- Minutes are written records of the proceedings of a meeting.

- Minutes include:

• A heading – show the convenors of the meeting, venue, date and time.
• Members present – list all the members present starting with the chairman, secretary, and treasurer.
• Absent with apologies – list names of members who are absent but asked for permission to be away, that is, they sent apologies.

• Absent without apologies – list names of members who are absent but did not send apologies.
• In attendance – sometimes guests are invited. Such guests’ names are listed here.
• Agenda – This is a numbered list of items to be discussed during the meeting.

• Minutes – Each minute represents a topic of discussion. These are numbered in a special way. They are then underlined. First, you write Min followed by a full stop (.); what number it is (1, 2, 3, etc) then stroke (/) and the year, often abbreviated (e.g. 06 for 2006) e.g. Min. 1/06

- Minutes are always written in the past tense and should be clear and concise.

- Remember to use active or specific and not passive or vague phrases.

- Examples of expressions used: members agreed, the chairman requested, the members resolved, suggested, etc.

- Look at the sample of minutes below.

Continuation of the wildlife club minutes Min. 1/06: