5 Reasons why you should outsource the minute-taking of your meetings

Member Blog Feature : AdminAssist by Marcia

Whether for an all-day strategy session, a monthly sales meeting or a quick internal meeting, getting someone professional, like an admin assistant, to take minutes makes perfect business sense. Here’s 5 reasons why you should outsource the minute-taking of your meetings:

1. Don’t let it all go to waste. Take the efficacy of your meetings to the next level

What is the point of going through all the trouble of arranging a meeting (and let’s face it, it can be quite bothersome) getting everyone to focus, discussing pertinent issues and deciding on actions if you’re just going to let it all disappear back into the day-to-day bustle? Taking note of what has been said, which tasks have been delegated and who the responsible persons are ensures that you’re taking the efficacy of your meetings to another level. Now no-one can turn around and say they didn’t know about an important arrangement.

2. Asking employees to take notes in meetings may result in mediocre and inaccurate minutes

Taking minutes is a specialised detail that should be subcontracted to a trained professional. Documenting discussions and meeting outcomes are crucial for parties that engage in voluntary trade, or for building strategies in moving projects, campaigns and businesses forward and having incorrect or missing information on a set of minutes could be detrimental if not at least very frustrating.

3. Taking notes yourself can rob you of your moment of brilliance

It’s not considered wise to just jump in and do it yourself. Successful business people rarely take notes themselves in meetings. During discussions they are absorbed in what they do best – leading, casting vision, negotiation and strategy. A distraction such as taking notes could rob them of their moment of brilliance. Great business people have learnt the art of delegating tasks and improved their productivity by doing so.

4. Using the services of an outsider will ensure objectivity and professionalism

Virtual assistants specialise in detail. They are also used to tailoring their offering to their client’s needs while remaining objective. We discern what clients need and how they want meeting outcomes to be organised. You need individuals who will bring the right tools into the boardroom. Professionals with the right software, skills and well-developed writing styles. After all, it won’t just be you reading the minutes of the meeting.

5. Making audio recordings is a solution for ad hoc meetings

An unexpected situation or opportunity sometimes require an ad hoc meeting. Experience have taught that the recording of decisions and actions is a necessity. But what if you didn’t have time to arrange for a professional beforehand? This is not a problem at all. Most phones or tablets can easily record long sessions of audio with great ease. And theses days, who doesn’t have a device within reach? Afterward, simply send the recording to your Virtual Assistant who will then be able to type out the minutes as if she attended the meeting herself.

Sometimes, in order to cover all your bases, you need someone else to handle those tasks that will most certainly take your attention away from key business. At some point, you will need to delegate.

Call us as AdminAssist today for a professional assistant to take minutes at your next meeting, or learn how else you can take advantage of our knowledge and skills.

For more on Marcia and how her business AdminAssist can assist you, please do visit our members page.