MINUTE TAKING IN MEETINGS - BIRMINGHAM

During the minute taking in meetings training you learn how to:

• Work with the chair
• Minutes preparation
• Summarizing
• Formatting the agenda and the meeting minutes
• Taking good (but not copious) minute notes
• Writing clear meeting minutes

Taking meeting minutes – writing minutes – minute taking

• Purpose of meetings
• Purpose and styles of minutes
• Determining how much detail is needed
• Formats and content of the agenda
• Formats and content of the meeting minutes
• How to prepare well before minute taking
• Who is responsible for what?
• Working with the chair – getting his/her help with your minute taking
• Listening skills
• Improving note taking
• Turning notes into meeting minutes
• Editing summary and action plans

Minute Taking – The Agenda

• The purpose content and structure of the meeting’s agenda
• What the items mean
• Writing the agenda as a control tool for the chair
• Adequate and inadequate agendas

Minute Taking – Format of Meeting Minutes

• What goes where?
• Making the minutes useful but easy to read
• Terminology such as in attendance, apologies, matters arising, committee business, any other business, etc
• Coping with items like part-time attendance, in-hand, completed, etc
• Conventions

Minute Taking – Responsibilities and Preparation

• You and the chair – Who does what?
• Before, during and after the meeting
• Good preparation
• Building a working partnership

Minute Taking – Listening and Note Taking:

• Barriers to good listening
• What gets in the way?
• Overcoming the barriers
• Tips for improving listening when taking minutes
• Workable ideas for improving note taking
• Keeping up
• What to do when you get lost
• Using the 80:20 rule

Minute Taking – From Notes to Meeting Minutes

• A professional writer’s technique to make writing minutes easier and better
• Writing the draft minutes – just one draft!
• Editing the draft minutes into the final version