all that is necessary to be considered at that time. Meetings take time and effort
to arrange; hence the agenda has to be well thought out.

The items may be devised from:

(a) Previous minutes

(b) Suggestions received

(c) Actions and events since last meeting

(d) Correspondence of the organisation

The agenda contains routine items as well as special ones.

Here are some guidelines for listing the items:

1. Apologies from absent members (need not be written previously)

2. Condolences if any (may or may not be written previously)

3. Reading and approval of minutes of the last meet

4. Matters arising out of previous meet’s minutes (this need not always be mentioned)

5. Urgent and non-controversial items

6. Matters requiring closer discussion and debates

7. Any new, on-the-spot items with the approval of the chairman

8. Date of the next meet.

The last item in a meeting is a vote of thanks to the chairman but this need to be mentioned. The items are
mentioned briefly or elaborately according to the practice or need.

The style used is as follows:

(i) Appointment of auditors

(ii) Induction of new members

(iii) Reading of minutes

(iv) Felicitating so-and-so on the award of Padmashri to him/her

OR

(i) To read and approve the minutes of the previous meet

(ii) To consider the advertisement draft

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(iii) To organize a blood donation camp

(iv) To appoint sub-committees for sports competition and music competition

The agenda should be manageable within the time at disposal. Some clubs have a time limit for the duration of a
meeting (e.g. 90 minutes), which automatically dictates the scope of discussion.

Minutes of the Meeting:

The minutes of a meeting are the record of the discussions/decisions therein. They have an official status; they
are useful in law, and in some cases required by law to be written. Minutes are final when they are approved by
the members of the group to which they relate, generally in the next meeting, and signed by the chairperson.

Even if there are emotional moments in a meet, the minutes are written in an unemotional manner, are cool,
factual, impersonal, and impartial. Moreover, such are the demands of time on most people that the minutes
should be concise, boiled down to the essentials.

Only some organizations’ require that they record the detailed discussions as well (i.e. who said what and what
were the reactions… until the decision was reached). Normally, the body of the minute’s records.

(a) The motions and amendments thereto

(b) The proposer and seconded of motions

(c) The details of voting, if any

(d) Recommendations

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(e) Decisions/ resolutions

(f) Tasks assigned to individuals, sub-committees

The overall minutes should give:

1. The name of the organisation/ unit

2. Day, date, time and place

3. Number in order (e.g. 33rd meeting of…)

4. Names of chairperson and secretary

5. Names of members present

6. Names of the absent

7. Attendees by special invitation, e.g. auditor, caterer, etc.

8. Record of the transactions (on the guidelines given above)

9. Signature of secretary and, after approval, that of the chairman.

Tips for writing minutes:

The minutes are written generally by the secretary from the notes taken during the meet. He/she can use the
agenda as the framework for writing them and use short forms, shorthand etc. to take quick and accurate notes.
He may have to ask members to repeat their words to get them right.

He should note down all the particulars needed for the fair copy of minutes. The items of the minutes can be
written under short headings such as are used in the agenda.

(As for reading them, some committees circulate them in advance and take them as read. Otherwise the reader
should read them loudly, clearly, and quickly.)

Style wise, they use one of these constructions:

a. It was resolved that the minutes of the previous meeting be approved.

b. It was decided that a sub-committee be set up to consider

c. Resolved that a blood donation camp be held on 15th August. (The verb is used in the subjunctive mood: “be
done, be appointed”, etc.)
Alternatively, the description is given in the past tense:
1. Minutes of last meet:
The secretary read out the minutes of the meet dated… and they were approved.

2. Donation received:
The chairman informed that he had received a donation of Rs. 50,000 from ex-member Mr. Gopal Rathi.

At the time of approval, the chairman asks, “Do you accept the minutes as they stand?” OR “Any matters arising
out of the minutes?”

Your ability to write good minutes can earn you a prize position in an organisation. Also, if you hold a position
and do not know how to write minutes, you may face embarrassment.

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