TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
If anyone asks me to take minutes, I tell them I am a really poor minute
taker. If they insist, I take minutes. No one ever asks me again. This is
not a strategy. I simply do not have the skills required to listen and write
at the same time. I could not do it in college and so did not take notes. I
still cannot do it. If I am writing, I am not listening, let alone
contributing.
The best note-taking strategy I have encountered was implemented by a boss
of mine in a previous job. At meetings, a computer and projector were set up
and the minutes were projected for all to see. The minutes were written as
the meeting progressed by the person running the meeting. Thus, the meeting
chair tended to summarize discussions and decisions as we went (in good
meeting chair style). Everyone at the meeting had the opportunity to comment
on and ask for changes to the minutes as they were written--to object to
wording, to disagree with conclusions, to ask for more information to be
included, etc.. At the end of the meeting, the minutes were done and could
be distributed then and there via the closest printer. Since we all could
see and contribute to the minutes, we didn't need to write our own notes on
the meeting, except for private notes.
Janet
Janet Valade
Technical Writer
Systech Corporation, San Diego, CA mailto:janetv -at- systech -dot- com
IPCC 01, the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference,
October 24-27, 2001 at historic La Fonda in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
CALL FOR PAPERS OPEN UNTIL MARCH 15. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
