Minute-taking at Board Level

Minute-taking at Board level - would you rather run a mile than do this? Well, it's not for everyone but there is currently a resurgence in Trustees of Boards and Directors who are looking to appointment a competent minute-taker. I currently do this for three quite different organisations. There are several reasons why this might be the case. Firstly, not many people want to take on the task of sitting through a two or three hour meeting and then producing a set of concise and accurate minutes. Employees within their own organisations may not have the specific skills required or could use their time more efficiently than sitting in a long meeting. Secondly, trustees are beginning to see the benefit of having someone who is impartial to take the minutes and it also allows them to focus on the discussions. It is a requirement of the governance of Trust Boards that minutes are produced of all meetings, including Extraordinary meetings and AGMs and having someone who simply takes the minutes and produces them a few days later, is often a weight of their minds.

Thirdly, there are now several options available, some of which are becoming more popular, in how the minutes are taken - in person, or via video conferencing with the minute-taker joining the meeting virtually or by recording the meeting and sending an audio file. So, what skills and qualities do you need? You'll need to be confident and a good listener, be able to sum up discussions quickly, succinctly and accurately in your notetaking (either by typing or by hand), have a high standard of written English and be able to produce a set of professionally typed concise, impartial and accurate minutes. So, it's not for everyone but it can be very rewarding. If you want to learn more about minute-taking, or are considering appointing a minute-taker, send me an email at sue@bossiw.uk for further information.