1x 3 hour LIVE, Online course (via MS Teams) with a professional trainer and a maximum group size of 16 people.
Overview
Minute taking is an essential part of local government life. The minute taker must be skilled at producing clear and concise minutes to support the council and reflect accurately what was discussed and agreed.
This three hour live online course (with a professional course leader) will familiarise you with the minute taking process, including preparation, note taking during the meeting, and producing the final Minutes document.
Who should attend?
This course is well suited for any clerk or council employee who potentially may have to take minutes of official council meetings.
Course Outline – Agenda
- Understanding the role of the minute taker.
- Duties of a meeting administrator – before, during and after a meeting.
- Producing agendas.
- During the meeting, taking notes, supporting the chair and contributing to discussion and debate.
- Best practice for writing minutes.
- Converting notes into final minutes.
- Distribution, record keeping and amendments.
Learning Objectives (success criteria)
By the end of this course, delegates will have an improved understanding of minutes and minute taking. In addition, delegates will have increased confidence in their role as a minute taker, and will ultimately be able to produce a clear and accurate record of the meeting.
Bookings, Costs and Dates
Friday 10 January 2025 – 9.30am to 12.30pm – £75 per person – CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW
Thursday 1 May 2025 – 1.30pm to 4.30pm – £75 per person – CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW
Monday 1 September 2025 – 1.30pm to 4.30pm – £75 per person – CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW
Friday 12 December 2025 – 9.30am to 12.30pm – £75 per person – CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW
If you have 6 or more people interested in this course – we would run it “on demand” – please email us at hello@lgtda.co.uk
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Testimonials
This course provided invaluable skills that I can immediately apply to my role. The DART method for minute-taking is a game-changer, helping me stay focused on what’s truly important while keeping my notes concise and clear. The training was engaging, practical, and gave me the confidence I need to handle any meeting. Highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their minute-taking skills.
L Baker – Wedmore Parish Council – May 2025
Richard is a fantastic facilitator. Found the session in Minute Taking extremely interactive and informative. Overall would recommend to anyone who feels they need some help with their minutes and minute taking skills as this has definitely helped me.
A Tanascu – Wealden District Council – October 2024
Engaging and knowledgeable trainer. Even though the training is online, this is an engaging, interactive session. Highly recommend, it will make my life much simpler now with minute taking, not to mention a lot less stressful.
N Wilson – Eastbourne and Lewes Councils – October 2024
Denise was very engaging which helped me to get a better understanding of what is expected when minute taking.
S Underhay – Wealden District Council – May 2024
The training delivered by Richard was very informative and useful. It provided us with a range of tools and techniques for minute taking. I enjoyed every bit of the training and have recommended it to my entire team !
P Chatwal-Kauffman – Lambeth Council – Jan 2024
The course was very interesting and I enjoyed it. I feel I have learnt new techniques for taking minutes which I will use going forwards. Training was excellent and delivered very well with all participants encouraged to get involved.
L Jones – Flintshire County Council – Nov 2023
Very informative and helpful course to do. Highly recommend!
H Moore – Fenland District Council – Sept 2023
The training session was a good pace with engaging activity throughout. I enjoyed learning about the different techniques and terms that the host went through and explaining when to use each. I found it helpful that the host included everyone as it was useful to hear each opinion and keep the session engaging.
A Leech – Gravesham Borough Council – Jan 2023
I really did not expect to enjoy a Minutes and Minute Taking course as much as I did. Excellent work by the Local Government L&D Academy for making it so engaging and enjoyable
R Borrett – Hart District Council – Oct 2022
I would recommend this course for anyone having to produce minutes for Local Government. I have only been in my role 6 months and have some understanding of what my Councillors want from my minutes. This course has given me extra confidence and new techniques to use in my workplace which I am looking forward to testing out! The trainer, Richard, was very engaging and very knowledgeable, thank you.
T Bayliss – Swanley Town Council – Oct 2022
I went to this course knowing nothing about minute taking other than that I knew I was taking too many. I have left feeling much more confident that I can actually put this into practice immediately. It has taken the stress and concern I have been feeling about taking accurate minutes from now on.
M Mortimer – Hertfordshire County Council – June 2022
The Course Host was welcoming and friendly explained everything thoroughly and efficiently and was patient and answered our questions, I feel I have gained in depth knowledge in the topic and that it will help me improve my working skills.
C Ferraioli – Trafford Council – May 2022
The Training was extremely good and informative I have enjoyed it very much. I felt the Training was Excellent very professional, I recommend highly! 10 out of 10!
Would recommend this course to anyone who is required to take minutes at meetings. A great overview on what should and shouldn’t be included in minutes; some great tips on how to use templates to your advantage, and how to set up meetings and agendas.
J Jacobs – The Eve Appeal – April 2022
Great course, very knowledgeable trainer – will put tools into practice.
A McAuley – Arun District Council – April 2022
Richard led the course well, explaining points in clear detail. He was obviously experienced in minute taking and he was really engaging and good at bringing people into the session. He had a relaxed style which made me feel at ease. I left the course feeling confident in minuting meetings in a more structured, clear and concise manner in the future.
A Skinner – Coventry City Council – March 2022
Richard provided an excellent training experience with useful content. I look forward to putting the skills I have obtained into practice.
P Risseeuw – Mid Sussex District Council – March 2022
Really good course, i will be able to take the knowledge learnt and use it in my role. has given me the confidence to take minutes and i now know what is expected of me.
S Ahmed – NHS Tower Hamlets GP Care Group – March 2022
A very interesting course that kept my attention for the 3 hours it took to complete. I feel that I am more prepared now then I was before to take minutes for meetings and I would recommend the course to anyone who is looking for an understanding in minute taking.
G Mclaird – Hertfordshire County Council – Jan 2022
I was booked on this course to gain a better understanding of minutes and minute taking. The tutor provided way more than anticipated and the course exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend this course for people with a base knowledge of minutes as well as people who already have experience as there are areas that I feel I gained a wider knowledge of minutes and minutes taking that I didn’t realise were key aspects of the job.
J Lumby – City of York Council – Dec 2021
An interesting and informative course! Would highly recommend.
E Tingley – Lewes Town Council – Dec 2021
What I loved most about the course is how it was adapted to suit the needs of the attendees and considered everyone’s abilities. I am a young apprentice, so minute-taking is new to me, but the course was easily accessible, and I could take part, even though others in the course were experienced minute takers and professionals. Everyone could take something away from the course and use it in real life.
A Rainbow – Faversham Town Council – Dec 2021
“Richard was an engaging and motivating speaker. Taking a holistic approach to the subject matter, Richard was well equipped to get to the heart of the issue. Helping me with my specific problem as well as giving me a broader understanding.”
N Darwin – Coast to Capital LEP – Dec 2021
This course was perfect for me and delivered in the best way. Prior to the course, I was nervous about how it would be but after the first five minutes I felt reassured and totally at ease. Having an instructor that had so much expertise in local government meant that I could ask questions without having to explain context. I can really recommend Richard and this course.
K Weekley – Lyme Regis Town Council – Oct 2021