What remains after a session

A conversation left unrecorded is forgotten within two weeks. One left in overly detailed minutes never happens again.

After a two-hour session, what remains is a good feeling and very little else. Unless someone takes care of it.

The minutes that don't work

A literal record of who said what guarantees a poorer next session: everyone speaks knowing it's being written down.

The summary that does

A page with the three arguments that were heard —no names— and the two questions left open. It's sent to those who attended, and to no one else.

It serves two purposes: recalling what was discussed six months later, and preparing the next session without starting from scratch.

What truly remains

Almost always, two people who didn't know each other and now call one another. That fits in no minutes, and it's half the value.