Professional English

MINUTE TAKING

2020
 What we’ll cover this evening…
The minute taker’s role
Listening
Capturing what’s said
Writing up and structuring minutes
The weird language of meetings

Formal

Informal

Everyday
 The Minute Taker’s role
• In small groups,
identify the key
tasks of an SSCC
minute taker.

• What skills will you

need to complete
these task?
 The Minute-Taker’s Responsibilities

Taking down notes accurately

Writing the notes with responsibility and

ownership

Distributing the minutes and filing them

for future reference
 The Minute-Taker’s Task

Before Meeting During Meeting After Meeting

• Preparation • Writing • Distributing

down actions the minutes
and
conclusions
 Meeting Preparation
• Organising the meetings
• Inviting participants
• Setting the agenda
Setting the Agenda

Producing the agenda (with the Chair)

It sets clear objectives
It provides pre-meeting information
It includes all relevant items
It shows the structure and timing of the
meeting
It shows who is required
Listening Skills
 The importance of listening
• Stay focused on the speaker
• Don’t tune out dry-sounding information
• Try not to evaluate as you are listening
• Show you are ‘actively’ listening
• Ask clarifying questions
• Don’t interrupt
• Brain Vs Ears
 Tips for taking notes
• Draw up a table plan
• Print off an agenda for
you to write notes
against with big spaces
• Record the action to be
taken clearly and the
date when it’s to be
done by
 Writing up minutes
• Take notes during the meeting, write minutes up afterwards
• Do it soon!
 What you’re aiming for
1. Background
2. Discussion
3. Decision
4. Action

• Whilst being: authentic, complete, concise, free from ambiguity,

in the past tense
 The structure of minutes
• Beginning

• Middle

• End
 Beginning
• Heading

• Attendance
• Present
• In attendance (i.e. not a member of the committee)
• Apologies
• Absent

• Item 1: Previous Minutes

• Item 2: Matters arising from the previous minutes
 Middle
• Item 3. Business

• Go through in order of the agenda (keep the same

numbering)

• Make a record of what was said

• E.g. a brief outline of the discussion and actions agreed or…
• Just a record of the actions [in bold, with initials of who is
responsible]
 End

• 4. AOCB

• 5. Date of next meeting

• Chairperson’s name and date

 The power of words
How you minute conversations can subtly change how the reader
interprets the minutes:

• Use “They”

• Past Tense: “…said, stated, argued, contested, emphasised,

reinforced, stressed, urged, declared, mentioned”

 Once minutes completed
• Distribute quickly: 80:20 rule
• File them safely somewhere – paper and electronic?
 Professional Skills Curriculum

• Development programme open

to all students
• 11 graduate key skills graduate
employers value
•  Dip in and out, or complete 8
and a reflective essay to receive
certificate

https://www.facebook.com/ ProfessionalSkillsCurriculum