Mastering meeting minutes: strategies for efficiency and accuracy

Teams often need to follow up after meetings or review what they discussed. Each member needs to know what action items they are responsible for. Meeting minutes are a written record of the important points of a meeting. 

They're an effective resource for team members and an important way to share information throughout your organisation. Giving team members a concise summary of the discussion helps them be more efficient and productive.

So, if you're the team secretary, you probably wonder how to write meeting minutes. 

Taking minutes in meetings is easier when you know what to include. We'll share two templates for meeting minutes. Following these may help your team hold more effective meetings. 

You'll also find a checklist of essential items to include when writing meeting minutes to be sure you don't overlook any details. 

• What are the meeting minutes?
• What should you include in meeting minutes?
• Tips on writing meeting minutes
• Steps to take if you are responsible for taking minutes
• Meeting minute templates you can use
• Meeting minute examples in the workplace
• Can I use AI to write my meeting minutes?
• Wrapping up
• FAQs

What are the meeting minutes? 

You write meeting minutes to record the decisions made during a meeting. They apply to all organisational groups, such as boards of directors, leadership teams, and investors. They are also known as minutes of meetings, or MoM in short. 

You may use this written report to tell team members who could not attend what occurred. Maintaining a record of decisions and action items lets team members review them later. Minutes from previous meetings inform future organisational decisions.

What should you include in meeting minutes? 

Meeting minutes may differ depending on the kind of meeting they record. They typically include the following key components:

• date and time
• location (online or in person)
• attendance and absenteeism
• acceptance or corrections/amendments to previous meeting minutes
• agenda
• decisions
• action points.

Here are some personalised elements you could include in your meeting minutes:

• supplementary documents
• action items
• meeting objectives
• topics for future discussions
• project updates and voting results
• future steps, such as research and follow-ups
• a section defining attendees as guests, non-voters, or speakers.

Tips on writing meeting minutes 

Here are some tips on how to write meeting minutes and how detailed meeting minutes should be.

1. Create an outline

Before the meeting, select or design a template to create an outline. Make sure your template has different sections, such as attendees or next steps, to help you organise your notes as you take them. 

2. Provide meeting information

Include facts such as the meeting location and time. List the meeting participants. 

3. Record the decisions

Document any decisions the team made throughout the meeting. If these decisions required a vote, include the total number of people who voted for each option. You may also want to record how many people voted for options the meeting attendees chose not to pursue. 

4. Be concise

Don't try to record everything. Record only the most relevant or important ideas you discussed at the meeting. It's okay if your minutes' report doesn't include every meeting detail. 

5. Make an official record of it

Consider recording your meeting using a device, such as a voice recording app. You'll unlikely need to transcribe all that from a recording into your meeting minutes. 

However, recording a meeting that moves quickly, has many participants, or covers a wide range of topics could be useful. 

6. Attach supplementary documents

Attach or link to any relevant supplementary documents when sending out meeting minutes. Additional resources may include any papers referenced during the meeting. These help your colleagues understand the topics more completely. 

7. Request clarification if needed

Meetings could be chaotic when multiple people speak at once. In Singapore, there may also be quite a bit of mixed-up language used during meetings. 

Ensure you understand the outcomes of the points you note in the minutes. Request clarification if necessary.

Steps to take if you are responsible for taking minutes 

Now, we'll dive into the steps for taking meeting minutes. 

1. Planning

Following one of our meeting templates, you may outline the main points to cover during the meeting. A meeting minutes template helps you save a lot of time and energy. If you use the same template on a regular basis, you could build some familiarity.

Carefully consider the items to include in your minutes. In a Harvard Business Review article, Steven G. Rogelberg highlights why meeting agendas are so important:

"What matters is not the agenda itself but the relevance and importance of what's on it, and how the leader facilitates discussion of the agenda items." 

2. Record-taking at the meeting

Before you begin writing your meeting minutes, note the date and time of the meeting. When the meeting begins, capture key points, discussions, decisions made, and action items assigned. 

For example, if you pass a motion, note who requested it and what it was. Also, record the names of anyone who gave presentations and summarise what was in those presentations. Finally, record the names of the attendees and those who could not attend. 

3. Minutes writing or transcribing

Examine the agenda to get a complete picture of the meeting. Add notes as reminders. Examine actions, motions, votes, and decisions for clarity. Edit the record to make the minutes concise, clear, and easy to read. 

As part of the minutes process for your meeting, record meeting action items in real-time so that you can accurately transcribe them.

4. Distribute the minutes among your team

Once you complete the minutes and approve them, email them to all participants and absent team members. You can easily set the sharing permission to "viewer" for minutes you create in Google Docs. You can also convert a word-processing document into an email-shareable PDF.

Signing, filing, and sharing minutes

When your board meeting minutes are complete, you must make them official by having the board secretary sign them. Your organisation may also need the president's signature.

Meeting minute templates you can use 

Template 1

[Meeting name/title] meeting minutes

Date: [Date of the Meeting] 

Time: [Time of the Meeting] 

Location: [Location of the Meeting]

Attendees:

• [Name 1]
• [Name 2]
• [Name 3]
• [Name 4]
• [Name 5]
• [Name 6]

Agenda:

1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Review of Previous Meeting Minutes
3. Discussion Item 1: [Topic]
4. Discussion Item 2: [Topic]
5. Action Items
6. Next Meeting Date and Time
7. Adjournment

Meeting Proceedings:

Welcome and Introductions:

• [Chairperson/Leader] welcomed all attendees and introduced the purpose of the meeting.

Review of Previous Meeting Minutes:

• [Secretary/Designated Person] summarised the key points from the previous meeting.
• Attendees provided any corrections or amendments to the minutes.

Discussion Item 1: [Topic]:

• [Discussion summary, decisions made, actions assigned, etc.]

Discussion Item 2: [Topic]:

• [Discussion summary, decisions made, actions assigned, etc.]

Action Items:

• [Action item 1]: [Assigned to: Name, Deadline: Date]
• [Action item 2]: [Assigned to: Name, Deadline: Date]
• [Action item 3]: [Assigned to: Name, Deadline: Date]

Next Meeting Date and Time:

• The next meeting is scheduled for [Date] at [Time] at [Location].

Adjournment:

• The meeting was adjourned at [Time].

Minutes Prepared by: [Name/Designation of the person preparing minutes]

Approved by: [Chairperson/Leader or Designated Approver]

Template 2

Date: [Date of the Meeting] 

Time: [Time of the Meeting] 

Location: [Location of the Meeting]

Attendees:

• [Name 1]
• [Name 2]
• [Name 3]
• [Name 4]
• [Name 5]
• [Name 6]

Minutes Approval:

• The meeting minutes held on [Date] were reviewed and approved as drafted.

Meeting Agenda Item 1: [Topic]

• [Summary of discussion, decisions made, etc.]

Meeting Agenda Item 2: [Topic]

• [Summary of discussion, decisions made, etc.]

Action Items:

1. [Action item 1]: [Assigned to: Name, Deadline: Date]
2. [Action item 2]: [Assigned to: Name, Deadline: Date]
3. [Action item 3]: [Assigned to: Name, Deadline: Date]

Next Meeting Date: [Date] 

Next Meeting Time: [Time] 

Next Meeting Location: [Location]

Adjournment:

• The meeting was adjourned at [Time].

Minutes Prepared by: [Name/Designation of the person preparing minutes]

Approved by: [Chairperson/Leader or Designated Approver]

This template helps record meeting minutes in an organised manner, guaranteeing all pertinent details are accurately and completely recorded. 

Adjust the template as necessary to meet your group or organisation's unique needs and cultures.

Meeting minute examples in the workplace 

Example 1

[Meeting name/title] meeting minutes

Date: April 3, 2024

Time: 10:00 AM

Location: Conference Room A

Attendees:

• Siti Fatimah
• Aaron Lee
• Syed Saddiq
• Muthusamy
• Lee Hok Tin
• Sundari Pillai

Agenda:

Welcome and Introductions

Review of Previous Meeting Minutes

Discussion Item 1: Quarterly Sales Report

Discussion Item 2: Marketing Strategy Update

Action ItemsNext Meeting Date and Time

Adjournment

Meeting Proceedings:

Welcome and Introductions:

Sit Fatimah, the chairperson, welcomed all attendees and introduced the purpose of the meeting.

Review of Previous Meeting Minutes:

Sundari Pillai summarised the key points from the previous meeting. Attendees provided any corrections or amendments to the minutes.

Discussion Item 1: Quarterly Sales Report:

Lee Hok Tin presented the quarterly sales report, highlighting key metrics and trends. After discussion, it was decided to allocate additional resources to the underperforming regions and to initiate a new customer feedback survey.

Discussion Item 2: Marketing Strategy Update:

Muthusamy provided an update on the marketing strategy, outlining upcoming campaigns and advertising channels. The team agreed to incorporate more social media advertising and explore influencer partnerships.

Action Items:

• [Action item 1]: Analyse customer feedback survey results [Assigned to: Aaron Lee, Deadline: April 10, 2024]
• [Action item 2]: Draft proposal for regional resource allocation adjustments [Assigned to: Siti Fatimah, Deadline: April 7, 2024]
• [Action item 3]: Research potential influencer partnerships [Assigned to: Syed Saddiq, Deadline: April 15, 2024]

Next Meeting Date and Time:

The next meeting is scheduled for April 17, 2024, at 10:00 AM in Conference Room A.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 AM.

Minutes Prepared by: Siti Fatimah Chairperson

Approved by: Siti Fatimah, Chairperson

Example 2

Date: April 3, 2024

Time: 2:00 PM

Location: Conference Room B

Attendees:

• Nurul Hajah
• Amin 
• Loshini 
• David Tan
• Tan Jie Qi
• Erica Lee

Minutes Approval:

The meeting minutes held on April 1, 2024, were reviewed and approved as drafted.

Meeting Agenda Item 1: Project Status Update

Nurul Hajah summarised the current project status, highlighting milestones achieved and upcoming deadlines. After discussion, it was agreed that task completion should be prioritised according to the revised timeline.

Meeting Agenda Item 2: Budget Review

Erica Lee presented the budget review for the current quarter, identifying areas of overspending and potential cost-saving measures. The team discussed strategies to reallocate funds and reduce expenses.

Action Items:

• [Action item 1]: Finalise project timeline adjustments [Assigned to: David Tan, Deadline: April 5, 2024]
• [Action item 2]: Implement cost-saving measures outlined in the budget review [Assigned to: Tan Jie Qi, Deadline: April 10, 2024]
• [Action item 3]: Schedule meeting with stakeholders to communicate project updates [Assigned to Loshini, Deadline: April 7, 2024]

Next Meeting Date: April 17, 2024

Next Meeting Time: 2:00 PM

Next Meeting Location: Conference Room B

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 3:30 PM.

Minutes Prepared by: Amin, Project Manager

Approved by: David Tan, Team Leader

How much time should you be spending on meeting minutes?

When it comes to meeting minutes, quality comes first. While it's critical to accurately record key discussions and decisions, devoting too much time to meeting minutes can be ineffective. A period of 15–30 minutes is reasonable for most meetings. 

This encourages efficiency without sacrificing accuracy. More complex discussions or high-stakes gatherings may need more time to document thoroughly.

Templates can provide structure and consistency to the process, helping to streamline it and save time. Instead of transcribing every detail, focus on key points to distil information effectively.

Can I use AI to write my meeting minutes? 

Meeting note-taking is no longer a time-consuming task with inaccuracies and missed details. The introduction of AI in this field has ushered in a new era of precision, efficiency, and convenience. 

AI-powered tools can listen to, translate, sum up, and evaluate meeting content. They can convert hours of recordings into actionable recommendations and key insights in minutes. This technological leap not only saves time but also increases team productivity.

Benefits of using artificial intelligence for meeting notes

Including AI in your meeting and note-taking procedure provides several benefits:

Improved accuracy 

The intent of AI algorithms is to capture what people say with high precision. This can reduce the possibility of errors and capture every detail.

Time efficiency 

Automating the note-taking process allows team members to fully participate in the discussion, knowing there's an accurate record of all information.

Improved organisation 

AI tools classify and store notes in an orderly fashion. This makes it simple to find and retrieve information.

Accessibility 

With AI, you can get meeting notes from anywhere and anytime. This helps remote and distributed teams collaborate more effectively.

Drawbacks of using artificial intelligence for meeting notes

There are some drawbacks to using artificial intelligence for meeting minutes:

Technical knowledge 

AI might have trouble with technical jargon and nuanced conversations.

Data specificity 

It's necessary to have accurate training data tailored to your meeting context.

Ethical problems 

There are confidentiality and privacy issues with data storage.

Misinterpretation risk 

AI can potentially misinterpret discussions or overlook critical information, reducing accuracy.

Before you use an AI notetaker app at your next meeting, ask yourself if you'd record it with a traditional recording device. If not, think twice about using an AI notetaker.

Several state, federal, and international privacy laws protect employee privacy. Some of these carry serious penalties for noncompliance. 

In fact, the California attorney general recently announced a comprehensive investigation into employer compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). 

As a result, employers must ensure that they follow the CCPA and other data privacy laws when using AI-powered tools.

Wrapping up 

In summary, concise meeting minutes are critical to effective communication. It's important to strike a balance between technology and human judgement. You can view AI as a tool rather than a replacement. Active participation and critical review are essential for accurate documentation and collaboration.

FAQs 

1. What is the purpose of meeting minutes?
   ⁠Meeting minutes record discussions, choices, and actions taken. This helps increase accountability, simplicity, and continuity within an organisation.
   ⁠
2. How can I improve my note-taking skills in meetings?
   ⁠Improve your note-taking abilities during meetings by paying attention, emphasising key points, using acronyms, and arranging notes logically. Review and summarise them later for clarity.
   ⁠
3. Are there any tools to automate meeting minute generation?
   ⁠Otter.ai, Microsoft OneNote, and Google Docs can generate meeting minutes automatically.
   ⁠
4. What are the best practices for sharing meeting minutes with team members?
   ⁠You should share meeting minutes as soon as possible after the meeting using email or collaboration platforms, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams. Ensure the notes are clear, concise, and understandable to all team members.
   ⁠
5. How long should meeting minutes be retained for reference?
   ⁠You should keep meeting minutes for at least as long as the decisions and actions you discussed remain relevant. This can be anywhere from six months to several years, depending on organisational needs.