Minute Taking Skills
Taking moments in meetings is an adept task because the minute taker must follow protracted conversations and often quite articulate and outline, then correctly record them. Why would run this type of minute taking training be a good idea? Meetings are most efficient and successful when they also have well recorded minutes:
The first benefit comes from the fact that there are rarely ever minutes left to review. The meeting is happening. Minutes are being run down. The minutes are a record of what took place during the meeting. To be able to make certain nothing is overlooked, it is advisable to have your own unique minute taking skills.
There are many ways you can boost your minute taking skills. One way is through the incorporation of an active listening approach into your meetings. Active listening is about genuinely paying attention to what someone is saying and responding to their demands. When people are actively engaged with something, their minds are made up about what's being said, versus what their mind is attempting to keep tabs on.
Another way is through facilitated group inspection. A facilitated group review involves a summary of the points which were being discussed at a meeting, followed by questions and answers to any remaining questions. This sort of summary is much better than simply listening to what someone is saying, because then you are not actively paying attention to their needs, meaning you may miss important points that need to be addressed. Minute taking training must include a facilitated group inspection, to ensure that all of the issues that came up during the meeting are fully addressed.
Thirdly, you want to have some kind of system for checking on the progress that you make throughout the day. You need some type of notebook or notepad where you can keep an eye on your progress, as well as a journal or diary where you can write down things that you notice specifically during your everyday meetings. By keeping good records, you'll be able to return on your meetings and see where you might have fallen short of fulfilling the needs of the other person. This sort of minute taking training course materials will also make it easier for you to check on your progress from time to time throughout the day, so you don't get too discouraged.
Fourthly, it is helpful to use prepared important points, handouts, or bulletins for demonstrations that you give at various times throughout the day. It helps to maintain the focus on the key points that you want to get across to your audience. If there are a lot of people in attendance, this is especially helpful. Some people like to use handouts, while others prefer to listen to a presentation live. Using preprinted key sheets or points that the attendees have already printed out in the beginning of their meeting can help to keep the session from being too disorganized. If you have the luxury of owning a projector or television, you might also wish to show these key points and handouts to those attending the meetings that can not attend in person.
Fifthly, be sure that you take minutes either on audio or video. Even if you are not providing a visual, folks need to have the ability to listen to your voice if you are giving a speech. Additionally, by using video or audio tools, you can display slide shows of charts or graphs, which may further motivate your audience. Taking minutes, however, can at times be difficult, as the mind tends to wander, particularly during presentation training where many attendees are present.
These five tips are only a couple of the many ways that could make your in-house or external organization a lot more successful. Remember, however, that the most important aspect of conducting successful meetings is getting everybody on the same page. If one person wants to skip a meeting, do not tell her or him. Everyone has different things that they need to achieve, so encourage everyone to participate in group decision-making. This will help to ensure that everybody has a positive experience at the end of the day.
