Minute Taking Masterclass

09.30 – 10.00 Introductions and course objectives
10.00 – 10.30 The challenges with producing minutes, especially if the meeting is being chaired ineffectively.
10.30 – 11.00 Examination of delegates’ current practice for taking minutes ensuring accuracy and achieving an easy to read visual layout.
11.00 – 11.15 Coffee
11.15 – 11.45 Published agendas and hidden agendas – their effects on meetings and minute taking.
11.45 – 12.00 The importance of listening – how to ensure that nothing important is missed and no incorrect assumptions made.
12.00 – 12.30 The big question – what to include and what to leave out of minutes.
12.30 – 13.45 Lunch
13.45 – 14.30 Layouts – sections, styles, headings and numbering.
Organisational house styles will be reviewed and compared which delegates will have brought along with them.
14.30 – 14.45 Who is doing what and by when?  Ensuring action items are clearly identified.
14.45 – 15.00 Writing in the active rather than the passive tense.
15.00 – 15.30 Writing concisely, professionally and clearly.
15.30 – 16.00 Exercise in re-drafting existing minutes to incorporate learning points.
16.00 – 16.15 Useful words for minutes and common confusions that spellcheck may not pick up and correct.

Objectives

Delegates can expect to achieve the following outcomes:

• A greater confidence in minute-taking
• Know how to structure and lay out minutes professionally
• Develop an appropriate writing style for producing minutes
• Improved listening skills