About

ABOUT COURSE

New facilitator for 2013 - former EA to Managing Director at New Zealand Sugar and EA/PA trainer extraordinaire Natalie Baker

"Natalie is very talented and knowledgeable on this topic and a great facilitator", Sharmayne Lueiza, Executive Assistant, Auckland War Memorial Museum (attended April 2013)

Effective minute writers: listen attentively at meetings, make note of relevant points, and presents them in a systematic, concise and useful format. Most of all, an effective minute writer will help the organisation save time, instantly assisting staff to take in and understand important information. By writing effective minutes you can ensure decisions are accurately recorded and appropriate actions are assigned.

The ability to write clear and accurate minutes is an indispensable skill. While it may sound simple, minute writing can be challenging, especially when discussions and issues get too contentious or convoluted.

This course aims to extend and refine your minute-taking skills, from the preparation process to clarity of content and final presentation. A practical and hands-on course, you will be working through several practice sessions to reinforce your learning experience and prepare yourself for the demands of your next meeting.

COURSE OBJECTIVE

Extend and refine your minute taking skills – from the preparation process to clarity of content and final presentation.

 “Natalie has loads of practical examples and has been in an EA role so it was valuable information, suggestions & solutions” 
Jo Brown, Executive Assistant, NZ Lotteries Commission, attended in April 2013

 SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

Outline

COURSE OUTLINE

Role and Responsibilities of the Minute Taker

• Building familiarity with the agenda and issues to be discussed
• Identifying what is important and needs to be captured
• Understand what is going on in the meeting, both contents and dynamics
• Understand the importance of the relationship with the chairperson

Best Practices Relating to Minute Writing

• Selecting the most important and relevant information to be recorded
• Effective note taking – distinguishing between facts & opinions
• Translating notes to minutes
• Write to ensure minutes are unemotional and unbiased

Practical exercise:

Individual and group practical exercises to develop and strengthen your skills with feedback provided by the trainer and other course participants

Refining your Minute Writing Skills

• Recognising how mediocre minutes can be turned into a professional document
• Ensure your use of language is professional by turning colloquial into formal
• Proofreading techniques to ensure your work is 100% correct
• Deal with unfamiliar terminology and jargon
• Question and Answer session – time set aside for you to have those persistent minute taking questions answered

Formatting and Presenting Minutes

• Identify documents that need to be attached
• Using different formats of minutes for different purposes
• Learn the most accepted style used in organisation’s today
• Following up on actions after the meeting

*Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop to this course, if possible, to assist in the writing of the minutes module.

Facilitator

Natalie Baker

Natalie Baker moved to New Zealand at the beginning of 2007 and took on the role of Executive Assistant to the Managing Director and his management team at New Zealand Sugar Ltd. She is a sought after trainer and conference presenter and also runs her own wedding cake business. 

Natalie completed a year-long Accelerated Leadership course at University of Pretoria (equivalent to an MBA) and has previously worked at a law firm and at an investment bank. There she worked with the Executive Director - Retail Divison for six years before joining the Special Projects Team within the bank as Project Coordinator/Junior Project Manager.

Natalie Baker is also facilitating:

• Career Self-Management for EAs and PAs
• Dealing with Difficult People and Situations for EAs & PAs
• Managing & Working Successfully with Multiple Managers
• Masterclass for EAs, PAs and Office Managers
• Partnering with Your Manager
• Project & Event Management for EAs & PAs
• Senior Executive Assistant Masterclass
• Time & Workflow Management for EAs/PAs

In-house Training