This one day minute taking course provides participants with an understanding of the function of written minutes and how to develop the skills to take minutes that form an accurate account of a meeting. Effective listening, note taking and summarising are covered.

What will I learn

• Identify the role and responsibilities of the minute taker.
• Understand best practice to prepare for meetings and write effective minutes.
• Identify positive strategies for listening & summarising.
• Deal with jargon and technical language & grammar professionally.
• Identify different methods of minute taking, organising your material and highlighting important points.
• Have improved confidence and skills to take accurate and concise minutes
• Write and distribute your minutes with confidence.

Key Topic Areas

• Effective Meetings: preparation, the meeting cycle, the structure of a meeting, ensuring a meeting is successful – your role, arranging the meeting and the agenda.
• Attending the Meeting: at the meeting – concerns/issues, confidentiality, common problems, finding out who’s who/remembering
• Note Taking: the ‘do’s & don’ts’ of effective note taking, example layouts, enabling understanding and handling arguments.
• Writing Minutes: layout of minutes, examples, different styles and the importance of maintaining consistency
• Freedom of Information Act 2000: brief overview of how the Act impacts on minuted information.