Learn how to arrange formal meetings and write minutes correctly in this free online business administration course.

The ‘minutes’ of a meeting are the official record of everything that occurred during the discussion, including the decisions that were made, who was there and anything else important that took place. This business administration course examines the principles of meeting minutes and their background. We then discuss the lifecycle of a meeting and consider why meetings sometimes fail. We show you how to arrange a meeting and draw up an agenda. This course answers questions like ‘how much time should you spend in a meeting?’ and ‘how can I tell if a meeting is essential or could be an email instead?’.

This course lays out the necessary sections of a meeting. We establish the importance of agenda items, reports and ‘absence’ notices. We then explain how to read out the meeting agenda and identify the roles of the attendees. We show you how to properly position yourself for writing and specify which documents should be included in the minutes. Finally, the course traces the impact of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on minutes taken in the United Kingdom. We help you to answer questions like ‘why do we take minutes?’ and ‘what should be included on the meeting agenda?’.

The business administration skills you acquire in this course can help you to move up in your career as you use these techniques to make yourself indispensable to your organisation. We explain how to confidently employ these methods to arrange meetings, construct an agenda and write minutes. This training course suits managers, office workers and anyone who wants to understand how to take meeting minutes. Sign up to learn these practical office skills and put yourself at the heart of the action.