Re: The mushroom syndrome

["Brierley, Sean" <Brierley -at- QUODATA -dot- COM>]

Hallo:

I dislike taking meeting minutes but the job can be beneficial.
Consider, you get to write the pertinent content of those minutes.

For example, a particular project of yours has vocal opposition from
some moron (your point of view, not mine, I'm neutral ;?). The
opponent's arguments aren't very logical and the only valid points the
opponent makes are both weak and valid. In the minutes, you could
accurately summarise the points to the argument. The reasoning for doing
so (provided the meeting isn't already a thirty-pager) is that the issue
being discussed is an important one for such-and-such group of
employees/corporate policy/etc. and the arguments made are certainly
setting company policy/goals/direction on the issue. Tersely and
accurately written, your opponent's words lose volume and feeling in the
minutes and lie there as unprotected, shriveled facts. When isolated in
this manner, your opponent's words ridicule him (a gender-neutral "him,"
I assure you;?). If your opponent dares argue against adopting the
minutes, point out your reasoning for including the salient points of
the discussion and point out that everything is accurate and in-context.
Otherwise, your opponent's comments stand as written and you can use
them to persuade others to your task.

Obviously, my point about taking the minutes has a narrow focus that
many will not be able to use (and, no, I have never participated in a
labor-management dispute or sortie).

Anyway, aside from what I write above, I'd pawn off the taking of the
minutes, too.

Sean


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