The Minute Taker's Handbookby Lee Comer and Paul Ticher, DSC 2002, ISBN 1 900360 99 3, £9.95 [£12.91 inc p&p]) How many of us have bumbled into taking our first meeting minutes, simply because we failed to look down quickly enough when the Chair was seeking a 'volunteer'? For how many of us is it the most time-consuming, stressful task that we do simply because we are not sure what should be included or how to set them out? From their combined experience in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector Lee Comer and Paul Ticher have produced a book that should be on every arts manager's bookshelf. An illuminating introduction gives the history of minuting meetings and reminds us of their purpose, while case studies and check lists take us through the whole process of planning, running and reporting meetings. The book is well structured with a detailed index for quick reference. My only carp is that the title does not fully describe the breadth of the contents which cover the preparation and timing of agendas as well as how a meeting should be conducted ' not always in the control of the minute taker! So, if you see these awful words at the end of a job description 'to be responsible for the minutes of management committee meetings' don't despair. This small book will guarantee stress free meetings ' and you never know, you might persuade your Chair to have a quick read and learn how to chair a meeting efficiently and effectively!
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