The best minute taking courses are determined the reason for your attendance, the availability and cost of such courses in your area, and the types of minute taking tips and techniques taught in the courses. If you’re volunteering for a local club, you might want to learn how to take minutes independently and for free. If, on the other hand, you work for a professional organization and taking minutes is a part of your job, look into the curriculum and costs of both local and online schools.
Determine whether you require formal training for meeting and minute taking before looking for minute taking courses. You might want to learn how to take minutes for non-professional reasons, for example. Perhaps you volunteered to keep minutes at a local social club’s meetings. Maybe you volunteered to take minutes at your church’s monthly board meetings to help out. Checking out free websites and books that outline minute taking tips and techniques may make more sense in these situations, both financially and in terms of time.
Once you’ve decided to take a professional course, you’ll need to decide whether you want to take it online or in a physical classroom. Many people will make this decision based on their location and available resources, but each person’s personal learning style should also be considered. Businesses that teach online minute taking courses abound on the Internet. Technical and vocational schools in some areas may offer minute taking courses. Depending on the community center, adjunct high school teachers and college professionals may be able to teach courses on taking minutes.
All of the minute taking techniques and tips that a good minute taker requires are taught in the best minute taking courses. Before, during, and after a meeting, these techniques include making preparations and completing tasks. Preparing a minute book or determining the best minute-taking tool for you, learning the different types of meetings and how to take minutes for each, and learning how to listen, think, and organize are examples of such techniques. A minute taking course, like a note taking course, may teach you how to take a large amount of information and condense it into its main points for clarity and brevity. Most of these techniques should be taught in a basic minute taking course, but depending on your role, you may want to take an advanced course as well.
The cost of a minute taking course varies. The cost of a course is frequently determined its location and availability, as well as the course instructor, the classroom setting, and whether it is a basic or advanced course. Shop around for the best deal, but keep in mind that your area may only have one or two minute taking courses available at any given time. You could also inquire about auditing any courses taught on minute taking at a local vocational school or college, as some schools offer a discount for audited classes. If you can’t find an affordable minute taking course and your job doesn’t require any kind of formal training or certification, consider studying minute taking tips and techniques online for free.