Minutes of meeting

MINUTES OF MEETING

     Minutes are not a description of what happened at a meeting - they are the official record of decisions that were taken. So keep them brief and accurate.

2 . Minutes usually cover the following:

            Apologies for absence - offered on behalf of anyone who cannot attend.

   Minutes of the last meeting. (If everyone agrees that they are accurate a copy will be signed and filed.)

 Matters Arising. (This is a report of action taken or progress made since the last meeting.) 

New Business. (Here items of new business are dealt with - this is usually the longest part of the meeting.)

·   Any Other Business. (This item gives members an opportunity to raise matters of minor importance that have not been included in the agenda.)

            Date/Time/Place of next meeting.

         Minutes should include:

     The purpose of the meeting (ie it's title).

     The date and place of the meeting.

• The names of those present and those who sent apologies for absence. (If it is a large meeting numbers only will be given.)

    The business transacted and the decisions taken.

    Any resolutions passed, or motions defeated.

Skimming a text, using section headings.

In some academic writing, the text is organized through the use of headings and sub-headings. You can therefore get a good idea of the overall content of a text by reading the headings and sub-headings first. This should help you get a feeling for the content and organization of the text. In many cases that will be enough, but if it isn't, you will now have a good idea of the content of the text and you will find it easier to read in detail. Familiar texts are easier to read.

As reading is an interactive process, you have to work at constructing the meaning of the text from the marks on the paper. You need to be active all the time when you are reading. It is useful, therefore, before you start reading to activate the knowledge you have about the topic of the text and to formulate questions based on this information. The title, sub-titles and section headings can help you formulate questions to keep you interacting with the text.