Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1 Background 5
Cycle of a meeting 7
The participants 10
2 Arranging a meeting 14
Who will attend 15
Administiation 16
3 Sections of a meeting 21
4 Agenda 29
Agenda styles 31
5 Personal preparation 43
6 Creating the right environment 49
7 Attending the meeting 53
8 Taking notes 63
The message, not the words 70
9 Structuring notes 75
10 Writing up the minutes 85
11 The minutes 89
Styles of minutes 106
Common questions about minutes 109
Useful words for minutes 114
12 Recording decisions and actions 115
13 Layout and numbering 123
Layout 123
Numbering 127
Look at the picture 119
14 Impact of the Freedom of Information Act on minutes 130
Exempt information 131
Impact on meeting papers 131
Referencing meeting papers 131
Writing minutes 133
15 Business English for minutes 139
Sentences 139
Paragraphs 140
Plain English 140
Problem punctuation 141
16 Building confidence 145
