Minute Taking Tips for Administrative Assistants and Executive Assistants

Not too long ago a customer bought The Effective Admin (TEA) minute-taking package which includes the 23-page publication from the TEA Tips Series called "The Ultimate Guide for How to Take Minutes and Notes at Meetings (for Administrative Professionals or Anyone Taking Minutes at Meetings)."

It's at this URL:

http://www.admin-ezine.com/meeting-minutes.htm

Not long afterward, the buyer sent me this unsolicited feedback: "I am so thankful that I purchased your online product; instead of going to a seminar. I am quite satisfied with the purchase, needless to say, no longer afraid to take minutes at a meeting!"

Although other administrative professionals have praised the minute-taking guide and found it useful, I never get tired of hearing such feedback because it lets me know I'm on the right track with giving admin pros like you practical tips and advice you can use.

If like the writer above, you find yourself in need of a little courage when it comes to taking minutes, you may find my minute-taking guide helpful too. While it doesn't cover every minute-taking style or situation around, it covers enough to get you started confidently taking minutes (or taking better minutes if you already take some) in a typical office setting.

It's too easy to go into a meeting and start writing everything you hear without being selective when you don't understand what minutes really are. In this publication, I remind readers that,
"When someone takes minutes at a meeting, they essentially 'create a permanent, summarized, orderly record of the discussion and/or decisions made' by the group at that meeting."

They don't transcribe what they are hearing. As I wrote in the publication: "Minutes are not 'transcription' of what was 'said' by each 'individual' in the group during a meeting. The words 'transcription' and 'minutes' are not interchangeable in this context. When you transcribe, you essentially take dictation or write every word that is said in the order it is said."

That's not minutes! If that were the case, you wouldn't be needed to take minutes because the meeting chairperson could just make an audio recording of the meeting and send it off to a service to transcribe for a few bucks. Minute taking involves more skill than that. Minute taking is a skill in itself.

If you're feeling a little frightened at the thought of having to take minutes now or soon in your career, brush up on what is minute taking and tips for taking minutes with The Effective Admin minute-taking package at

http://www.admin-ezine.com/meeting-minutes.htm

Everything in the packet described at that page is also available to my Virtual Association for Administrative Professionals (VAAP) members. That's items 8 (for individuals) and 9 (for companies) on this page (where it's also described as my "best value offer for you"):

http://www.admin-ezine.com/store.htm

VAAP is open to any administrative professional (or their companies). Many of The Effective Admin learning resources and opportunities are bundled into VAAP membership features so that you can neatly present your continuous learning efforts to your employer -- if needed -- by describing your initiative as, "membership in VAAP, an association dedicated to providing me with ongoing educational and informational resources relevant to administrative professionals roles, jobs and careers."

(c) 2011 Karen Porter; All rights reserved

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Karen Porter is a job performance and career success coach and advisor to administrative professionals and the founder and president of The Effective Admin and Virtual Association for Administrative Professionals: "My specialty is serving administrative professionals like you with job performance and career management advice. I have 24 years experience interacting with the 'real' workplace and working administrative professionals."
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