Comments on: Meeting Minutes – Why Just The Minimum? http://ourvoice.stadig.org/2009/03/19/meeting-minutes-why-just-the-minimum/ Improving Communication, In Our Town, About Our Town, One Day At A Time... Thu, 13 Jan 2011 02:46:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Steve Endsley http://ourvoice.stadig.org/2009/03/19/meeting-minutes-why-just-the-minimum/comment-page-1/#comment-93 Steve Endsley Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:58:40 +0000 http://ourvoice.stadig.org/?p=942#comment-93 I personally think it should go a step further. I think the meeting should have a recorder in it to get everything. Sometimes things get busy and noisy and some folks do not hear others' comments. Including the secretary, through no fault of her own. By having the device, the minutes could be accurately produced in its entirety with some one as a convening authority to read along and listen to the tape as validation before posting and killing the tape. Just like in a law office. Or, the recording could be captured on the computer digitally and burned on a CD for archiving in the event of a rebuttal. Kind of a cover you a$$ tool. I have tenitis which clouds my hearing when things get real noisy. Then everything becomes one loud din and is hard to discern. If a selectman, would rely on the recording or transcript to make sure I did not miss anything important. I personally think it should go a step further. I think the meeting should have a recorder in it to get everything.

Sometimes things get busy and noisy and some folks do not hear others’ comments. Including the secretary, through no fault of her own. By having the device, the minutes could be accurately produced in its entirety with some one as a convening authority to read along and listen to the tape as validation before posting and killing the tape. Just like in a law office.

Or, the recording could be captured on the computer digitally and burned on a CD for archiving in the event of a rebuttal. Kind of a cover you a$$ tool.

I have tenitis which clouds my hearing when things get real noisy. Then everything becomes one loud din and is hard to discern. If a selectman, would rely on the recording or transcript to make sure I did not miss anything important.

]]> By: Don Hollenbeck http://ourvoice.stadig.org/2009/03/19/meeting-minutes-why-just-the-minimum/comment-page-1/#comment-88 Don Hollenbeck Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:28:40 +0000 http://ourvoice.stadig.org/?p=942#comment-88 I agree with Glen on this one! I am probably with the majority of people when I say this. This seems like a no brainer, and so much like common sense, I don't know why it is even a question! All towns business concerns it's citizens, and should be documented one way or another so a "He said She said" scenario can't happen. I was the only one who was able or willing to attend the March 19th meeting due to my furlough from work, and, I saw what seemed like a typical white collar meeting going on. There seemed, to me, to be way too much information being passed around to not have minutes of some sort being recorded. There were people being confronted with information almost every few minutes, it seemed. Each person being confronted would seem to go right to work making a note of the issue that needed to be addressed, or rushing off out of the meeting to take care of that issue. This may not seem productive, and it may not be, but I can see why they would work like this. It seems to be because they all have desks in such near proximity to each other, and the ability to communicate with each other without much wasted time. One person being on the job in the town office behind the counter, at the same time another is behind the desk next to the meeting room, while the others are in the meeting room discussing the towns affairs. I, personally, think multitasking breaks up focused concentration, but everyone can handle doing things differently. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it, unless enlightened with a better opinion! Don I agree with Glen on this one!
I am probably with the majority of people when I say this.
This seems like a no brainer, and so much like common sense, I don’t know why it is even a question!
All towns business concerns it’s citizens, and should be documented one way or another so a “He said She said” scenario can’t happen.
I was the only one who was able or willing to attend the March 19th meeting due to my furlough from work, and, I saw what seemed like a typical white collar meeting going on.
There seemed, to me, to be way too much information being passed around to not have minutes of some sort being recorded.
There were people being confronted with information almost every few minutes, it seemed.
Each person being confronted would seem to go right to work making a note of the issue that needed to be addressed, or rushing off out of the meeting to take care of that issue.
This may not seem productive, and it may not be, but I can see why they would work like this.
It seems to be because they all have desks in such near proximity to each other, and the ability to communicate with each other without much wasted time. One person being on the job in the town office behind the counter, at the same time another is behind the desk next to the meeting room, while the others are in the meeting room discussing the towns affairs.
I, personally, think multitasking breaks up focused concentration, but everyone can handle doing things differently.
That’s my opinion, and I’m sticking to it, unless enlightened with a better opinion!
Don

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