RELEVANT
REVIEWS
Mina’s Guide
to Minute Taking Principles, Standards & Practical Tools
2004. Mina, Eli, Vancouver, BC: Eli
Mina Consulting. 90 pages.
Soft cover. www.elimina.com
Price
$30.00
Plus
shipping & handling and applicable taxes
In the
interests of transparency, I should first point out
that Eli Mina has, on occasion, delivered
minute-taking workshops for AXI.
This new
publication has the same depth and breadth of content as
Eli's minute-taking workshop. Not only does he cover
minute-taking in all kinds of situations and types of
meetings, he includes tips and plenty of examples on how
the minutes would look in those situations. The
examples will be a highly-popular aspect of the book.
While it is laid
out well, and is easy to read, a major deficiency is the
lack of an index. That limits the value of the
publication as a quick reference. For example, I did
not recall if the book addressed who owns the minutes,
taping of meetings, or whether formal meeting minutes
should be posted on websites. Without an index, I
could not find the answer quickly (or even if the topics
were covered).
Some topics that
I would have liked to see covered are not included, but
the book does a very good job on all the main aspects of
minute-taking that would be of interest to the average
user.
The price is
high, but affordable. Even with the deficiencies
identified above, it is a very worthwhile resource for any
group involved in meetings and minutes.
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Table of Contents |
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Introduction |
9 |
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1. Definitions and Key Principles
What Minutes are
Why Minutes are Important
When Minutes are Required
Who Should Take Minutes
Ten Key Principles for Minute Taking
Ineffective versus Effective Practices
Analysis of Poorly Recorded Minutes |
11 |
|
2. Minute Taking Standards
Benefits of Standards
Standards for Recording Substantive Details
Standards for Recording Procedural Details
Standards for the Layout of Minutes
Standards for Filing and Electronic Archiving
Selecting Standards
Formalizing Standards
Sample 2.1 - Creating Concise and Objective Summaries |
19 |
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3. Minutes of Informal Meetings
Chapter Focus
Opening Segment
Body of the Minutes
Closing Segment
Information Exchange Meetings
Problem-Solving Sessions
Approval of Significant Documents
Sample 3.1 – Minutes of an Informal Meeting |
33 |
|
4. Minutes of Formal Meetings
Chapter Focus
Opening Segment
Body of the Minutes
Closing Segment
Informal Decisions (Unanimous Consent)
Housekeeping Items
Formal Decisions (Motions)
Notices of Motion
Phrasing a Main Motion
Moving and Seconding a Motion
Screening a Motion
Debating a Motion
Voting on a Motion
Individual Votes
Conflicts of Interest
Amending a Motion
Delaying or Avoiding a Vote
Revisiting Previous Motions
Procedural Motions
Nominations and Elections
Sample 4.1 – Minutes of a Formal Meeting |
41 |
|
5. Minutes of Closed Meetings
When Closed Meetings are Appropriate
Who Takes Minutes of Closed Meetings
What to Record in Minutes of Closed Meetings
Preserving Confidentiality
Declassifying Minutes of Closed Meetings
Organizing Agendas of Closed Meetings |
67 |
|
6. Approval Process
Who Approves Minutes
Pre-Approval Activities
Approving the Minutes
Recording the Approval Process
Post-Approval Activities
Minimizing Errors in the Minutes |
75 |
|
7. Minute Taker’s Checklists
Building Knowledge and Skills
Building Rapport with the Group
Preparing for a Meeting
Pre-Meeting Activities
Activities At a Meeting
Post-Meeting Activities
Sample 7.1 - Meeting Agenda
Sample 7.2 - Minute Taking Template
Sample 7.3 - Minute Taker’s Interventions |
83 |
Where the Publication is Available
To order this
publication, visit
http://www.elimina.com
Wayne
Amundson is president of Association Xpertise Inc.
and Publisher/Editor of The
Canadian Association e-zine.
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