Writing Effectively at The World Health Organization

Records: Drafting

Note-taking tips

Before you can prepare excellent minutes, you must take excellent notes. These general tips will help you do that.

  1. Check off the names on your list of attendees as people enter the room.
  2. Make a map of the seating arrangement, if possible, to help be sure about who said what.
  3. Note the essential elements, such as type of meeting, participants’ names, positions and organizations, date and time, and possibly location, and main topics. Refer to minutes from earlier meetings to determine what is essential.
  4. Concentrate on getting the gist of the discussion and taking enough notes to summarize it later; don’t try to record every comment. (Consider taping the meeting if you anticipate that it will be long and complex; however, you will need to have permission from each participant to do so. If you do record on tape, make sure you keep notes.)
  5. Note agreements on follow-up action, including who is responsible for the follow-up.
  6. If any participant asks for something to be placed on record, ensure that you write down the statement accurately. Confirm wording with the speaker, preferably as you write down the statement.
  7. Collect copies of any documents tabled at the meeting; these may become attachments to the minutes.

© WHO 2011