Overview
Meetings are a daily necessity – being able to capture what matters most is a critical skill. This practical, hands-on one-day course is designed to give you the tools, techniques, and confidence to take clear, concise, and accurate minutes in any environment.
Whether you're new to minute writing or looking to refine your approach, you'll walk away with a toolkit for recording key points, decisions, and follow-ups.
Course Cost (excluding VAT)
Non-Member - £550
Professional Subscriber - £495
Member - £440
A discount is available for registered charities, please email [email protected].
For any related enquiries please contact us at [email protected], or call us at +44 (0)20 7580 4741
Participant Profile
- You want to become more effective and quicker at taking notes
- You want to learn what is important to focus on
- You want to improve your ability to write in a concise manner
- You want to make your minutes clear, professional and useful – without spending hours writing them
- You want to feel more confident and less overwhelmed in the role of the note-taker.
This training course is relevant to all sectors, including listed and private companies, charities, public sector, and NHS.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the day, you will understand:
- Understand why minute-taking matters and how it supports effective decision-making
- Gain skills in active listening and be able to discern what is and what isn’t important
- Be able to use templates and take high-quality notes which include actions, responsibilities and deadlines
- Know what happens next: from reviewing and refining your notes through to final approval.
- Develop strategies for overcoming common challenges such as managing complex discussions or taking minutes in a fast paced environment
You will also receive:
- A delegate pack containing comprehensive course notes and presentation slides
- A certificate to show you have attended the course
- 6 hours credit towards your Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- 6 months complimentary professional subscription of The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland. This includes a subscription to G+C Magazine as well as access to briefings, discounts and our knowledge base.
Testimonials
"The trainer was very engaging and the group activities enabled us to get a better understanding of effective minute taking and put a framework in place. I came away with the knowledge and confidence to effectively be the minute taker for future meetings"
★★★★★
"The trainers style was easy to follow and concepts easy to understand. He was able to convey his depth of knowledge into a guide to assist anyone's improvement in this area."
★★★★★
"The training session was informative, comprehensive and had lots of tools to help aid my learning in my governance role."
★★★★★
"I thoroughly enjoyed the training. It was very informative taking into account emerging trends in effective minute taking. Looking forward to applying the lessons learn to my assignments."
★★★★★
"The trainer was excellent. He had a wonderful and patient temperament and was extremely knowledgeable. I learnt so many new techniques despite taking minutes for over 15 years and the trainer proved to be a positive enabler. Would strongly reccommend this course"
★★★★★
People who take this course often go on to book:
Useful CGI Resources:
A wealth of further information and guidance on governance practices and minute taking can be found in our Resources.
Competency framework
This course aligns to CGI’s competency framework: Entry/Emerging
Use the competency framework to identify your strengths and areas for improvement in governance.
Programme
- Creating a 'notemaker friendly' agenda
- Friend or foe?
- Applying effective note-taking techniques
- Important post-meeting activities
- Re-structuring notes when creating minutes for longer agenda items
- Applying the skills learned: a practical exercise
- How detailed should minutes be?
- Writing style
- Passive voice or active voice?
- Structure and layout
- Analysing examples
- Minute-writing: key guiding principles
- Naming names: CGI best practice
- Appointment, termination, and detail changes
- Using the Power/Interest Matrix to maintain key relationships
- The Minute-taker’s Reminder Checklist
- Post-course reference material that you will receive
- Effective minute-taking: summary of tools, tips and techniques
Course Leader
