What should one do when appointed as the secretary of a meeting? What are the responsibilities? How should the minutes be written? These are common questions that confront a staff officer appointed as a meeting secretary for the first time.

This 2-day course comprehensively describes the roles of a meeting secretary and inculcates the skills of minutes-writing. It emphasises that the responsibilities of a secretary begin way before the commencement of a meeting, and continue even after the meeting minutes have been approved.

Workshop Outline

• Understand the powers of a secretary.

• Understand why meeting minutes are taken.

• Learn the difference between different types of minutes and records.

• Learn a step-by-step guide in preparing an agenda.

• Learn how to resolve conflicting requirements by different parties when proposing the agenda for a meeting.

• Understand the roles of a secretary in enforcing a meeting’s guidelines on papers and presentation slides.

• Understand the secretary’s responsibilities in preparing a meeting room.

• Know the common problems that arise during a meeting.

• Learn how to manage a meeting, including the presenters and ‘back-benchers’.

• Know the need to react to unplanned situations during a meeting.

• Learn how to use short-hands to capture discussions.

• Learn how to phrase minutes in a clear, concise and correct way.

• Understand the need to avoid certain types of phrases and words in minutes.

• Understand the correct way of seeking approval for minutes.

• Know the responsibilities of a secretary after the minutes are approved.

• Appreciate the criticality of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) when working with senior officials of a meeting.

Fee 

2-day course (Standard): S$488 per pax, for a minimum class size of 20 pax, excluding venue and refreshments.

1-day course (Truncated): $288 per pax, for a minimum class size of 20 pax, excluding venue and refreshments.

Image: Jo Johnston via Pixabay