The perception of the modern day Minute Taker is
changing. Firstly this is no longer a
role that is allocated strictly to a secretary or a personal assistant, secondly
this role is most definitely not ‘traditionally a lady’s job”. Nothing makes me more annoyed than hearing a
client ask me if I can refer a ‘nice lady for the job’ of minute taking. These days, more and more often, we train
more and more men folk in this very useful skill that is crucial in today’s
business world.
Minutes of meetings are so important – without them, the
meeting may as well have not taken place!
But taking minutes of meetings is a skill. And today, let’s be honest, nobody has the
time to study a year’s course in Pitman’s shorthand, which as useful as this
may be, unless it is something you are going to practice, you will soon forget
anyway!
So how does one cope with the challenge of “getting it all
down”? And what content should you record?
These are very valid questions that present very valid challenges,
and the ability to record the right content in an unbiased manner for public distribution
is what makes minute taking an increasingly sought after skill.
Not only does one need to develop the skills to record
content in a speedy fashion without using traditional shorthand, but to be able to stay
alert in long meetings whilst applying critical thinking skills in order to isolate
the facts from the “waffle”, well, that is a high level skill!
Whether your role is to take minutes of meetings, or to
attend them, training in minute taking will improve your listening skills and
ability to sift the facts from the material that is not relevant. It will also provide you with a good
understanding of Robert’s Rules of Order and, should you ever be required to
chair a meeting, a thorough understanding of minutes is essential as you will
have to take ultimate responsibility for the content of those minutes!
These days, every business person who attends meetings
really does need a comprehensive understanding of minutes of meetings.
At The Minute Taker’s Clinic, we seek to support Chair
people in addition to minute takers by offering short workshops to assist
Chairpeople in not only obtaining a consistent understanding of your very own
company’s template for minutes, but also looking at ways to improve the working
relationships between the Chair and the Minute Taker to ensure that your
company’s minutes of meetings are created for maximum efficiency.
For more information contact us at
www.minutetakersclinic.co.za
Image by Michal Marcol of www.freedigitalphotos.net
