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Before taking the minutes of a meeting that you are scribing either face to face or online (e.g. Teams, Zoom):

• if you don’t know the subject matter, do some research.
• prepare the template for the minutes.
• find out how long the meeting is. If it is going be more than two hours long, advise that you need a short break every two hours.

If you are scribing the meeting face to face, you will also need to:

• advise that you need a ‘go to’ person to sit next to you at the meeting.
• look after your OHS – make sure you will be physically safe while at the meeting.
• arrive early to set up your laptop and make sure your requirements (above) are met.

For a detailed description of the above points, read on.

If you don’t know the subject, do some research

If you don’t have any knowledge of the topic you are scribing,  do a bit of research before the meeting. Ask the people holding the meeting to send you a sample of previous minutes so you can get across the subject matter (and style of minutes). Ask them to email you a link to relevant websites or publications. Ask them to send you all the documentation that will be tabled and/or referred to during the meeting, and give it a quick read.

Prepare the template

At least one day before the meeting, obtain the agenda, and the list of attendees and apologies, and prepare the minutes template prior to scribing the minutes. Ask for a copy of previous minutes so you can see how detailed (or basic) your minutes need to be.

If the meeting is long, make sure you have regular breaks

Constant typing is hard work. Before I learned to insist on regular breaks, I sometimes scribed verbatim transcripts and minutes of day-long meetings without sufficient breaks.  I would be stiff and sore the next day.

When you are asked to scribe the meeting, find out how long it is expected to take. If it is going to take more than a couple of hours explain to the organiser  you’ll need at least a 15-minute break every two hours, and for all-day meetings you’ll need a half-hour break in the middle of the day. That should make sure your body doesn’t suffer too much during the day.

Organise a ‘go to’ person to sit next to you

If you’re scribing a largeish meeting face to face and don’t know the participants’ names, ask the organiser to arrange for someone we call a ‘go to’ person to sit next to you, so they can answer any questions you have during the meeting.

For example, if you don’t know the name of the person who has seconded a motion,  you can whisper a question to your ‘go to’ person and they will tell you. Without a ‘go to’ person, either you may need to interrupt the meeting, or vital information identifying who said what may be missing from the minutes – neither of which are best practice.

Occupational health and safety

When scribing a meeting face to face, it is important you are comfortable and safe while at the event and scribing.

Ask the organiser to ensure you

• have a comfortable adjustable office chair that will allow you to sit at the right height when scribing into your laptop, and
• are seated close enough to the meeting participants that you will be able to hear them easily, and
• are seated in a position where you will be able to see the faces of all present.

Depending on your laptop battery type, you may need to plug your laptop into a power-point before or during the meeting. In any case, always advise the organiser to make sure you have safe access to a power-point while scribing.  Make sure that where the laptop is plugged in to the wall, there is no risk of anyone tripping over the cord.

Dress appropriately so you don’t freeze or overheat in the meeting room. (I always bring a cardigan or jacket, just in case.)

At the meeting, make sure you have plenty of water by your side and drink during each break.

Arrive early before a face to face meeting

Make sure you know exactly where and when the event is to be held and arrive at least 15 minutes early so you have time to set up your laptop, adjust your chair for best posture, make sure your set up is physically safe, and meet the organiser and/or Chair and your ‘go to’ person for the meeting. You should be sitting at your laptop ‘ready to go’ 5-10 minutes before the meeting commences.

When the meeting commences, you literally won’t have time to scratch yourself, or to make sure what you type has accuracy when it comes to spelling or punctuation. But you do need to make sure you scribe the main points, and the important information, accurately enough that you will understand them after the meeting, when you’ll be editing your transcript of the meeting into well-written, accurate minutes.

Helpful links to other articles about scribing and minute-taking

• Why pianists make good scribes
• The skills you need to start up a scribing business
• How to become an on-site scribe
• How I became a scribe
• The path from typist to scribe.

Image: Creative Commons Licence – thanks to WOCInTechChat