Successful Minute Taking

Make minute taking a complete breeze. Using a few simple yet brilliantly effective techniques, you can be in total control, get to the heart of the meeting and have the confidence to know that you’ve got everything covered.

A minute taker has a key role in ensuring meetings are productive. You want to be confident and competent in this role. Throughout the day, the trainer will take you through a step-by-step approach to producing effective minutes – giving templates to help you produce structured agendas and take notes effectively. Practical exercises will help you build confidence and put ideas into practice.

Participants will:

• Save time and gain confidence in their role as minute taker.
• Work in partnership with the chair and colleagues when preparing for meetings.
• Recognise and overcome their own barriers to listening.
• Try out new, tried and tested note-taking techniques.
• Produce a clear, concise set of minutes.

This course is designed for those who need the confidence and skills to produce accurate minutes.

Meeting Preparation

• Essential planning and preparation before a meeting
• Putting the agenda together – content, timing and presentation
• Agendas that help you identify key points
• Working in partnership with the chair

Critical Listening Skills

• Successful listening – maintaining interest
• Overcoming barriers to listening
• Developing positive listening skills

Effective Methods of Notetaking — Capturing What’s Important

• Using different types of note taking for different meetings
• Distinguishing the important from the irrelevant
• Identifying and highlighting key points
• Ensuring action points are defined, captured and highlighted

Writing the Minutes

• Achieving accuracy, brevity and clarity
• Avoiding common pitfalls
• Using the correct format, structure and style
• Producing minutes which satisfy their purpose and the reader’s needs within an acceptable time frame

Practical Exercises

• Exercises will take place throughout the course which will enable delegates to put into practice the skills and techniques of listening, note taking and minute writing. These exercises are designed to be highly participative and take place in an encouraging and supportive environment.

Personal Development

• Formulating a personal action plan to help the transfer of learning to the workplace

Pre-Course Activity

• Participants are invited to bring a sample of minutes they have produced to review and refer to during the course.

“I now have a much better structure for taking down notes. It will save me a lot of time not putting down detail that isn’t needed. The training manual is packed full of additional material so the learning can still continue outside of the session.” S Glacken, Lifelong Learning UK

“I have gained the confidence to write more focussed minutes and am more aware of what makes an effective meeting. The trainer was clear, friendly and responsive to each person present.” Angela Berryman, Lifelong Learning UK

“Gillian (the trainer) helped to address all our issues and provided logical and effective advice. I gained great feedback and help with structuring my minutes.” Jade Dotse, Lifelong Learning UK

• Conducting Effective Meetings
• Report Writing
• Assertiveness at work