Participants will learn Principles, Standards and Practical tools for Minute Taking.
Following are six important reasons for making sure you have someone take clear minutes at your next meeting:
- Meeting minutes offer legal protection
Minutes represent the actions of the Board and company leadership, and are considered legal documents by auditors and the courts. Legal experts will maintain that if an action isn’t in the minutes, it didn’t happen.
- Meeting minutes provide structure
Even though there is no standardized format for meeting minutes, the courts consider it important that you made a reasonable effort to report the facts of the meeting.
- Meeting minutes encourage goal setting
Good meeting minutes help to encourage a plan of action for your leadership team and employees. They clarify how, when, why, and who made decisions.
- Meeting minutes act as a measuring stick
They also act as an accountability tool because they make it clear who was to perform what.
- Meeting Minutes and applying Roberts Rules of Order
These rules outline why it’s important for taking minutes. It explains that everyone right to speak, limitations when speaking, proper procedures for speaking or interrupting. It provides rules for the majority and protection for the minority or board members who are absent. It also explains the proper procedures for the order of business such as agendas, adopting agendas, reading and approving minutes, presenting reports from the treasure person and or committees, making motions and seconds to the motion etc. Participants also learn how to take and write minutes when using templates or designing their own templates.
- Communication Skills
Participants will also take three hours of communication skills training to learn how to practice being assertive in meetings. The Minute Taker has the right to interrupt when he or she cannot understand a motion or if there are too many people speaking.
Objectives of training:
- Review parliamentary procedures and Roberts Rules of Order and to demonstrate on how to take minutes
- To develop good communication skills to ask for clarification etc.
- To describe the board system and understand how boards work
- To understand a board structure, board accountability and legal duties of the board of directors.
- Identifying the Chair and directors job descriptions and responsibilities.
- Take accurate minutes that will include Roberts Rules of governance on how to: include the heading, attendance, minutes of previous meetings, reports, unfinished business, addressing new business, adjournment, recording motions and resolutions and other details of how to take minutes
- Upon completion, participants receive a certificate.