WARNING: The IAP guide and timetable list incorrect time/place info. They should say

Per IAP policy, this event is open only to MIT community members.

The Importance of Meeting Minutes (IS.5)

Are you tired of losing track of what decisions were made when? Who was supposed to do what? Wouldn't it be great if there were minutes for the meetings you were in? Problem is, it's often hard to get a minute taker, and people have trouble taking minutes for a meeting in which they actively participate. When you do get someone to take minutes, nobody reads them because they're too long; it's hard to capture the essence of a meeting.

This class helps address the problem with a concept I call clear minutes. Clear minutes include a summary that makes it easy to read the key points without reliving the entire meeting. In this two-hour class, you will learn techniques to take clear minutes, even in a meeting you participate in or lead. You will have the opportunity to practice these techniques in mock meetings.

Here is a summary of the class:

  1. Benefits of taking clear minutes
  2. Costs of taking clear minutes
  3. Prepping others for a meeting with clear minutes
  4. Taking clear minutes
  5. Writing up clear minutes
  6. Practice: Mock meetings
Bruce Lewis <brlewis@mit.edu>
Last modified: Wed Jan 8 09:32:41 EST 1997