How not to
Recently I have been in two ‘bad’ settings. In one a responsibility tree was put on the screen with a minimum of 50 ‘pods’, probably more. The purpose of the presentation was to explain the authority structure this ‘tree’ represented. But the speaker himself said ‘you probably can’t read this’ – so why show it?! It would not have been difficult to break the tree into components, starting with a schematic of the tree and then taking each branch in turn with just a few pods to show how they related together.

In the second setting the speaker showed her notes on the screen then read from them. The text was too dense for the audience to read easily and if she only wanted to read what was on the screen why not read her notes and let us concentrate rather than try to decipher the tiny text?! Here, she could easily have revealed some key words as she reached each salient point.

Sadly, although many speakers who are good at using PowerPoint, poor presentations such as above are too common. I hope this series might help bring some improvement.

Three purposes
PowerPoint may be used for at least three purposes.

1. PowerPoint provides essential subject matter which is showing the material that is being described, as in the first example above. As such it replaces a handout and is a good aid to communication. It is in fact, better than a handout as it ensures that all the hearers are focussed on the same point, unlike a handout where differing reading speeds and the desire to read ahead makes it difficult to hold the audience’s attention. A handout may be useful at the end as a reminder.
2. The second purpose is as a Visual Aid, material that supports. It is not essential but it enhances and helps clarify what is being said by the speaker. Used in this way it can provide pegs on which the content is hung. In this form it probably also gives the key headings for any notes that the hearers may be taking.
3. Finally, the presentation may be ’self standing’ ie it is itself what is being communicated.

Visual Aid
Let me give you an example of its use as a Visual Aid. Recently I heard an excellent sermon which began with a brief history of the Israelites, from Abraham to the Promised Land. As the preacher was speaking I was feeling how helpful it would have been to have had a developing timeline on the screen to show how the events linked together. He of course spoke of their travels as well. It would have been most helpful to have had a map showing some of this detail, for instance the distances from Egypt to Canaan.

A few months ago I spoke from the book of Nehemiah. To be able to show with a map how the geography of that period linked with the modern Iraq and Iran brought the story to life. I was also able to show the large distances they had to cover. Further, I used a timeline to show the various stages of the captivity into Babylon and then on into Persia, with the different ‘returns’ and the rebuilding of the temple.

What next?
So much for some of the philosophy. In the next blog I will give a few tips for what I consider ‘good practice’. There is no ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ but there are such things as choice and size of text that significantly affect the hearers’ pleasure and ability to absorb the material you are trying to present.

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Are you willing to be challenged about cross cultural issues?
For ten years Nigel and Lisa Measures have been leading a cross-cultural and multiracial church, Khanyisa Community Church, in a township outside Cape Town, an area which, in the days of apartheid, was a hot bed of political and physical strife. But they have lived there for even longer and are thus well qualified as white people from a British culture to address some of the deep-rooted issues which should challenge all of us about the gospel and its application. How should it be outworked out among rich and poor, black and white, multi-racially? What are our inner attitudes when we fellowship with people with whom we have little in common and who hold different traditions and worldviews? Is it possible to build a multicultural and multiracial church? What does that look like?

In writing God’s Stump (Jesus came from the stump of Jesse) Nigel (with one chapter by Lisa) challenges us to face hard questions. Indeed, this is not a book to read if you are not willing to look inward and have your pre-conceptions disturbed. But the issues he addresses are very important for our generation. What is your attitude to the Poor? – not in theory but when you are confronted by someone whose lifestyle is very different from your own and, let’s be honest, not very attractive? Are you able to see in that person someone made in the image of God whom He wants to see become an ‘oak of righteousness’ and released into missional activity through the church? And what about the person of a different race, speaking an unintelligible (to you) language? Are you prepared to make the effort to get to know him or her, and look for all the things you can learn? Or are you going to hide behind a so-called educated, know-it-all and sometimes ‘superior’ attitude?

To help you grapple with some of the issues Nigel ends the book with provocative questions related to each chapter. This makes the book very useful as a book to study as a group. This will help you discuss some of the challenging issues in a context of relative emotional ‘safety’ in, perhaps, a small group in your church. He has also thoroughly cross-referenced the text both to scripture and other authors.

I whole-heartedly recommend this book to any who are or want to be engaged with the poor, or who are seeking to build multiracial churches. For those who have never given these matters serious thought, perhaps you should, so this is a book for you too. Have the courage to be challenged and read it!

Available from Christian bookshops or Newfrontiers Resources

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The importance of debriefing
For my final blog before we break let me share with you how we debriefed from the Together on a Mission Conference (TOAM10). Debriefing is a very important part of conference organisation, or indeed of organising any event. For instance, what did Jesus do after the disciples first ministry trip? Debriefed (at least he set out to do so until he was interrupted by 5000 people!). And after feeding the 5000? Debriefed! How else would he have known how many people had attended, how many baskets were left over and so on?

The debrief process
So what did we do after the TOAM10 Conference and how? I gathered 16 of my key players. We planned the 2 hours or so to contain 4 sessions. One aspect of the Conference was discussed in each session:

1) The Delegate experience
2) Meetings
3) Practical Matters
4) The Management Team meetings

Within each aspect there were various topics. For instance there were 11 topics in ‘Delegate Experience’ such as Advertising, Booking System, Videos.

In each session we divided into four groups and discussed the same aspect/topics at the same time. We asked people to make any observations about the particular topic being considered, and then to hold a discussion and make suggestions about ways in which we could improve for next year. These were all recorded by a ‘scribe’.

For the next session we rearranged the groups so that different people were working together. We found this added to the enjoyment of the time and created a positive atmosphere in which people commented openly on what had happened and made some very creative suggestions.

We ended the morning with a very enjoyable lunch as a way of saying ‘thank you’ for all their hard work, before returning to our various bases.

Using the Information
This information will now be collated. It will be combined with comments we have received from delegates through feedback forms which we handed out at the Conference. These were targeted to representative people eg Leaders (UK and International), Wives, Mobilise etc. This ensured we had a representative response. The resulting document will be circulated to the team leaders and they will be asked to come to the next planning meeting (the second for next year’s conference) with observations about the viability of any of the suggestions. These will be implemented if appropriate.

Thus the final meeting for the conference just passed became the first meeting to affect the next – a 12 month cycle!

We hope you will join us there. July 12th–15th. Bookings will open early in the New Year on the Newfrontiers website. If you want to watch or listen to the downloads (Video/Audio for Main Sessions, Audio only for Training Tracks and Seminars) click here >> 

Enjoy your summer (northern hemisphere), rainy season (equatorial) or winter (southern) as appropriate!

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This report has been written by the team leaders of Alternatives Pregnancy Counselling Centre in Brighton, UK. This ministry demonstrates great love, compassion and excellence.

Called to Care
Sarah Pooley and Claire Godley

Often when we think of caring for the poor, practical ministries to people living in poverty in places like Africa and Asia come to mind. It’s easy to forget that there are people who are ‘poor in spirit’ and struggling with huge emotional issues in every street in the UK.

One such group are women facing an unplanned pregnancy. In 2009 women living in England and Wales had 189,100 abortions (source: Department of Health) and 40% of women and men will be affected by abortion in their lifetime.

Shocked at finding out they are pregnant, thrown into turmoil and unsure what to do for the best. These women need a safe place and a listening ear to come and talk about how they feel and consider all the options before making a decision.

Our immediate response can be to think of the life of the unborn baby. Saving this life is a natural outcome of helping the woman. David Reardon in his book The Jericho Plan says ‘Only the Mother can help her unborn child. All that the rest of us can do is to nurture and protect the Mother.’

Hailey (not her real name) came to Alternatives in Brighton two years ago with an unplanned pregnancy and was unsure what to do. She had a chaotic lifestyle and was in an unstable relationship, as well as being a drug user. She eventually gave into external pressures and had an abortion. The team supported her through the Journey programme as she worked through her thoughts and feelings following the abortion. And at the end of the course she found herself pregnant again. This time there was no doubt in her mind – she had the baby. Although it has been a difficult time for Hailey the Centre has supported her all the way through and she has stopped taking drugs and has a healthy baby.

Alternatives
So, how do we respond? Alternatives Pregnancy Counselling Centre based in Brighton was set up in 1990. And like many of the 150 other centres across the UK has links with a local Newfrontiers church.

Centres provide:

• Free pregnancy testing
• Confidential counselling
• Ongoing support
• Post-abortion / Miscarriage counselling
• Offering space and time to women to enable them to make a fully informed decision
• Many centres also network with local agencies and try to influence and change policies on related issues such as sex education

Those involved in pregnancy counselling centres recognise that they can’t take away the pain or the suffering – only God can do that. All they can do is walk alongside the person and provide support, help them to have all the facts to make a decision and show compassion.

We know that abortion grieves the heart of God and damages the people involved. David Reardon comments ‘As members of the body of Christ we are called upon to be mirrors of God’s mercy and ambassadors of his forgiveness. We can’t do anything for the unborn child in heaven but we can help those wounded by abortion.’

Values that underpin the work of the centres:

• Respect for the women
• A knowledge that ‘there but for the grace of God go I’
• That mercy triumphs over judgement
• Serving Jesus – not fighting a cause
• Not to look at what they can / can’t do but what God is able to do in and through them.
• Prayer is a major ingredient in all aspects of a centre’s work

Care Confidential (part of CARE) is the umbrella organisation that provides support, advice, training and resources to the UK centres. In partnership with the centres Care Confidential also runs a national freephone helpline, web portal and secure online support and advice service.

Inspiration
Psalm 139 v 13 - 16
Isaiah Ch 61 v1 - 3
2 Corinthians Ch 1 v 3 and 4
Jeremiah Ch 31 v 15

Testimonies
Feedback from some Alternatives clients:

“The test was positive, I was in shock and crying. The woman explained things without bombarding me with information; listening, not judging me or telling me what to do.”

“I felt really comfortable to talk here, and very thankful for all the help you have given me.”

Find out more
To find out more about Care Confidential and your nearest pregnancy counselling centre click here >>

You can get involved supporting you local centre by praying, giving and by volunteering. All volunteers are fully trained and supported by regular supervision.

If you have been affected by any issues raised in this article and would like to chat them through with someone please contact Care Confidential on UK freephone 0800 0282228 or on the above website.

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There seems to have been a general air of satisfaction as they returned home having met with God through:

• Powerful teaching and preaching both in the Main Sessions, Training Tracks and Seminars (sessions all downloadable >>)
• Anointed Worship
• Some significant prophetic words
• An evening of prayer for the nations
• A visit to the Global Zone to see where they could get involved in going to the nations
• Strengthening their understanding of Newfrontiers’ Vision and Values through the videos
• Refreshing old friendships and making new ones
• …and the glorious sunshine whenever they left the building, perhaps visiting the beach where Hudson Taylor received his call to China!

To share in the joys of the conference have a look at the Highlights video. Reports of the Conference are available here>>

Paddling hard
But while all this is going on peacefully (I hope!) and enjoyably on the surface there is, like the proverbial duck, great energy being expended under the surface by an army of helpers, sometimes late into the night as they duplicate CDs and DVDs, edit videos etc.

TOAM is the climax of 12 months work by a dedicated team. We hold four half day meetings through the year to discuss how to improve the Conference and ‘make good’ where things did not go to plan last year, and to review progress and monitor developments. Then everyone returns to their base and works hard with emails flying through the ether to bring the whole event together.

On the day before the conference begins we invade the Brighton Centre to 

• install audio and video equipment in the main hall
• build the ‘set’ on the stage
• put up signs around the building
• prepare displays in the Global Zone
• prepare for the invasion of people on the first day who have lost their tickets and have a thousand and one questions
• put up partitions
• connect to the internet
• Set up the translation equipment and the area for signing for the deaf
• …and much much more

During the conference the Management Team meets for breakfast each day to review the previous day and to plan the current one.

Then at the end, like the disciples who cleared up the hillside when the 5000 departed having been fed with the word, and with loaves and fish, another army (many are the same people) break it all down again and put it on vans and lorries to go into store or to Newday, the annual Newfrontiers conference for teenagers.

However hard we prepare there is always the unexpected.

• Deliveries that do not arrive on time or, when they have arrived, somehow get lost in the melee of setup.
• Unexpected illness or family bereavement for members of the core team of workers.
• The fire alarm and building evacuation during the counting of the offering. Is it a devious plot?
• The poor delegate who collapses as people are flooding out of the building and an ambulance needs to be called.

It is at such times that we draw deep on the grace of God and I give Him thanks for a team who are loyal and dedicated, and quickly ‘fill in’ to cover the problem.

The final TOAM
And so it is over for another year. Or, rather, next year’s preparation will begin with a debrief in the next few days.

2011 will be the last TOAM in its present form and we anticipate a great gathering. Don’t miss out – put the dates in your diary now. July 12th – 15th. Bookings will open on the Newfrontiers website in January.

See you there!

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Traducción atraves de Google-traducción ha sido añadido a todas las páginas web de Nuevas Fronteras, incluyendo mi blog! Para ver a mi blog , ver al panel de la derecha.

Notices pt 2
Having touched on the Why? and What? let us now ask three further questions – How? When? and Who?

How?
Notices are about public communication and need preparation (and prayer!). In considering what you want to communicate ask yourself what you expect people to do with the knowledge – the ‘take away’. Then plan how best that will be achieved.

Visual aids
It is well known that visual communication is more effective than spoken communication – it has been said that ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’. So are there ways in which you can use visual aids, remembering that they are aids and not an end in themselves? Similarly, verbal ‘pictures’ help people to remember what you are communicating, so use stories where appropriate (hence the power of personal testimony).

Visual communication can use many different media – printed (good if some response is required), PowerPoint, Video etc. Be creative as far as your budget allows! But be careful to prepare such visual aids so that they enhance what is being communicated, not distract from the theme and purpose. Sometimes visual aids are remembered more than the content they are trying to convey, like some stories in a sermon which may be remembered more than the topic they are illustrating.

When?
Traditionally notices come in the middle of a meeting, often between the worship and the preaching. This has benefits such as:

1. It allows people to relax after what may have been an intense time of worship. But be careful not to ‘lose the Spirit’ by bringing notices insensitively.
2. People’s time span of focussed concentration may be only 30-40 minutes, so something different helps between the worship and preaching. But beware not to lose a ‘bridge’ if the Spirit has been speaking in a way that helps introduce the preaching.

On other occasions a flow to the meeting may be anticipated which should not be interrupted – perhaps a special Christmas service. It is then worth considering having the notices at the start. If so, make sure they are not just ‘tucked in’ to get them out of the way but that they are still relevant and important.

Who gives them?
It is not everyone’s skill to give notices! Consider what needs to be communicated and, if appropriate, you can even have more than one person. Some notices need to be communicated with passion – almost preached – so ensure that the right person is appointed who can achieve this. For instance, finance is not easy to present with vision and passion so choose someone who has faith for finance and can highlight the key points without getting lost in a myriad of figures. And try to find alternatives to graphs and pie charts – be creative!

In addressing Notices in this two-part series I hope I have conveyed that they should be given more thought and preparation than is often the case. They can then serve you in your church and illustrate your relational values by the manner in which you give them, not just dry information.

Finally, I have just seen Mark and Bev Landreth-Smith of the Beacon Church in Camberley giving notices at last year’s Together@ Butlins 2010 Weekend. Why not mark them out of ten against my (relatively boring) checklist?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT4Jn8C4xvQ. I give them eleven!

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From Zimbabwe to Kenya

I had not met his colleague before, Peter. He works for the ministry of Agriculture in Kenya as an agricultural advisor.

For various reasons I wondered how they would get on in Zimbabwe at the Conference. Why would an ophthalmologist really want to learn about this form of agriculture? Would an expert be prepared to learn new techniques? Whatever the future held we had a lot of fun and laughs together and at the end I warned them I would be visiting Kenya in May and expected to see outstanding crops.

To be honest, I had severe doubts that I would in fact see anything. I am delighted to say that they proved me wrong! Two more outstanding men for this task it would have been hard to find and it was my joy to congratulate Edward Buria on what appeared to have been an excellent choice when he sent them!

Inspecting the site
When Ashford and Peter returned from Zimbabwe they had very little time to put their new found knowledge into practice if they were to benefit from the next harvest season. But Ashford acquired a small parcel of land (about a tenth of a hectare), and prepared the ground and planted in two days, March 18th and 19th. Then he went each morning to his field before attending his clinic in order to weed and maintain the soil. Peter visited weekly to offer advice and to help deal with a disease that attacked the crop. Together they worked hard to produce a model for others to inspect – and they have succeeded 100%!

A healthy weed free crop
When I visited at the end of May I found a crop standing about 2 metres high with healthy cobs forming on each of the lush stands. Mulch had been in short supply but Ashford had imported some and that part of the field where he laid it was weed-free. He had had to weed only twice in two months. The other part of the field was also weed-free but this took four weeding sessions to achieve.

Interestingly and very helpfully Ashford’s neighbour planted in the next field also on March 18th. What he succeeded in doing was to provide a powerful visual aid about the effectiveness of Foundations for Farming compared to the traditional rural methods, as shown in the photo, since his crop is virtually useless. Weeds abound and the height of the sparse crop is, at best, well below one metre.

It will be two more months till harvest and they (and I) are full of expectation that it will yield a good crop, perhaps at the rate of 2-3 tonnes/ha. Ashford is already planning to acquire 8 hectares next season and to plant a variety of crops ~ maize and various legumes. I look forward to my next visit!

Training others
A programme of traing others is to be launched in July. The hope is to teach church leaders so that they can encourage their people. Who knows, maybe this will contribute significantly to alleviating the repeated problems of failed harvests in Kenya due to a shortage of rain as Foundations for Farming optimises the benefits of what little rain there may be.

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The sober truth!

Why?
The reason for giving any particular notice should fall into one of three categories – to Envision, to Inform or to Edify/Inspire.

• Envisioning expands faith – this may be about a programme-with-purpose, such as about an Alpha course; about a building project to help the church fulfil its vision (e.g. to reach its community); about money and future Gift Days (for what purpose is the money being given?); about some overseas church you may link with etc.

• Information is probably what people most expect from notices. But even this should not be dry - it must be clear and there must be good reason for giving it verbally rather than in some other way. (We will look at alternative ways later).

• Notices can also edify and inspire. Testimonies are powerful for edifying people. They also help build the family of your church as people get to know what God is doing others’ lives.

Let me give you an example. A notice about giving, if well presented, can be very inspirational. Recently I visited the Newfrontiers church in Bath (UK) and Andy, the leader, spoke excellently in the notice time about money and the importance of the elders ensuring that their people have plenty of opportunity to give in order to be blessed. Jesus said ‘it is more blessed to give than receive’ (Acts 20:35) and Paul commended the churches in Achaia for their expressed wish to give out of their poverty (2 Cor 8:1-5). Generosity produces blessing for the giver as well as the receiver. By the end of this short ‘notice’ people were really inspired and wanting to give for the particular purpose being presented.

What?
I have already touched on some possible content - testimonies and giving. But, here are a few general principles that are worthy of consideration:

• Matters that need particular emphasis.

• Matters that need ‘platform’ presentation, not just general information.

• Matters for which a ‘public’ notice is the best way to communicate. With sufficient forethought would a handout be better? If a notice is not relevant to the majority of people present would a letter or email do the job better?

Information can, of course, be very dry and thought needs to be given to presentation in order to communicate the content in a memorable way. Do you want to highlight a matter that is referred to in some handout? If so, what are the salient points and what would be redundant? For instance, it is not necessary to give the time of an event – focus on the purpose and the ‘take aways’ from the event (nothing to do with McDonalds!). Are you wanting to tell people some family news – an engagement or a birth perhaps? This should be done with joy (and perhaps humour!).

Response
Are you looking for a response? If so I have two tips:

1) Specify the group of people you want to communicate with before giving the detail e.g. ‘this notice is for mothers with young children’.

2) Be sure that people know what they are expected to do in order to make that response e.g. ‘Go to the Table at the back of the hall at the end of the meeting and Josie will take your name and give you more details’ (make sure Josie knows about this and is prepared!).

Volunteers
If you are looking for helpers consider carefully whether a notice is the best way to identify them, particularly if they are committing to a long term role (e.g. ministry with the children). It is much better and more honouring to think of the types of people you need (i.e. what skills and gifting you want) and then consider who has that gifting.

Then approach them.
‘I have noticed how you are always encouraging people (pastoral gift?). Well done! I really would like you to consider welcoming people as they arrive on a Sunday as I know how well you would do that. Could you pray about this and see if you would like to join a rota?’

Approaching someone in this way tells them you care about them – you don’t just want to get a job done, which is the subliminal message of a notice asking for volunteers.

In the second part of this series on notices I shall consider some other questions: How? When? Who?

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Lawyer saved
At about this time Martin Mithega, a senior lawyer in Meru, became a Christian in Edward Buria’s church. Having previously had no time for the poor (as they could not pay substantial fees) he now felt he wanted to help them with free legal advice, so he set up a new practice through VOLASE (Volunteers for Legal Aid Service), a NGO.

Martin heard about the group in Manyangalo and over a period of several months obtained tenure for them of the area of land on which they were living. They now have plots of their own with individual title deeds.

Ignorance through isolation
It was in 2004 that I was first taken to visit these forgotten people. Some did not even know that Kenya had become independent although that had happened in 1963! Most of them didn’t have the National Identity Cards to prove they were Kenyans and so could not exercise their democratic rights such as voting.

The conditions were very basic: one toilet for several thousand people (so most practiced the ‘bush culture’), very poor accommodation that was cramped and smoke-filled from cooking, life that was in survival mode, and so on.
Transformation
Since then there has been a remarkable transformation and it was a joy to visit once again recently to see what an impact the love and care of the Christian community has brought. They are now arising as a people of dignity with their own school, shops, some newly built houses (albeit still fairly basic but improving) – even their own football team called Manyagash Football Club with a strip donated by Edward and his church!

They have also just turned on the taps of a major water project which takes water to all parts of the community. With great foresight Edward has arranged for a large gravity-fed water tank to be erected and for trunk pipe-work to be laid, spreading out across the area to toilets, showers and washing areas. It is hoped there will even be sufficient for irrigation for the crops.

Food security
The area is very fertile and there is now an abundance of vegetables and cereals being grown, sufficient to feed the community with some spare for market, thus yielding income to raise the economic level. It is hoped shortly to introduce Foundations for Farming into the community through the church. In due course this will accelerate income generation, thus improving the overall economy.

But there needs to be wisdom as they move forward. Development is good, but it brings its own challenges such as HIV/AIDS and crime, which they had previously avoided. 

A remarkable story
Perhaps the most remarkable part of this story is the harmony that exists between these different tribal groups. Where there has been serious tension in other parts of Kenya following the elections of December 2007, with many still displaced following the inter-tribal conflict, here, in Manyangalo, there is peace and harmony. They speak one another’s languages and there has been harmonious inter-marriage among these tribal groups. They had never previously reported any crime because they all knew they had their common enemies to fight, which were poverty, disease, ignorance and their oppressors. They had had no access to medical facilities, so were using herbs and products from trees. This is a fascinating sociological case study! 

Hope reborn
There is fresh hope amongst these forgotten people and a new generation is emerging to the glory of God. What a testimony of God’s love and grace expressed through the sacrificial love of Edward and his team!

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Formatting
Some simple formatting can also help (see below – numbers correspond to those in the illustration).

1. Bullet points often promote clarity as they highlight the key points being made.
2. Text should not look ‘heavy’. Blocks of text are daunting to read so it is better to have short sentences and paragraphs separated appropriately with lines to give white space on the page.
3. Decisions should be clearly identified within the text. Words like ‘Agreed’ can be highlighted by making them ‘bold’.
4. Similarly ‘Actions’ need to be clearly identified e.g.
Action: John Smith to prepare report.
John Smith’s initials are then placed in the third column at the same horizontal level as the text of the stated action
5. Where actions from the previous meeting are being followed up include the number of that previous minute in brackets after the heading

How to handle Actions
The body of a minute may refer to a particular action to be taken. As illustrated, I put the initials of the person taking that action in the 3rd column. Once the minutes have been completed all the actions associated with each individual are then grouped at the end with the item number and sufficient detail to ensure the action can be understood without referring to the minutes. Thus that individual can quickly work through the list from this short summary.
NB This action list does not form a part of the minutes (i.e. it does not need ‘signing off’ as a part of a legal document) and should be on a separate page. It is just a tool for efficiency and to save time.

Follow up of the actions is carried out in advance of the subsequent meeting. By receiving reports of the actions before the meeting it is not necessary to take valuable time during the meeting to review actions unless further discussion is required. So a list such as the following is circulated in advance – perhaps 2 weeks in advance – so that everyone can respond by a stated date.

The responses are combined and pre-circulated. In preparing the Agenda (also to be pre-circulated) only those items that require further discussion are included. The other items are assumed to have been understood and agreed by all parties.

Template
The template for Minutes, including all the aspects discussed in this short series, thus looks like this:

I suggest you now create a similar table and save it as a Template (in word as .dot) for future use. Remember, the grid I have shown should be concealed in the final minutes. It has been shown in these illustrations purely to help you create the format.

This concludes the series on Effective Meetings. To summarise I have sought to address:

1. Overview of meetings
2, 3 Types of meeting
4, 5 Agendas
6 Chairing meetings
7, 8 Minutes and Actions

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