Mastering the role of Minute Taker: Essential Skills for Effective Meeting Documentation

Having a skilled minute taker on board is crucial for all types of businesses in the modern age. After all, recent statistics show that a typical professional in the UK will spend up to 26 days in meetings every year, with senior management spending over half of their week attending meetings. A skilled minute taker will ensure that all of the key information and decisions taken during each of those meetings is noted down and kept safely for future reference. 

However, it can be difficult to become proficient at minute taking since specific skills are required. Memory, judgement, writing, and note-taking all have a part to play in excelling in this field. Yet, when it is done well, minute taking helps to improve a company’s productivity, boost sales, strengthen contacts, and make investments in the needs of its workforce. 

With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at how to become a minute taker. 

What Does Minute Taking Involve?

In simple terms, minute taking involves summarising the key points that are discussed at a meeting then outlining its outcome. Typically, a business will have an individual whose role it is to take meeting minutes so that everyone in the organisation can stay well-informed about decisions and actions, and that no important elements get overlooked.

Minute Taking Challenges 

While minute taking may seem easy, it can actually be a daunting and challenging task without the right skills and training. Often, the meeting’s agenda is not clearly defined which can leave minute takers uncertain about which content should be captured. There can also be a large number of ideas being shared which can make noting down sufficient detail difficult. 

In this day and age, many meetings are held virtually, and time lags and connectivity problems can result in missed information or inaccuracies, while accuracy and speed are crucial when trying to capture every relevant point accurately. 

Developing Minute Taking Skills 

Attending one of the available minute taking courses is one of the best ways to develop your minute taking skills. These courses provide attendees with a technical and systematic approach to minute taking during meetings, explaining the theory as well as delivering practical workshops to cement their knowledge. 

The course will cover a range of content including: 

• Information about different minute types and styles of writing. 
• How to develop a good working relationship with the meeting’s chairperson.
• An overview of the duties of the chairperson and the minute taker’s responsibilities. 
• How to create a meeting agenda and how to apply it in practical terms. 
• Practical note-taking exercises to effectively sort information and determine what is most important.
• Learning what constitutes good quality and poor-quality minutes. 
• Use of the correct professional language and appropriate tone.

Attendance at this course will help you to gain a clear understanding of your role as a minute taker and enable you to develop the essential skills you need to excel in your post and take your career to new heights.