Minute Taking

Minute Taking

One Day Course

Course Aims:
Minutes are a vital method of recording information and capturing thoughts and ideas. It is important that this becomes an easy process. This course aims to illustrate the various stages of minute taking and gives invaluable techniques.

Assumed Knowledge:
No previous knowledge is required

Course Outline:

Introduction
· Background
· Cycle of a meeting
· The participants
Sections of a Meeting
· Introduction/welcome, apologies
· Committee business
· Minutes of the last meeting
· Matters arising, reports
· Agenda items, any other business
· Date of the next meeting
Personal Preparation
· Read the agenda and papers
· Talk to the chairperson and others
· Consider who's who
· Confirm administrative arrangements
· Get the equipment together
· Signed copy of the minutes
· Last minute minute taker
· Personal preparation checklist
Create the Right Environment
· Create a professional impression
· Freshen the room
· Layout and refreshments
· Be there to greet
· Mobile phones and pagers
Attending the Meeting
· Where to sit
· Finding out who's who
· Not understanding
· Hearing
· Minuting and argument
· Skivvying
· Coping with numbers/figures
· Maintaining concentration and focus
· Contributing minute taker
Taking Notes
· The mechanics of writing
· Taking notes
· Look as well as listen
· The message not the words
· Developing the skills
Structuring Notes
· Follow the agenda
· Structuring the notes
· Using the structure
Writing up the Minutes
· Speeding up the process
· If you can't type them for a few days
· Get the chairperson's approval
· Dealing with amendments
Style of Minutes
· Summary
· Verbatim
· Action
Recording Decisions and Actions
· The action triangle
· Where there is no outcome
· Layout of action points
· Where there are several action points
Layout
· Page layout and headings
· Layout for 'present' etc
· Numbering
Business English for Minutes
· Vocabulary and spelling
· Abbreviations
· Punctuation
· Hyphens
· Exclamation marks