Minutes are vital to the success of meetings. Attendees rely on them for information they may have missed, and they serve as an essential communications tool for non-participants. In addition, the action points highlighted in minutes act as a timely reminder for the whole organization. Taking minutes involves listening skills as well as the ability to absorb information and summarize it simultaneously. Written by training consultant and secretarial education expert Joanna Gutmann, Taking Minutes of Meetings is a no nonsense, self-teaching tool instructing the potential committee secretary in the theory and application of proper forms for taking minutes (records) of a meeting. Chapters cover tips for setting up a meeting, personal preparation recommendations, guidelines for taking notes and constructing minutes, how to record decisions and actions in such a manner that any reader will immediately understand what happened, and much more. This fourth edition contains brand new content on how to work best with the meeting chair, how to manage productive and efficient meeting behavior, how to participate, as well as minute, a meeting, and provides a greater differentiation between the different types of meetings and their need.