Start with how the record will be used
The right record depends on what someone will do with it later. If it only needs to show what was agreed, notes or minutes are usually enough. If someone may need to check exactly what a person said, you need a transcript or a detailed live record.
A useful test is to picture the record at its most demanding moment. That might be an appeal hearing, a coding session in a research project or a board review. Choose the format that will still be useful there.
Action and summary notes
Action notes list decisions, owners and deadlines. Summary notes add a short account of the discussion under each topic. Both are written in the note taker’s words, not the speakers’.
These notes are quick to produce and easy to read. They suit routine team meetings, project check-ins and informal discussions. They are weak evidence of what a particular person said, because the wording is a paraphrase.
Formal minutes
Minutes are the official record of a formal meeting, such as a board, committee or panel. They usually record attendance, the matters considered, the decisions made and the reasons for them. The chair normally approves them at the next meeting.
Governance guidance from the Chartered Governance Institute advises focusing on decisions and actions "rather than transcribing the meeting verbatim". For companies, section 248 of the Companies Act 2006 requires minutes of directors’ meetings to be kept for at least ten years.
Minutes are a summary by design. They rarely settle a later dispute about the exact words used.
Verbatim transcript
A transcript sets out the words spoken, with each speaker named. It is prepared from a recording, so each passage can be checked against the audio. Transcripts vary in detail, from intelligent verbatim, which removes routine hesitations, to strict verbatim, which keeps them.
A transcript is the fullest written record of a meeting. It is also the longest to read, and it depends on an authorised recording. Acas guidance on investigation meetings says any decision to record "should be agreed by all parties".
Live-captured notes
A note taker attends in person or remotely and records the meeting as it happens, naming each speaker. Depending on the brief, the record can be a detailed summary or close to a full account of what was said. It is usually reviewed and formatted afterwards.
Live notes are useful when there is no recording or when participants object to one. The Acas guide to discipline and grievances suggests that, where possible, someone not involved in the case takes the note. A live note cannot be checked against audio unless an authorised recording is also kept.
How each record is used later
In disciplinary and grievance cases, the record often travels further than the meeting. The Acas guide says copies of meeting records "should be given to the employee". The same record may be read at an appeal and, if a dismissal is challenged, at an employment tribunal. A record that names each speaker makes disputes about wording easier to resolve.
Qualitative researchers usually analyse transcripts, not notes. The UK Data Service recommends speaker tags that show turn-taking and the question and answer sequence. Coding and quotation need participants’ own words, so a summary is rarely enough.
For boards and committees, approved minutes are the record that counts. A transcript or recording can help the minute taker, but it does not replace the minutes.
Cost and turnaround
Notes and minutes are usually charged by the time spent attending and writing up. Transcripts from recordings are usually priced per audio minute. The price rises with faster turnaround, more speakers, difficult audio and fuller verbatim levels.
Live note taking is usually charged per hour of attendance, often with a minimum booking. It avoids a separate transcription stage, so a reviewed record can follow soon after the meeting. A checked transcript takes longer, because each passage is compared with the recording.
Comparison table
| Record | What it captures | Suits | Relative cost | Turnaround | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action notes | Decisions, owners and deadlines | Team and project meetings | Lowest | Often the same day | No account of the discussion |
| Summary notes | Main points in the note taker’s words | Informal meetings and check-ins | Low | Same day to a few days | A paraphrase, not the speakers’ words |
| Formal minutes | Attendance, decisions and reasons | Boards, committees and panels | Moderate | Days, then approval | A summary by design |
| Live-captured notes | A speaker-named record made during the meeting | Hearings and interviews, with or without a recording | Moderate, charged by the hour | Soon after the meeting | No audio check without a recording |
| Verbatim transcript | The words spoken, with speakers named | Investigations, appeals and research analysis | Usually highest per meeting hour | Days, by agreed turnaround | Needs a recording and takes longest to read |
Questions to settle first
- Will anyone need to check the exact wording later?
- Is there, or could there be, an authorised recording?
- Who will read the record, and how much time will they have?
- When is the record needed, and in what format?
- Will participants receive a copy, and will they review it?
If you are weighing a live note against a transcript from a recording, the services page sets out both options.
Sources
- Acas: Discipline and grievances at work, the Acas guide (PDF)
- Acas: Holding investigation meetings
- Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland: Factsheet on minutes (PDF)
- Companies Act 2006, section 248
- UK Data Service: Transcription
General information. Prices and guidance change; check the sources above for the current position.