Why take this course?
By the end of this course, you will be able to
- embrace your role as minute-taker
- use key minute-taking skills such as active listening, critical thinking and organization
- resolve many of the common problems faced by minute-takers
- write formal, semi-formal and action minutes
- apply plain language techniques to make minutes clear and concise
- take efficient notes in any type of meeting
- prepare and maintain a minute book.
No matter who you are or what you do at work or in the community, you will be involved in meetings.
It's been said that if you haven't recorded accurate minutes, your meeting might as well have never taken place. This course teaches you key listening, critical thinking and organization skills that will help you take more efficient notes and prepare professional minutes for any type of meeting.
You'll learn how to listen for verbal cues and connect them to important information, shortcuts you can use to take thorough, efficient notes, and how to properly prepare for taking minutes. We'll also show you how to resolve many of the problems minute-takers face, how to write formal, semi-formal and action minutes, and how to build and maintain a minute book.
Who should attend?
Facilitators, scribes or anyone else whose role is to capture accurate and complete meeting minutes.
Federal Employees
This course helps you learn or enhance skills you need to meet and apply these federal public service competencies, behaviours, policies or programs:
Key Leadership Competencies:
Engagement, Excellence
Employee Effective Behaviours:
Thinking things through, Excellence through results
Communication Practices:
Communications Policy of the Government of Canada
What topics are covered?
The Minute-Taker's Roles and Skills- Benefits of being the minute-taker
- Your role
- Critical thinking
- Organization
- Listening skills
- Choosing a style
- Semiformal minutes
- Action minutes
- Formal minutes
- Recording motions and resolutions
- What to include
- Tips and tricks
- Writing the minutes
- Style considerations
- Plain language writing essentials
- Grammar and spelling
- Proofreading