Successful Minute Taking - Meeting the Challenge

Book excerpt: Successful minute taking - meeting the challenge. I'd rather throw myself downstairs .... That was how I used to feel about minute taking; this book is aimed at those among you who feel the same. It is aimed at secretaries, PAs and administrators and covers the issues that worry them; these are based on the things that worried me and the things that have worried my hundreds of delegates on my training courses over the last 10 years. This book will give you the knowledge and confidence to be able to prepare for a meeting, work with your meeting chair, take notes during the meeting and to write your minutes afterwards. It has been written by an experienced PA who now trains other people in the skills she has developed. The book is laid out in a very easy to read format and gives lots of advice based not only on Heather's experience but also the many people she ahs trained. It has a checklist to help you make sure you remember everything you need to do before, during and after the meeting. The roles of the chair and yourself are defined. There are examples and opportunities to practise your skills. About the author - Heather Baker Heather had over twenty years' experience as a secretary and PA before setting up Baker Thompson Associates Limited in 2000. The company specialises in the training and development of secretarial and administrative staff (www.bakerthompsonassoc.co.uk). She now travels all over the UK working with large and small companies to enable their office staff and PAs to work more effectively and efficiently. She also delivers courses in the Middle and Far East. Heather is a Certified NLP Practitioner. She worked for ICI Pharmaceuticals (now AstraZeneca) and Hewlett Packard; she spent 5 years in France working for the Commercial Director of Cognac Hine and then 10 years with Granada Media working up to Personal Assistant to the Managing Director, commuting regularly between their offices in Manchester and London. Heather conceived the speedwriting system BakerWrite and wrote the text book based on this system, see www.uolearn.com She has trained hundreds of people all over the world in how to take minutes and she has converted her extensive knowledge into this book. Heather has been married to Ian since 1979 and they have two daughters, Ailsa and Erin. This book is dedicated to them with profound thanks for all their support over the years. What do people think? "I had a real phobia about minute taking and was dreading today, but you've really taken away my fear. It's all fallen into place." Beverley, Leeds "One of the best facilitators ever - quite clearly Heather had an extensive knowledge of the skills needed and she wanted to share best practice. Everyone had a part to play and felt confident enough to ask and contribute whatever their level of expertise. Heather was very approachable." "This was excellent and clearly met all of its objectives. The course was well planned and the subject matter presented in a clear, logical and interesting way." "Heather had very good subject knowledge and is a very good trainer. She used a number of different teaching methods and was excellent at putting the group at ease; everyone joined in." Committee servicing and minute taking for Leeds Metropolitan University "I'm fairly comfortable with taking minutes, but find I write a lot of notes in the meeting which probably aren't necessary. I've learnt how to condense effectively." "Heather was very practical and helpful; understood the reality of taking minutes and not just the theory " Minute taking for RiverStone Management Limited "I enjoyed the course and found it relevant to my needs. The trainer was helpful and able to answer questions. She obviously enjoys her work and conveys her enthusiasm to delegates." "I found the course really useful and the style/delivery very easy to follow/understand." Minute taking for Yorkshire Television