Effective Minute Taking

Are you looking to become a more effective and efficient Minute Taker?

Ask any Minute Taker in any organisation, large or small about problems they face at work when taking down Minutes for either a formal, informal or action planning meeting and you will usually find that communication, organisation, listening skills,co-operation and understanding are at the heart of the problem.

This 1 day Effective Minute Taking course will enable you to understand how to maximise your Minute Taking skills in formal, informal and action planning meetings. The Minute Taking course will also enable you to develop professional Minute Taking skills including using your organisational, listening and critical thinking skills whilst utilising your understanding of body language to enhance your minute taking styles. It will also allow you to work in harmony with the Chairperson and build rapport with the meeting participants, in order to maximise your accuracy of the Minute Taking process.

• Minute Taking - Course Brochure - > download

Course Content

No matter who you are or what you do, whether at work or in the community, you are likely to be involved in meetings.

Meetings are costly, whether they are held in a company boardroom or at the local coffee shop. To ensure that meetings are productive and worth the expense involved, three ingredients are necessary:

• an assurance of closure
• a strong chair or leader
• accurate minutes.

It has been said that if accurate minutes have not been recorded, then the meeting may just as well not have taken place. If people can’t remember or agree on what actually occurred at a meeting, how can the group effectively accomplish its objectives? After this one-day workshop you will understand your role as a Minute Taker and the best techniques for producing Minutes that include all the essential information needed.

• The Role of the Minute Taker
• What is a Minute Taker?
• Problems and Solutions
• The Skills of a Minute Taker
  
  • Listening Skills
  • Critical Thinking skills
  • Organisational skills
• Meeting Agreements
• Building a relationship with the Chair
• The Minute Taker
• The Participant
• Understanding the various Minute "styles
  
  • Formal
  • Informal
  • Action minutes
• Understanding what information to record?
• Techniques for Preparing Minutes
• Taking Minutes in an Interactive Meeting
• The Minute Book
• Action Planning

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this 1 day course, you will have the ability to:

• Recognise the importance of Minute Taking.
• Develop key Minute-Taking skills
• Understand the Problems and Solutions of Minute Taking
• Learn techniques to improve your Listening Skills
• Use Critical Thinking Techniques when taking Minutes
• Be organised before, during and after Minute Taking meetings
• Understand how reading body language can support your Minute taking
• Know how valuable a good working relationship with the Chair of meeting can improve your minute taking
• Be able to resolve many of the complaints that affect Minute Takers.
• Be able to write Minutes that are suitable for formal meetings, informal meetings, and action minutes.
• Be an efficient Minute Taker in any type of meeting.
• Be able to prepare and maintain a Minute Book.

Suitability – Who should attend?

This course is targeted at members of staff who are new to the role of Minute Taking and whose position depends on being able to accurately record meetings and capture Minutes successfully. This includes receptionists, administrators, secretary’s, P.A.s and anyone who is seeking to maximise their Minute Taking skills in work based situations. The course will also act as a "refresher" to more experienced staff who have had no previous formal training.

The level is Introductory/Intermediate. Due to our small class sizes it should be noted that we are able to adapt the content as required, and tailor the course to meet the specific needs of the people who are attending on the day.

Delegate Testimonials

“Thoroughly enjoyed the training and can’t wait to put it into practice.”

“This course included lots of practical tasks which really helped me understand what I need to do going forward. Val is a very knowledgeable trainer who was very pleasant and took into account my own learning style. Really enjoyed the session.”

“Everything went really well on this course, I feel really confident with what I have learnt. Overall the course was excellent, and I would definitely book on another course with Courtney Associates.”

“I found the course extremely helpful. Perfect delivery, presentation, setting and the handouts, exercises and ideas shared are invaluable. It was a pleasant surprise to find every aspect of the course so helpful. Thank you to Julie (tutor) for sharing templates, most helpful to have a contribution from someone experienced in minute writing. I feel adequately equipped to confidently take minutes in my new role.”

“Best course I have been on, relaxed but interactive. I would highly recommend this course to others.”

“Really professional training. The course was tailored to my requirements, so I could get the most benefit out of it.”

“Excellent trainer, her presentation was excellent. Would highly recommend to others.”

“Val had a great energy and knowledge. Lots of great examples to make the course relatable. Brilliant interaction between delegate and trainer. Great session!”

“Excellent knowledge and communication from the trainer. Would definitely recommend to others to attend this course as it was excellent.”

"An excellent course and day. There was a friendly but professional atmosphere to the course. The trainer was very informative.

"This was a very informative course. The presentation was clear, and the course was very interactive. The Trainer is very knowledgeable and supportive."

"This was a really enjoyable course. The tutor was great, very helpful and knowledgeable. The practical exercises were really useful. The venue was great in terms of location and food."

"Everything about this course was great there is nothing negative that I can say I will take a lot away with me to use when I return to the workplace."

"Julie was very engaging and made sure we all left confident and armed with a selection of best practices. An excellent course that I would recommend."

"Julie was a great teacher she has so much knowledge she downloads to students in a fun educative way. I have definitely learnt from this course and will be able to apply the knowledge gained in my role."

"Val had a great energy and knowledge. Lots of great examples to make the course relatable. Brilliant interaction between delegate and trainer. Great session!"

"The Trainer, Val was very knowledgeable and professional. She was well prepared and we learned at a steady pace that suited all."

There are no pre-requisite requirements to attend this course.

This is a practical course which involves tutor interaction, group activities, video clips and group participation. The tutor will follow up via email after the course and let attendees have access to a variety of Minute Taking templates that they can adapt to suit their particular workplace environment.

This Minute Taking course is appropriate for anyone working within the public or private sector who is required to take notes or formal Minutes at meetings as part of their role. It is also suitable for people who are looking for a new role where their duties include the need to take Minutes at meetings, ie. Secretary, PA

Potential career paths are:

• Secretaries

• PAs

• Administrative Assistants

Certificate of Achievement

Hard copy certificate - Included