Assignment: Reports
Meeting minutes may seem to be insignificant but they are actually official documents of the company and can be subpoenaed as evidence in a court of law. It's important to take careful minutes.
For this assignment, you will watch a video of a mock meeting in the "Watch It" box below. Then create a Word document as the meeting minutes. As you watch the video, focus on applying what you learned about reports to create minutes that summarize essential points. Your meeting minutes should be understandable by another reader months or perhaps even years after the meeting.
You will submit this assignment as a Word attachment to your instructor via email.
Required Information of Meeting Minutes
- Date
- Time of the meeting
- Name of attendees
- Acceptance or corrections to previous meeting minutes
- Actions to be taken including the next steps
- The person assigned to each action
- Checkpoint on tasks/progress
- The voting outcomes (if there are any)
Watch It
This meeting meeting took place on January 28th, 2016, at 3pm EST.The participant’s names are Sarah, Eleanor, and Julie.
Click here to download a transcript of this video. Or you can read the entire conversation here:
[0:00] SARAH: Okay so for this morning's meeting, we've got a couple thing on the agenda to discuss. First off, I'm going start with talking about our scheduling processes. Because I know some of our staff are using their Outlook calendars and some of our staff are using Web Tracker.
[0:14] SARAH: Some people use both, but that's creating double bookings and it's—and those double bookings can create a lot of confusion in the front reception area when those double bookings do occur.
[0:24] SARAH: Uhm, so, I would like to talk about some processes around how maybe we can kind of streamline that process to make it a little more easier for the receptionist and uh make the appointments flow a little more fluidly.
[0:43] SARAH: Eleanor are you using Web Tracker or are you using primarily using Outlook for yours?
ELEANOR: I primarily use Web Tracker.
SARAH: [overlapping] Oh ok.
ELEANOR: But I try to keep Outlook just for my own personal appointments, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be some conflict there.
SARAH: Right. Because if you have an appointment or something like that, that might not be reflected in Tracker.
[1:00] ELEANOR: Exactly.
SARAH: Okay. And what about yourself?
JULIE: Uhm, I use both. But I find that I'm in a really unique situation because I am the contact between the two different facilities.
SARAH: Right.
JULIE: So our only contact with the other facility is through Web Tracker.
SARAH: [overlapping] Mm-hm.
JULIE: However, all of our facilitators use Outlook.
[1:18] So I'm having to do Outlook because it's easier for them to pull up email as opposed to Web Tracker because depending where they are they might not have access. So I know like what happened this week, with one of our classes who had whole bunch of appointments.
[1:35] It was in Outlook, but it was not in Web Tracker, and then they were double-booked into Web Tracker,
SARAH: [overlapping] Okay
JULIE: as well as doing a training session, so we had major confusion.
SARAH: Yeah. Okay.
JULIE: [overlapping laughter]
[1:45] ELEANOR: So what’s the solution?
SARAH: I— My thoughts are— I've already to IT and we cannot— We cannot merge both. So there won't be any communication between a Web Tracker calendar and an Outlook Calendar.
[2:00] So, that's not going to be an option for us. So, my thoughts are either we suggest to people use one or the other, and then the company is all on the same page, so that there's no confusion.
[2:13] ELEANOR: Basically, just need to be Web Tracker.
SARAH: Yeah, because our downtown location also has access to Web Tracker as well, and with Outlook, you'd have to grant access to everybody to be able to view different calendars, which I think could be very confusing.
JULIE: [overlapping] Yeah. [not overlapping] Well, in Web Tracker being web-based as well,
[2:30] SARAH: [overlapping] Mm-hm.
JULIE: If we are away we can still remotely schedule.
SARAH: Yeah. Okay, so are you guys with that?
ELEANOR: [overlapping] Yeah
JULIE: [overlapping] Yeah; yes.
SARAH: Okay. So, I'll head that one up and, uh, we'll have to send out some sort of communication to staff regarding that.
[2:45] JULIE: Yeah, if you want me to put maybe like a little tutorial together on how to use
SARAH: [overlapping] Perfect
JULIE: a full-on calendars in Web Tracker
SARAH: [overlapping] Yep.
JULIE: The next thing I'm going to need to do is obviously change our policies, so that it reflects that we're no longer using Outlook for calendar purposes.
[3:01] SARAH: [overlapping] Right.
JULIE: And make sure that the training path is associated with
SARAH: [overlapping] Okay.
JULIE: the policies, so we can do that. And then we're going to have to get that out to all employees as soon as possible, so that we don't have a major issue, like we had earlier this week.
[3:17] SARAH: Right. Ok. Perfect. So that will go with your policy statement. I'm going through that.
JULIE: So in regards to that communication, are we looking at doing a mass training? Because I know that this we do have a staff training, an all-staff training.
SARAH: [overlapping] That’s right.
JULIE: Or do we want to do it via email?
[3:34] ELEANOR: You know, let's do both.
SARAH: I think we—yeah.
ELEANOR: I agree. I don't always go to those massive staff trainings.
JULIE: [overlapping] Yeah
ELEANOR: And then we'll also something written down we can refer to to make sure we're doing it correctly.
JULIE: [overlapping] Mm-hmm.
[3:46] SARA: So we'll do both. We can send an email, and you can also touch base with our all-staff meeting on Thursday with everybody.
ELEANOR: Okay.
SARAH: Good.
JULIE: Okay.
SARAH: Perfect. Okay.
ELEANOR: While we're on the topic of emails—
SARAH: [overlapping] Yeah?
[3:56] ELEANOR: I don't know about the rest of you, but I get a lot of emails, and of course respond to them all eventually, but I think it would really helpful if A) our subject lines were more specific.
SARAH: Okay.
ELEANOR: Sometimes people don't even put a topic in a subject line, it drives me crazy.
[4:14] ELEANOR: But even more, it would be great if we could label it. Maybe urgent, or
SARAH: [overlapping] Please read
ELEANOR: —FYI, or response required, or response not required— Just something to help me prioritize those emails.
SARAH: [overlapping] I think
JULIE: [overlapping] I think in regards to that— Oh, sorry
SARAH: No, no, go ahead; go ahead.
[4:32] JULIE: People— I've been getting a bunch of emails that are marked high importance that are not high importance, like
SARAH: Yeah.
ELEANOR: [overlapping] That’s true
JULIE: So, I think we need to have some sort of a [hesitation] Again, a policy in regards who's—what actually constitutes a higher priority [laughter] that needs to be dealt with quickly.
[4:50] SARAH: Okay.
ELEANOR: Do you want to get together tomorrow, or . . .?
JULIE: Sure.
ELEANOR: Yeah
JULIE: We can play around with some stuff, and
[JULIE and ELEANOR crosstalk; unintelligible]
[4:58] ELEANOR: and determine what the perfect words are that we're going to use, and
JULIE: Wonderful.
ELEANOR: Yeah.
JULIE: Absolutely.
[5:03] SARAH: And then I can communicate that out. So if you guys put that together,
ELEANOR: Sure.
SARAH: And then I can also include that in the staff-wide email that I'll send out regarding scheduling, so that way—
ELEANOR: [overlapping] And then we can talk about it at our training.
[5:14] SARAH: Yeah.
ELEANOR: Okay
Sarah: Perfect. Uhm, lastly on our agenda is the office party that is coming up. We don't have very many people in our social committee, and it's quite a bit of work for just one person to be doing on their own.
[5:31] SARAH: So I don't know if the two you would be interested in helping participate in that. If not, I know there’s a lot of stuff going on in everybody's lives outside of work. So that's also something that I'll probably send out in an email as well.
[5:43] SARAH: But I thought I'd offer to you, if that's your thing you were interested in. But we'll need to have, I would say, an handful of people. Maybe at least three to four working on it collaboratively.
ELEANOR: Okay. So you're interested in us and in us recruiting others.
SARAH: Yes. I am.
ELEANOR: Okay, no problem.
[5:59] SARAH: Perfect. But, by. No means—don't feel pressured to participate in it, but if you have the time, I'd—
ELEANOR: [overlapping] I'm honored
SARAH: I'd appreciate it. So, we've taken care of that. Any other things, any other outstanding objects and topics that we need to talk about?
[6:15] JULIE: No, I think we're good. I think we're ready for our staff meeting tomorrow.
SARAH: Perfect. So I'll start working on the scheduling process communication. You guys can touch base with the policy updates and the email subject line, so that we can all put that together for everybody for Thursday.
[6:31] SARAH: And that seems like we've covered everything. Hooray. Perfect. Thanks ladies.
SARAH: Take care
ELEANOR: Thanks
Assignment Resources
Do you need additional help with this assignment? Here are some resources:- Watch this video (or read the transcript): 5 Minutes on Taking Minutes
- Examples of meeting minutes:
- Wikimedia Foundation Minutes
- Adoption of Minutes; interviews: discussion
- OSI Board Meeting Minutes, April 11, 2007
Grading Rubric
| Criteria | Not Evident | Developing | Proficient | Exemplary | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organization and format | 2 pts Writing lacks logical organization. It may show some coherence but ideas lack unity. Serious errors and generally is an unorganized format and information. |
3 pts Writing is coherent and logically organized, using a format suitable for the material presented. Some points may be contextually misplaced and/or stray from the topic. Transitions may be evident but not used throughout the essay. Organization and format used may detract from understanding the material presented. |
4 pts Writing is coherent and logically organized, using a format suitable for the material presented. Transitions between ideas and paragraphs create coherence. Overall unity of ideas is supported by the format and organization of the material presented. |
5 pts Writing shows high degree of attention to details and presentation of points. Format used enhances understanding of material presented. Unity clearly leads the reader to the writer’s conclusion and the format and information could be used independently. |
5 pts |
| Content | 2 pts Some but not all required questions are addressed. Content and/or terminology is not properly used or referenced. Little or no original thought is present in the writing. Concepts presented are merely restated from the source, or ideas presented do not follow the logic and reasoning presented throughout the writing. |
3 pts All required questions are addressed but may not be addressed with thoughtful consideration and/or may not reflect proper use of content terminology or additional original thought. Additional concepts may not be present and/or may not be properly cited sources. |
4 pts All required questions are addressed with thoughtful consideration reflecting both proper use of content terminology and additional original thought. Some additional concepts may be presented from other properly cited sources, or originated by the author following logic and reasoning they’ve clearly presented throughout the writing. |
5 pts All required questions are addressed with thoughtful in-depth consideration reflecting both proper use of content terminology and additional original thought. Additional concepts are clearly presented from properly cited sources, or originated by the author following logic and reasoning they’ve clearly presented throughout the writing. |
5 pts |
| Development – Critical Thinking | 4 pts Shows some thinking and reasoning but most ideas are underdeveloped, unoriginal, and/or do not address the questions asked. Conclusions drawn may be unsupported, illogical or merely the author’s opinion with no supporting evidence presented. |
6 pts Content indicates thinking and reasoning applied with original thought on a few ideas, but may repeat information provided and/ or does not address all of the questions asked. The author presents no original ideas, or ideas do not follow clear logic and reasoning. The evidence presented may not support conclusions drawn. |
8 pts Content indicates original thinking, cohesive conclusions, and developed ideas with sufficient and firm evidence. Clearly addresses all of the questions or requirements asked. The evidence presented supports conclusions drawn. |
10 pts Content indicates synthesis of ideas, in-depth analysis and evidence beyond the questions or requirements asked. Original thought supports the topic, and is clearly a well-constructed response to the questions asked. The evidence presented makes a compelling case for any conclusions drawn. |
10 pts |
| Grammar, Mechanics, Style | 2 pts Writing contains many spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors, making it difficult for the reader to follow ideas clearly. There may be sentence fragments and run-ons. The style of writing, tone, and use of rhetorical devices disrupts the content. Additional information may be presented but in an unsuitable style, detracting from its understanding. |
3 pts Some spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors are present, interrupting the reader from following the ideas presented clearly. There may be sentence fragments and run-ons. The style of writing, tone, and use of rhetorical devices may detract from the content. Additional information may be presented, but in a style of writing that does not support understanding of the content. |
4 pts Writing is free of most spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors, allowing the reader to follow ideas clearly. There are no sentence fragments and run-ons. The style of writing, tone, and use of rhetorical devices enhance the content. Additional information is presented in a cohesive style that supports understanding of the content. |
5 pts Writing is free of all spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors and written in a style that enhances the reader's ability to follow ideas clearly. There are no sentence fragments and run-ons. The style of writing, tone, and use of rhetorical devices enhance the content. Additional information is presented to encourage and enhance understanding of the content. |
5 pts |
| Total: | 25 pts | ||||