It is estimated that employees spend up to sixteen hours per week in meetings. In order to maximize the results of up to one third of the work week spent in meetings, it is critical that key agenda items and important discussions be carefully recorded. Accurate minutes serve many purposes-they remind meeting attendees of topics that require follow up, provide historical information, and prevent disagreements and rehashing of issues. Minutes also help the chairperson or secretary create agendas for subsequent meetings.

There are a number of important factors to be considered when approaching the task of taking minutes at a meeting, including:

• Preparation before a meeting, including using a meeting agenda as an outline for note taking
• Paying attention during a meeting in order to accurately record key information
• Knowing what to record and what to ignore
• Summarizing notes and preparing minutes as soon as possible after a meeting to insure accuracy
• Conveying information clearly and concisely in a readable format
• Being aware of privacy issues and legal implications, such as the right to public access for governmental agencies

Those who are charged with taking minutes at meetings need to develop good listening skills. The ability not only to hear and discern key information, but also to understand its implications are valuable tools that can improve the quality and usefulness of meeting minutes. It is important that notes taken during meetings capture the main points of discussion, motions and key decisions that will help participants charged with following up on agenda items. When documenting action items, the minutes should include actions taken or agreed upon, the names of people assigned to complete actions, the due date if known and next steps in the process.

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"Rae Ann is a great instructor and facilitator, very personable and approachable. Thank you!"

- Taking Meeting Minutes Student

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Meeting participants often appreciate receiving the minutes from the previous meeting before they attend the next meeting. Distributing minutes beforehand often helps remind participants of their assignments and deadlines as well as keeps them informed on the schedule of upcoming meetings.

 

Contract Education instructor Rae Ann Ianniello recently presented a 3 hour Taking Meeting Minutes workshop to a group of administrative assistants at Las Positas College.  The well-received workshop featured best practices on taking meeting minutes, the legal implications of meeting minutes for the college, and small group discussions, which allowed participants to share experiences and learn from each other. The group appreciated learning practical pointers and tips to help them handle the sometimes overwhelming job of accurately and effectively recording meeting minutes.

 

For more information about how Contract Education at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District can help your organization develop leadership and employee capabilities to meet current and future challenges, please visit our website at www.tdsolutions.org.

As the pace of modern business has accelerated, the demand for customized on-site training has increased exponentially. A growing number of organizations of all sizes and industries are recognizing the many benefits of providing training that is tailored to meet the specific needs of employees in their familiar work setting.

Providing on-site safety and health training can be especially effective in raising employee awareness of workplace hazards and helping to create a safe and healthy work environment that benefits both employers and employees. Customized on-site safety and health training offers many advantages over off-site classroom courses, including:

Safety expertise at the worksite: Employees are able to spend time with an expert in the workplace safety and health field who can tailor the training to the specific work environment and deliver a course that is relevant to the actual day to day work of the group.

 

Hands-on learning: On-site training increases the impact and effectiveness of safety and health training by providing more opportunities for employees to transfer their newly acquired knowledge into action on the job during and immediately after the training.

 

Flexibility in location, format and scheduling: On-site training can be delivered in an office, warehouse or outdoor worksite. The training format can be half or full day workshops or ongoing modules to reduce staff time off the job and minimize disruption of work flow. On-site training can be scheduled on weekdays, nights, weekends and even holidays to accommodate various shifts and work schedules for maximum convenience and cost effectiveness.

 

Optimal return on investment (ROI): The potential cost to organizations in workers' compensation claims and lost production time makes safety training a practical return on investment, and customized on-site training allows organizations to deliver vital, life-saving safety and health information in an efficient and cost-effective way.

 

Increased hazard awareness and improved employee morale: Providing customized safety and health training at the worksite can not only reduce the risk of accidents and injuries by encouraging workers to pull together as a team, but can also send a message that a safe and healthy workplace is important to the organization's management, which can result in higher employee morale and increased productivity.

 

All curriculum offered by the OSHA Training Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District can be fully customized to match an organization's specific requirements and goals, and delivered on-site by highly experienced instructors. For more information contact MariAnn Fisher at 925.249.9372 or mfisher@clpccd.org.