The minutes of a meeting are designed to provide an accurate, summarised record of discussions and decisions taken at meetings. The minutes can be shared with other staff or departments, or used as part of a formal record.
When taking minutes, it is a good idea to use the agenda to set up a template, so you can easily add notes into the relevant areas of proceedings. Each item on the agenda becomes a heading in your template. Add a list of attendees at the beginning.
As the meeting proceeds, aim to capture summary notes under each heading as discussions occur. Pay particular attention to any decisions or action items identified. Use dot points to separate ideas or speakers, and aim to capture general ideas and issues rather than a detailed account of every contribution.
It's a good idea to review the minutes soon after they are taken, while the meeting is still fresh in your mind. This will allow you to fill in any gaps and clarify your notes before the minutes are finalised.