This practical, instructor led training course is designed for anyone responsible for taking, drafting or reviewing formal meeting minutes. Delivered live online via Zoom, the session combines expert guidance, real world examples and hands on exercises to help you produce clear, accurate and compliant minutes with confidence.
Whether you are new to minute writing or looking to refine your approach, this course focuses on best practice, professional judgement and efficiency, including how to use AI tools responsibly to support, not replace, high quality minute taking.
The course is highly interactive, with opportunities to ask questions, practise skills and discuss real governance scenarios.
What the Course Covers:
Core Principles of Effective Minute Writing
- The purpose of minutes and who they are for
- Legal, governance and accountability considerations
- What minutes are (and are not)
- Levels of detail: verbatim vs summary vs action focused minutes
Preparing for the Meeting
- Understanding the agenda, papers and context
- Identifying what matters before the meeting starts
- Developing a personal minutetaking framework
- Setting up templates, headings and action logs
Taking Notes During the Meeting
- Listening skills and identifying key points
- Capturing decisions, challenge and assurance
- Recording actions clearly and consistently
- Managing fast paced or complex discussions
- Handling confidential or sensitive items
Writing Clear, Professional Minutes
- Turning notes into well structured minutes
- Using neutral, objective language
- Summarising discussion without losing meaning
- Recording dissent, challenge and declarations of interest
- Ensuring accuracy, clarity and consistency
Actions, Decisions and Accountability
- Writing strong, unambiguous actions
- Assigning responsibility and deadlines
- Differentiating between discussion, decision and action
- Creating minutes that support follow up and scrutiny
- Reviewing, Finalising and Publishing Minutes
- Proofreading and quality checks
- Common errors and how to avoid them
- Managing amendments and approvals
- Version control and record retention
Using AI in Minute Writing (Safely and Effectively)
- How AI can support minute writing and its limitations
- Using AI to structure drafts, summaries and actions
- Improving clarity, tone and consistency with AI tools
- Data protection, confidentiality and governance risks
- Maintaining professional judgement when using AI
- Practical examples of responsible AI assisted minute writing
Practical Exercises and Real World Examples
- Worked examples from formal meetings
- Practice exercises during the session
- Tips from real governance and board settings
The course will run between 10.00am and 3.00pm.
Booking is available online and places are limited, so early booking is recommended.
Payment is made at the point of booking. Once booked, you will receive confirmation and joining details for the Zoom session ahead of the course.
If you require an invoice or need to pay by bank transfer, please contact info@minutewriting.com before booking online.
This course takes place live online via Zoom.
Booking is available online and places are limited, so early booking is recommended.
Payment is made at the point of booking. Once booked, you will receive confirmation and joining details for the Zoom session ahead of the course.
If you require an invoice or need to pay by bank transfer, please contact info@minutewriting.com before booking online.
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