Reflective Essay of Minutes Taking

1147 Words5 Pages
Upon reflection of writing up the minutes I had taken, I needed to first distinguish between the actual facts and action items, and not just express people’s concerns or suggestions. Trying to summarize the minutes and breaking them down I found quite daunting at first. I needed to obtain the actual facts from the meeting and break them down in to an outcome that specifically recorded the actual facts, points and disagreements. Effective communication is probably one of the key points to achieving a satisfactory and detailed outcome from taking minutes in a meeting. This type of communication can involve more than just jotting down notes but requires you to listen and understand the sentiments behind the information that is being put across. Listening effectively in a meeting will help you understand what the speaker is trying to convey and how they are feeling. It can combat stressful situations when certain issues are being raised. Peter Hartley(1999) states : “Interpersonal communication happens between persons,not between rules masks or stereotypes” I needed to focus on the key points of the meeting and had to remember that I wasn’t taking notes to study for an assignment but rather straightforward facts from the meeting so I could interpret them accurately. I needed to decide what was said in the meeting and by whom and then list down the action items in a logical and concise manner so that they were easily legible so I could document them accordingly. I found writing down the comprehensive list of notes that I had taken during the meeting easier when I broke them down in to sub-sections. It made me focus on the task in hand and I was able to reflect upon the relevant points that were necessary. Bullet points made it easier to get the points and actions across in a more clear and concise manner. Upon reflection of this, writing everything down with
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