WHY SHOULD YOU LEARN TO TAKE MINUTES?

Minute Taking is a key skill and is often far more involved than given credit.  Many people start taking minutes with little or no training.

Whether you've been taking minutes for a while and would like to gain more confidence, or whether you're a complete novice - this training will give you the opportunity to develop this key skill.

Minutes are of vital importance to a meeting.  They summarise the discussion, record action points and confirm decisions made.  However, if they are not taken correctly they are of little or no use as a record for the meeting.

To avoid common mistakes you need to know what to listen for, how to take notes and how to turn those notes into a set of professional Minutes.  All these areas plus many more tips and tricks are covered in our Minute Taking course.

• Take notes clearly and concisely
• Learn different note-taking techniques to enable you to keep up with the meeting
• Build confidence in your role as Minute Taker

Session 1: Preparation for a Meeting

• Styles of Agenda including the Chairperson’s Agenda
• Agenda Items – traditional and meeting specific
• Drawing up an Agenda
• Familiarisation with Technical Terms
• Administration arrangements
• Self preparation to promote confidence

Session 2: On arrival at the Meeting

• Identifying the meeting participants
• Choosing the appropriate seat
• Items to check with the Chairperson

Session 3: During the Meeting

• Listening and Summarising
• Writing the notes using appropriate styles
• Recording the Decisions and Actions
• How to handle problems

Session 4: Transcription of the Notes and Production of the Minutes

• Importance of reading through and editing the notes as soon as possible
• Different Styles of Minutes
• Sections of Minutes
• How to write clearly and concisely
• Writing in the appropriate tense and voice

Session 5: Overview and Action Planning

• Overview of Minute Taking
• Drawing up an Action Plan
• Refining your Technique