Answer to Question 1
An important means of getting the planned publicity of business into the hands of the public is
the news release. Whenever a business plans an announcement or an event that it considers
newsworthy or capable of enhancing its public image, its public relations personnel prepare
and submit a news release to various news outlets for publication or broadcasting. Such a
news announcement may publicize the introduction of a new line or new product, or it may
concern the awarding of some honor to a member of the organization. Any item that will
interest the public and create goodwill for the organization is an appropriate subject for a news
release.
Any news story sent by a company must be approved for release. In large companies, the
director of public relations would have this responsibility. In small companies, individual
department heads might handle their own news and distribute it in keeping with company
policy, or releases might be issued from the office of the president or of one particular
executive.
Answer to Question 2
Any recorder preparing to record the proceedings of a meeting should find the following
general guidelines helpful:
a) List the name of the group, committee, or team and whether the meeting is a regular or
special one.
b) Record the day, date, time, and place of the meeting.
c) With a small group, list the persons attending and those absent. In a large group, however,
either state the number of people present or list the names of the absentees only. Some
minutes simply note that a quorum was present.
d) In the opening section of the minutes, mention that the minutes for the previous meeting
were read and approved, amended, approved as printed, or not approved.
e) Record the important points in the discussion of each item on the agenda. Presenting
supporting facts helps those who were present recall the discussion and informs those who
were not present. Reports or papers read during the meeting are often attached to the final
minutes.
f) Record verbatim (exact quotation) all resolutions and motions, as well as the names of the
people who introduced and seconded the motions. If the assistant was unable to record the
information, request that the motion be repeated or even put in writing so that the exact motion
is recorded.
g) Keyboard, edit, and prepare the minutes in final form. Sometimes the assistant may want to
get another person's approval before issuing the minutes in final form.
h) File one copy of the minutes in the folder, notebook, or binder used for this purpose. Usually
minutes are duplicated and sent to each member of the group and to designated officers who
would be interested in the business of the meeting.