Someone has to take notes

Or the meeting didn't happen, and I would like my time back

In every meeting, someone has to take notes. Otherwise, it's just a conversation. Conversations are splendid, but a Meeting is a conversation with a purpose. There are three genres of meetings:

You oughta know. Moving information from one mind to another. You can sometimes replace this meeting with a written dispatch, but not always. Gathering can help.

We can work it out. An alignment meeting. A place for folks to assert their point of view, debate ideas, and land on a simplified perspective everyone agrees on. (All endeavor requires compromise.)

Let's get it on. Only when folks are informed and aligned can you make decisions about what to do and actually do those things. Also known as collaboration.

And in all three gatherings someone has to take notes. Because you are what you read, and what you read is the notes.

The role of note-taker is challenging. You are neither passive stenographer, nor authoritative author, but someone in between. You ask clarifying questions. You must prod the…