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A Meeting of Minds – and not a ‘Minute’ too soon
Meetings have become an integral – and often unavoidable – part of our professional lives, irrespective of the sector in which we operate. Whether conducted over video conference or face-to-face in the archetypal boardroom, most of us will spend at least some of our working week attending them. Business meetings can be occasional or, in the case of large corporations, monthly as the board of directors convenes to discuss company direction of travel, financial objectives and to review the previous month’s targets. Problems affecting the day-to-day operation of the business will be raised and discussed, and projected future threats potentially identified before they occur. In short, they are vital to the smooth execution of business process.
The content of these meetings – in the form of minutes – is often widely circulated and shared, as well as being stored for future reference. It is therefore extremely important for companies to maintain an accurate record of exactly what has been said and by whom – especially in the case of, for example, disciplinary hearings or tribunals. These minutes can become vital documentation forming the basis of legal proceedings, inquiries – or even internal disputes.
Traditionally, a note-taker will be appointed to take the minutes of meetings, a task which can be not only tedious, but also inconsistent and unreliable. The elements of human error and limitation are never far away. Imagine the interruption as refreshments are brought in; the sudden allure of a coffee and a sandwich causing the minute-taker to miss something important said by a colleague across the room. Or picture, if you will, a heated debate at a quarterly business review, where several speakers talk over one another at volume. It would be very hard for a single person to capture everything, faithfully, that is expressed. Not only this, but the bias of the note-taker is always present; they will effectively summarise and paraphrase what they deem to be salient, rather than recording verbatim what was said.
Enter the transcribing agency. With a team of experienced minute transcribers – such as we are proud to have at McGowan Transcriptions – you will be able to transform the way in which you record and retain meeting data. Unlike the weary in-house note-taker, a transcriber will have the time and ability to rewind the recording as many times as is required in order to capture every voice in the heated debate, to hear beyond the chinking of glasses as water is poured, and to enhance the digital recording to capture even the most softly-spoken of attendees. Rather than a bullet-point precis, you will be able to produce an accurate and comprehensive account of what transpired. Nuance and subtlety of discussion will be preserved, rather than just top-line themes on the agenda.
Choosing to have your minutes transcribed by a third party means an end to misunderstandings resulting from poor minute-taking. It gives you a complete account of the second-by-second unfolding of the discussion, enabling you to cross-reference, obtain quotations and address any disagreements or challenges made subsequent to the meeting. Audio transcribing is just that; an actual record of what was voiced, not what was misremembered, misinterpreted – or even forgotten or misheard.
At McGowan Transcriptions, we understand how confidential the information arising from these meetings can be. Cognisant of the sensitivities of your content, our transcribing team will securely create, store and transmit full transcripts of your meetings, hereby safeguarding your data. This grants you peace of mind that not only are your data secure, but also your data are complete and unadulterated. What happens in the boardroom stays in the boardroom – or at least on the pages of the transcript.
Allowing your meeting minutes to be transcribed will save you both time and resource. It can relieve the administrative and emotional headache caused by incorrectly-attributed comments or ideas, which in turn reduces accusation and conflict. Let our confident transcribers step in and professionalise this process for you, allowing your smoother minute-making journey to begin. Give your in-house note-taker the afternoon off. (Actually don’t minute that last bit; it’s off the record!)
Written by Li Collins
