What You Need To Know About Recording Business Meetings or Conversations
Audio and video recording of meetings is an excellent way of maintaining details of conversations and meetings. In addition, it facilitates the distribution of important information within a short time.
Recording helps to preserve all key details and to remember crucial points. In addition, partners can share edited recordings or re-purpose them for use in webinars.
Transcripts of the recorded business meetings are helpful in most companies to avoid disputes and lawsuits. It also helps to document court proceedings and public meetings for broadcast.
Legal Considerations
Recording with permission is illegal. The law in most states doesn't permit recording an in-person conversation without at least one person consenting.
One-party consent laws state that only one person in the conversation needs to know about the recording. This can apply to the person recording the conversation.
The two-party or all-party consent laws state that everyone involved in the conversation needs to give permission.
Call recording laws are different at the State and Federal levels. Federal law allows one-party consent.
38 states and the District of Columbia have implemented one-party consent at the state level, but 12 states have two-party support.
What Counts as Consent?
There are different ways of giving consent without verbally saying the words.
Verbal notification
Informing the person the call is under-recording. For example, staying on a call after the mediator notifies you that a recording is underway, implies giving consent.
Audio notification
Hearing a beeping sound in the background of the call from time to time
Written notification
Getting a written disclaimer as an online form. A scheduled online meeting can also have the consent on the calendar invitation.
Visual notification
A visual alert on a screen share that indicates the call is being recorded.
Tips for Recording Business Meetings
Get consent to record from all necessary parties
As an employer, it's vital to permit to record a meeting in the presence of participating people. This is a way of requesting consent and allowing anyone objecting to the recording to speak up.
Check the state law before recording the meeting
When recording business meetings, it is essential to confirm what kind of consent applies to the specific state laws. The organization needs to decide how to carry out business meetings, depending on the applicable state laws.
Avoid secretiveness
Law in some states disallows recording secretly. Instead, inform everyone present that the meeting is getting recorded without hiding the camera or recording device. This offers everyone the chance to object if uncomfortable.
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