How to Write Meeting Minutes: 7 Easy Steps to Follow + Templates
How often have you found tasks discussed in a meeting left undone or forgotten? Sometimes, people leave a meeting with different versions or understanding of what was discussed. Needless to say, without learning how to write meeting minutes, you’re left with unclear directions on how to move forward. Thus, every employee must have this crucial skill to organise information and keep everyone on the same page.
What are meeting minutes?
Meeting minutes are simply an official written record of the events of a meeting. It has nothing to do with the time or verbatim record (transcript) of a meeting. The phrase originated from the Latin minuta scriptura, meaning "small notes".
These notes typically highlight the key issues discussed, decisions on those issues, and the list of attendees. Meeting minutes essentially condense the meeting down to the most important points. They also contain any presentations or reports shared during the meeting.
Importance of meeting minutes
Writing meeting minutes is commonly taken by secretaries or assistants; however, every now and then, team members are assigned to the task, too. Learning how to write meeting minutes is a great communication skill to include in your skill set. It is a valuable resource for your team to achieve your goals.
Meeting minutes are an important source of information, providing a record of shared understanding of the meeting goals. It is a collaborative tool to avoid misunderstandings and keep everyone on track. It is also a source of information for team members who weren't in attendance to get caught up on any decisions or takeaways from the meeting.
If you are tasked to write meeting minutes, here are a few tips to help you prepare:
Steps to take before the meeting
The key to taking meeting minutes effectively lies in how well you do your prep work. You've got to have the right tools for taking minutes of the meeting to do a good job.
1. Get your hands on the meeting agenda
The meeting agenda contains the basic details and the objectives of your meeting. It outlines the key issues to be discussed and helps set clear expectations of the meeting results. You can use it as an outline for your meeting minutes template.
You can get the meeting agenda from the person who set up the meeting. You will need to get the following information to effectively write your meeting minutes:
- Date and time of the meeting. Identify when and where your meeting took place and keeps everything organised.
- Meeting attendees and those unable to attend. Take note of the attendees and their designations. You will need to identify who's working on what to keep track of the tasks.
- Key issues to be discussed. These are the purpose of your meeting. These items will help provide direction and clarity regarding your meeting's focus.
2. Decide how you want to record the meeting
If you want to be thorough, you can always make an audio recording as backup, as long as you notify attendees. This will be in addition to your notes during the meeting. Typing them up directly on your laptop would save you double work, but it's a matter of individual preference.
If you decide to use your laptop, it is best to type your notes on a collaborative application like Google Sheets or Microsoft Notes. This will allow participants to add their notes or comments. Be ready to have a pen and notepad around in case of technical issues. It's been known to happen!
3. Get in the right mindset
Before the meeting, it is best to have a clear mind to take notes efficiently. You need to be as concise as possible. Remove any distractions around so you can concentrate on the meeting. Close unnecessary tabs. Put your phone away to avoid the temptation of checking them while in a meeting.
Taking notes during the meeting
4. Don't just take down notes, listen
Writing down meeting minutes involves a lot of active listening. It involves a conscious effort to hear not only the words the person is saying but, more importantly, the complete message being communicated. You need a lot of concentration to be an active listener.
Your role in taking the meeting minutes is to understand what is being said. Always ask for clarification if you're not sure about anything being discussed. Keeping mum won't help you figure it out later if you don't understand the context of the discussion. So when in doubt, ask!
5. Take note of important decisions
Do your best to note important decisions, key discussion points, and responses. It's also important to note the individuals tasked with carrying out what actions and when.
You don't have to record the whole meeting verbatim. Minutes aren't meant to be detailed accounts or transcripts. A great tip to adapt is using bullet points when writing down key issues. Watch out for keywords said during the meeting like "we must" or "we need to look into".
More tips on how to write meeting minutes effectively
1. Lay out all your information
Try to start typing up the minutes as soon as possible, while it's still fresh in your mind. Use the meeting agenda as an outline to help you separate your notes into categories. This way, you can structure and organise all the important information discussed for transparency.
Make it easy on the readers—highlight key decisions and action points, the individuals assigned to carry them out, and the deadlines for each action. This helps improve the visibility of the important sections of the otherwise long document.
Remember to include all the files presented during the meeting. Ask the presenter to share the file with you beforehand so you can easily link it to your document. This way, you can help refresh attendees' memories and help those who couldn't attend grasp what was discussed.
Here are a few examples of meeting minutes templates you can use to help you organise your notes:
Informal meeting minute template
This template is usually used in internal team meetings or status updates.
Date and place: Date of the meeting and locationAttendees:
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Formal meeting minutes template
This format is typically used in board meetings. It is meant to be shared with other stakeholders outside of your organisation.
Date and place: Date of the meeting and location of the meetingMeeting file: Link to the recorded meetingDuration of the meeting: indicates how long the sessionAttendees:
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2. Edit, polish, and review
Run spell-check and comb through the document for spelling or grammatical errors (you don't want to look sloppy). If there are technical terms or names you're not familiar with, make sure you cross-check the information. You can ask your manager to double-check your work and request approvals if needed.
Before hitting send, make sure you backup your files in a drive or cloud for future reference. You should also include the meeting recording and other relevant files in the same folder for easy access and retrieval.
Learning how to write meeting minutes is more than just taking down notes—it's managing information communication. It will help your productivity and ensure you are on the same page to achieve your goals.
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