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Hello, techwriters...
Rather than seeing it as a denigration, I tend to volunteer to take
meeting minutes and/or notes in whatever situation I find myself,
whether at a job or a volunteer group or whatever. Why? It's usually
turned out that the person who takes the notes has a lot more power than
anyone realizes. The notes/minutes tend to gain a (possibly undeserved
but undeniable) legitimacy because they are actually written down, and
thus become the final word on what was said / discussed / decided, thus
ultimately trumping the fuzzy, inarticulate and non-agreeing memories of
those actually present but not scribbling away.
The opportunities for spin favorable to one's own opinions /
leanings are tremendous. Not deception, mind you, just spin. Likewise,
the most powerful position in many organizations turns out to be
Secretary. Who opens the mail? Who sees EVERYTHING that comes through?
The Secretary. Makes for a terrific powerbase! Any no one ever suspects
a thing! Much guerrilla warfare can be carried out under cover of humble
secretarial and notes-taking duties. (Or at least I have always found it
to be so... your mileage may vary!)
