Who Should Attend?

All staff responsible for preparing minutes as part of their job. Concise, well-drafted minutes can be a valuable tool to help management avoid 'strategic drift' and allow them to make clear decisions that meet their business objectives.

About the Programme

This one-day course is the ideal way to learn the skills of how to write clear and accurate minutes. 'Action' minutes summarise the key issues that appeared on the agenda and state clearly what was actually decided. They identify the responsibilities of each person for future action and the required timescale.

Course Objectives

• To learn to prepare and write proper agendas
• To examine the structure of minutes in your own organization
• To improve the use of reported speech in minutes
• To outline and write up a basic meeting procedure
• To develop note-taking skills
• To write clear and accurate minutes
• To learn the technique of 'Action' minutes

What You Will Gain

• The ability to present well-drafted minutes, that are a concise and accurate record of decisions taken
• Your organization will save time, as staff will be able to quickly absorb and understand the information provided, without missing any vital details
• There will be no confusion about who was nominated to undertake particular actions and the timescales required for action
• You will learn how to use a template so that minutes look consistent every time
• You will be able to give a highly professional look to the minutes you prepare

Programme Contents

• Meetings
  > What Makes Meetings Both Effective & Efficient?
• Meeting Etiquette
• The Minute Taker
  > Three Essential Meeting Stages For The Minute Taker
• Writing An Agenda
  > How To Prepare An Effective, Workable Agenda
• Structuring Minutes Using A Template:
  > Consistency
  > Clarity
• Presentation Of The Minutes
• Reported Speech - How To Put It Into 'Minute Form'
• Using 'Action' Minutes To Identify Nominated Staff & Time Scales
• Note-Taking During Minutes
• Using Abbreviations - When & When Not To Use
• Guidelines For More Effective Meetings




Part of the course will involve each delegate structuring and re-drafting a set of minutes that are relevant to his, or her, individual organization, or department. At the end of the programme delegates will have a clear idea of what good minutes are, and how they can help effective communication in the workplace.

1 Day - Non-Residential

Delegate spaces available on the following course dates: