Agenda vs Minutes
Agenda and minutes are two of the most important ingredients of a meeting. There are many things on the mind of the person who arranges the meeting such as the schedule, timing, venue, the guests, the meeting plan, and so on. It, therefore, becomes necessary to be aware of the differences between agenda and minutes.
Agenda
Agenda is a word that is used to describe the schedule or the program of a meeting. It is a list of things that need to be done or discussed during the meeting. Any formal meeting that is organized requires making its agenda. There is a sequence in which items are taken up and discussed during the meeting and the agenda of the meeting clearly mentions this sequence. This agenda is circulated among the guests well before they actually arrive at the venue at the time of the meeting so as to allow them to familiarize with the topics that will be discussed during the meeting. Another objective of the agenda is to make sure that the participants prepare accordingly and are not caught unawares.
Minutes
Minutes is a term that is used to refer to an official record of the proceedings during a formal meeting. These minutes serve as records of what happened during a meeting as also to remind people after some time if they forget. These minutes are also useful for all those who are not able to attend the meeting as they get to know everything that took place during the meeting. Minutes contain the name of the venue, the date and time of the meeting, and the list of all those who attended the meeting. These minutes also contain the name of the person who takes these minutes.
What is the difference between Agenda and Minutes?
• Agenda is the schedule of a meeting and tells the sequence of events during the meeting to let the guests prepare in advance.
• Minutes refers to the official record of the proceedings of a formal meeting. Minutes are important to remind what happened during a meeting on a future date if people forget.