Do you have a meeting lined up and want to know how to prepare meeting minutes? Here is a complete guide. Read on!
Meeting Minutes
In almost every company or organization, meetings are held either daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. They are conducted at different hierarchical structures of leadership at various frequencies within a fiscal or financial year.
Many important and crucial discussions are held at the meetings which sometimes demands actions to be completed by individuals within a stipulated time. It is very essential to capture the meeting minutes for future reference and follow-ups.
In this article, we will discuss what are meeting minutes and the best practices of taking meeting minutes. You must realize its importance and benefits and try to follow the minimum decorum in your professional life.
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What are meeting minutes?
Meeting Minutes or popularly known as Minutes of Meeting are essentially the notes handwritten or typed in a document during a meeting. Once the meeting is over, the meeting minutes or notes are circulated to all the invitees irrespective of them being absent or present in the meeting.
Why record meeting minutes?
Recording or taking meeting minutes have several advantages and is recommended to be followed religiously by all. The host or the meeting coordinator is responsible for recording the same, the various benefits of which are enlisted below,
- Communicates the key points discussed in a meeting in a summarized version
- Mentions the decisions adopted by the leadership or the participants for a certain list of activities
- Any plan for recurring meetings or conversations in the future
- The list of actions to be fulfilled along with their owners and the target date of completion
- Next steps to be followed for any program or project
- Keeps track of who attended and who remained absent
- Serves as a future reference for deciding any important action
Tip: It is advisable to prepare the format for meeting minute before the meeting starts. This helps to capture the meeting minutes faster and easier.
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Necessary items to include in meeting minutes
Meeting minutes official records of actions of the board or committee and not a record of everything said. Taking good meeting minutes has multiple purposes – it helps serve statutory compliance, documents your company maintains procedures in the company bylaws, and helps record minutes for future reference.
You can create a meeting minutes format before the meeting. Here is how to take minutes and what should be included,
- Date and time of the meeting
- Names of the participants and absentees.
- Amendments to the previous minutes
- Additions to the current agenda
- Whether quorum is present
- Motion rejected and taken forward
- Voting
- Actions to taken
- Date of next meeting
- Time of adjournment
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How to write effective meeting minutes?
The below is a summary of how to write effective and professional meeting minutes at work,
1. Finalize the format – choose one good example of meeting minutes
The first step is to prepare the format for meeting minutes. It is a very important step else it will lead to random capture of the notes without any proper discipline. You will find it extremely difficult to circulate it to the participants once the meeting is over.
The format will guide you to be consistent in your notes for all the recurring meetings on a particular subject or a program. A Minutes of Meeting format normally consists of the following elements,
- Agenda of the meeting
- Date and Time of the meeting
- Duration of the meeting
- List of attendees and absentees
- Key Points discussed along with the name of the speaker
- Key decisions are taken and the impacted stakeholders
- The Action Items with the owners and the deadlines
- Next steps
- Recurring meeting or the next follow up meeting details
2. Plan the agenda with a meeting note sample
Fixing the agenda helps in conducting a meeting effectively and easy recording of meeting minutes. Each meeting has an objective and purpose which needs to be fulfilled with a definite outcome. Unless the points to be discussed are not decided and agreed upon before the meeting, it may lead to failure in achieving the result.
You will be unsuccessful in capturing the meeting minutes efficiently which may lead to several consequences. One is the wastage of the valuable time of the participants. Secondly, it may lead to inappropriate decisions or incorrect information being imparted among the participants.
Tip: It is important as a participant of a meeting to check the agenda before it starts. If you are the host then you must own the responsibility of connecting with the invitees and fix the agenda. It will ease your job of preparing the minutes of the meeting. And also if you are the invitee then you still must ensure to be aware of the agenda before the meeting starts.
3. Checking the attendance
Once the meeting starts and the invitees start joining, it is very essential to check who all have joined. It is advisable to call out the names of the participants to prepare the final list of attendees and those who were absent.
Ensure to capture the roles of each attendee so that you can mention them in the meeting minutes. Both the first and the last name must be specified as part of professional meeting etiquette. For proper discipline, you can mention the names alphabetically either through their last names or first names.
Various remote meeting software and tools record the name of the participants in their list of attendees section. You can easily take note of the names and include them in the Minutes of Meeting. Else you need to ask and call out the names as they dial into the meeting.
Tip: If you are the person responsible for recording the meeting minutes, you must join the meeting 5 minutes before to ensure that you capture all the names of the attendees. Missing out names is not considered a good practice and may not be accepted heartily especially if it’s a senior leadership meet.
4. Decision on the inclusions and exclusions
The person responsible for recording the meeting minutes must be capable to understand the points to be included and excluded. Also, he or she cannot just mention the verbatim of the speakers in the notes.
The summary and understanding of the discussions have to be depicted in a bulleted form portraying the meaning clear to all the invitees. You need to remember that the minutes of the meeting will be circulated to all the invitees and will be under scrutiny. Mistakes and errors will not be broadly acceptable.
Capturing notes in crude form will be considered unprofessional. Incapability in summarizing the conversations and action items will defeat the purpose of conducting the meeting. The meeting minutes are a powerful tool to uplift the essence of the meeting and its future applicability.
Tip: While deciding the person to own the MoM, it is advisable to check whether the person is an expert in the subject of the meeting. The person must possess the capability to understand the points discussed in the meeting and translate that into a summary form. Capturing the action points, the owners and noting down the correct deadlines for each of them is also a very essential part of meeting minutes.
5. Follow naming conventions and minutes formatting
While answering the question of how to write meeting minutes efficiently, an important response to that is to follow the naming conventions of the MoM document and the activities recorded. For example, if you have recurring meetings then you can name it as MoM_<name of the meeting>_<date>.
So at one glance you know it’s a meeting minute, the name, and the date of occurrence. If you need to distinguish between operational, tactical, and strategic meetings then you can include those words also in the convention. This helps in circulating to the correct email recipients.
Inside the document, the best practice is to name the activities sequentially following a specific naming pattern. This helps in following up on the respective owners as per their assigned activities. The documents look organized and manageable.
Tip: You can either use a Word document or an Excel Sheet or a Powerpoint to record the minutes of the meeting. All the modes are acceptable, provided you note down all the points which can be understood and grasped by all. The documents can be either circulated by email or kept in a shared space.
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6. Minutes of a meeting should be devoid of being biased
While documenting the points in the MoM, you may sometimes need to record debates between the members. You need to ensure following an unbiased mode of communication. The tone must be neutral and not show positive or negative feelings on either side of the debating parties.
You must be cautious of the fact that the minutes of the meeting is meant to share the highlights of a discussion. In no way, one must present his or her opinion in an MoM. Sometimes you may not like a particular discussion or debate. On a few occasions, there may be a heated clash of conversations between the attendees.
But still, you need to maintain a professional tone while recording the minutes. The good or bad decision needs to be taken up by all the participants or by the leadership. Being unbiased and presenting the facts help a lot in understanding the scenario and adopting appropriate and corrective decisions.
Interesting Aspect: The person who records and circulates the MoM is considered as a flag bearer and moderator in illustrating the meeting details to all invitees. Often the host or a coordinator is assigned to moderate the meeting and take the notes for the meeting. It is a noble responsibility as many times participants tend to lose focus and deviate from the original topic. Keeping them on track is important for a fair execution of the meeting agenda. The Minutes captured serve as the reference points for future meetings, discussions, and conversations.
7. Review and edit the business minutes multiple times
Now when we have understood how to take minutes at a meeting, the next and important step is to review your work. You must go through the minutes carefully to ensure all points are covered with no mistakes or errors.
You can also check the contents from any other senior active participant in the meeting. A double review is always justified and good to avoid any kind of erroneous information being circulated to the recipients of the MoM. The key aspects that need to be considered and reviewed while proofreading the meeting minutes are,
- Name of the attendees
- Date and time of the meeting
- List of the discussion points and the speaker
- Next actions to be taken, with the owners and the target date and time
- A neutral tone for explaining the discussions or debates
Important Tips: You must not be in a hurry to send out the MoM. Spend some quality time in preparing and reviewing it thoroughly. People will not like incorrect or incomplete information being circulated as it harms the purpose of the meeting.
8. Circulate the MoM
Once you finish recording and reviewing the MoM, it is time now to circulate to the meeting invitees. If you are sending out the MoM as attachments in an email, ensure you do not miss out on pasting the document.
If you are uploading the MoM in any shared drive, then you need to mention the path properly in the email. Ensure all have read and download access into the shared path. Double-check before sending out the email. The email to be circulated must be drafted using a professional tone.
You must courteously request everyone to check the MoM and share any missing information. Regarding the action items, you need to gently remind the owners to take note and pursue the same for completion as per the stipulated date and time.
Important Tips: You may be engaging with people of varied roles while circulating the email. But you must be consistent in recording the details without any discrepancies. The action points must be strictly pursued for completion to maintain the sanctity of the program or project.
The steps above depict the actions to be taken sequentially on how to take minutes at a meeting effectively and efficiently. If the rules are followed diligently, then the MoM can be prepared with ease and comfort. The main challenge lies while the meeting is being executed.
You need to understand the details being discussed with due attention and seriousness. If you are not confident about the subject of the meeting, it is recommended to gear up before the meeting starts. You must equip yourself with sufficient knowledge and information, thus preventing any drawbacks on recording the Minutes of Meeting.
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Meeting minutes template at workspaces
The meeting minutes answer questions about what was discussed during the meeting and by whom. You should add the recommendations, and the work was assigned to whom with a deadline. The meeting minutes are an overview of what transpired during the meeting. A meeting minute template helps to provide an easy sheet to fill in the details.
1. Board meeting minutes template
Board secretaries take board meeting minutes, and it is an accurate record of the board records. Board meeting minutes template you can use,
- Organization name and logo
- Name of meeting
- Date, time & location of the meeting
- Name of the attendees and absentees
- (Names of the presiding officers, name of absent board members, guest, staff resents, and does the meeting have a quorum)
- Order of business
- Unfinished business
- Names of the people making the report
- Dissenting votes
- Vote results
- New Business
- Include reports from
- The executive director or CEO
- Finance Departments
- Committees
- Any additional business or supplements to the agenda
- Future Action – include who is responsible for the action the time frame for completion
- Closing
- State the date and time for the next meeting
- Time of adjournment
- Signature of secretary and board the meeting
2. Professional meeting minutes template
Professional meetings are an essential part of the communication of any business. Try to have a clear purpose while conducting meetings, and taking meeting minutes helps to record what transpired. You can use the following professional minutes meeting template.
- Team Name
- Meeting Date
- Venue
- Attendees
- Regrets
- Absentees
- Minutes were taken by
- Call to order/opening remarks
- Approve of Minutes from (Date) – Approving minutes from the previous meeting
- Motion: To approve the minutes from (Date) as circulated/Amended
- Motion by: Name
- Seconded by: Name
- Carried or defeated
- Approve Agenda – Approving minutes
- Motion: To approve the Agenda as circulated/Amended
- Motion by: Name
- Seconded by: Name
- Carried or defeated
- Business arising out of the previous plan – outstanding items from the previous meeting that need to be updated or discussed.
- Agenda Details
- Item
- Summary of discussion
- Further action/information – Person responsible for the deadline
- In addition to the agenda
- Item
- Summary of discussion
- Further action/information – Person responsible for the deadline.
- Agenda Details
- Adjournment – Record time of adjournment
- Next Meeting Date
3. Corporate meeting minutes template
Corporate meeting minutes are recorded memos taken at staff or board meetings. The minutes include detailed information about the topics of discussion at the meeting. The minute’s record decisions, votes, and tasks allocated. You can distribute the minutes. The corporate meeting template may look like below,
- Company Name
- Meeting Details
- Chairperson name:
- Secretary name
- Date, time & location
- Attendees
- Absentees
- Call to order
- Introduction
- Current status of the company
- Approval of the previous minutes
- Approval of the current agenda
- Old Business – discuss project updates and issues after the previous meeting
- New Business – discuss new projects and get budgets approved
- Vote – vote on major decisions
- Adjournment
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4. Meeting recap templates
Meeting recaps are summaries of the meeting that you should distribute to employees within your company to your client. Employees unable to attend will be briefed about the highlights and decisions taken. Meeting recap templates are as follows,
- Meeting Recap date and venue of the meeting
- Thank you note for attending the meeting
- Briefly summarize the discussion. Highlight the accomplishments and important announcements. You can list it like a bullet point
- [Item No. 1 with key points and decisions]
- Elaborated on the action items that need to be completed and any newly established plans or strategies. The information should include the persons responsible and the deadline. These can be listed as bullet points as shown below
- [Action item No. 1 with the responsible person and due date]
- Include information about the next meeting date
5. Minutes of meeting template with action items
Meetings are pointless without documentation. Managing the paperwork can be messy, and maintaining a task spreadsheet becomes cumbersome as team sizes and projects increase.
- Meeting name
- Date, time and venue
- Attendees
- Absentees
- Call to order
- Follow-up from the previous meeting
- Agenda item 1
- Key points discussed
- Decision made
- Action items and assignee
- Agenda item 2
- Key points discussed
- Decision made
- Action items and assignee
- Individual summaries
- Name
- Action Item
- Deadline
- New Business
- Next meeting date
6. Informal meeting minutes template
Informal meetings are less planned and regulated than business meetings. The meetings can occur in a casual setting like a coffee shop, participant’s desk rather than a boardroom. The informal meeting is an excellent forum to discuss issues that you cannot discuss formally. It allows for spontaneity and flexibility.
- Date, time, and place of meeting
- Meeting called by
- Minutes recorded by
- Name of Attendees
- Name of Absentees
- Objectives
- Deadlines and milestones
- Project updates
- Roadblocks & Risks
- Next Steps
- Responsibilities and deadlines
- Next Meeting Date
- Date, time, and location of the meeting
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7. Business meeting minutes template
We conduct business meetings to ensure the activities, goals, and objectives of the organization are met and roadblocks are anticipated. It can last for an hour, and the only way to recall what was said is if we appoint someone to record the minutes.
- Organization name
- Meeting Date, time, location
- Chairperson
- Secretary
- Attendees
- Absentees
- Call to order
- Approve previous meeting minutes
- Approve current Agenda
- Old Business
- List all outstanding items from the previous meeting
- Describe present status including problems and solution
- Record decisions made
- New Business
- List new order of business up for discussion
- Any threats and opportunities from discussion
- List reports and other documentation
- Record decisions made
- Other items
- Announcement
- Nominations
- Upcoming votes
- Any other business discussed
- Adjournment
- Minutes submitted by___
- Approved by ___
8. Secretary minutes template
The minutes of meeting are recorded by the secretary. Secretaries need to prepare for the meeting. As a secretary, you need to plan before the meeting, take notes during the meeting. Secretary minute template.
- Your Logo
- Date
- Location
- Time
- Call to order
- Team name/organization
- Meeting to discuss
- Attendee names
- Attendees not present
- Approval of previous minutes
- Remarks
- Reports
- Remarks
- Unfinished business
- Remarks
- Motions
- Remarks
- New Business
- Remarks
- Announcements
- Remarks
- Other Business
- Remarks
- Adjournment
- Remarks
- Secretary approval, signature & date
9. Executive session minutes template
Below is a sample of executive session minutes template,
- Minutes of the meeting of the (CLUB NAME) Executive Committee held at (XXXX TIME) on (XXXX DATE) at (XXX VENUE).
- Present – list all committee members present.
- Guests – list any person present who is not a member of the executive committee.
- Apologies – note any apologies received from Committee Members including any already listed on the Agenda.
- Minutes – the Minutes of the (CLUB NAME) Executive Committee held (XXXX DATE) were approved/were approved with amendment/were not approved (DELETE AS APPROPRIATE).
- If minutes are approved with amendment, the changes should be recorded in the new minutes – don’t amend minutes that have already been distributed.
- Business arising(if required) – list (or members can raise) any business arising from the previous minutes.
- Action items (if required) – outcomes from the action Items generated from the previous meeting.
- General business
- Any other business – list each item separately (as for General Business) with a summary of the discussion and any Action Items.
- Next Meeting – the next meeting of the (CLUB NAME) Executive Committee will be held at (XXXX TIME) on (XXXX DATE) at (XXX VENUE)/is to be determined (DELETE AS APPROPRIATE).
10. Staff meeting minutes template
Having a staff meeting minutes template help to save time before a meeting. The template helps to precisely document attendees, subject to be addressed, and the time slot allotted. The staff meeting minutes template can have the following format.
- Key Metrics
- Look at high-level metrics and explain what they mean in the context of the business and the broader market in general.
- Customer/employee updates
- Invite leads from teams/departments to provide brief updates. Focus on high-level ideas and customer anecdotes.
- Make an effort to include new learnings — what has gone well, what hasn’t, and how that changes things.
- Deep dive (Important topics & large-scale changes)
- Optional agenda item for occasionally drilling deep into something that is happening at the company. Examples include changes in strategy, positioning, and hiring/restructuring.
- AMA (Ask me anything)
- Leave time at the end of the meeting to answer employee questions.
- Appreciation reward
- Many companies like to honor teams or individuals during their All Hands. Often these awards are peer-nominated and do not come from the executive team.
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Meeting minutes sample at workspaces
The meeting minutes definition is an official summary of what occurred during the meeting. The minutes of the meeting serves as a brief outline and record for anyone who was unable to attend the meeting and for future reference. A good meeting sample will be a great communicating tool for your business.
1. Board meeting minutes examples
Board meeting examples should have the following features,
- Meeting minutes should be written in clear and lucid language.
- It is brief without any unnecessary details.
- It should have the date, time, and place of the meeting, the members present with signature, and record of the events.
- It can be written in paragraph form or tabular format.
Here is a board meeting minutes example below,
- Name of the organization
- Board Meeting Minutes: Month, Day, Year
- Time and location
- Board members present
- Proceedings
2. Corporate minutes sample
The corporate minutes typically include,
- Meeting details
- Attendance
- Purpose
- Acceptance of the prior minutes
- Discussion
- Votes
- Adjournment
We have given a corporate minutes sample below,
- Minutes of the meeting _____
- Location of the meeting
- Present at the meeting
- The regular meeting of the ____ of __ was called to order at ______ ____ on ______at ___ by ____
- Approval of Agenda – Agenda distributed and approved
- Review previous meeting
- Open issues discussed_____
- Agenda and time for next meeting ___
- Meeting adjourned at
- Meeting submitted by
3. Staff meeting minutes sample
Staff meetings are an essential part of work. Every meeting should have an agenda and brief details about what was discussed. The staff meeting minutes should have details like – date and time of the meeting, the participants, the agenda of the meeting, the objective of the meeting, problems and solutions arrived at.
- Date:
- Time:
- Meeting venue:
- Staff Present:
- Agenda discussed:
- Project 1:
- Note
- Decision
- Tasks
- Closing
- Summary and review of new tasks
- Date of next meeting.
4. Business sample meeting minutes
A business meeting is a gathering of two or more people to make decisions or discuss objectives or working. The meetings can be conducted in person or through video conferencing. The meeting could be for various decisions like a status update, decision making, brainstorming, team-building, and discuss solutions to setbacks. Here are the business sample meeting minutes you can use.
- Title: Meeting of the [Name of Work Group or Project]
- Date:
- Location:
- Agenda:
- Names of People Who Attended the Meeting:
- Names of Group Members Who were Absent:
- Discussions:
- Announcements (if any):
- Decisions Made (if any):
- Items for Follow Up:
- Name of the Person Taking the Minutes:
5. Meeting notes template
Meetings are an opportunity to discuss issues at length or briefly. Brainstorming often helps to find solutions it would help to note these down for future reference. It is good practice to record the attendees. The meeting notes will depend on the context. Here is a meeting note template you can use,
- Meeting/Project Name
- Date of meeting
- Time: Location
- Meeting Objectives: ___
- Members
- Agenda
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Action items Person responsible Deadline
- Special Note
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Best practices in creating minutes of the meeting
Minutes of the meeting are an essential tool to inform the stakeholders about the decisions. The minutes of the meeting are a ready reference to make decisions in the future. You need to write the minutes diligently and add as much information as possible.
Create a template for meeting minutes before the meeting for consistency and structure. The best practices in creating minutes of a meeting are,
1. Board meeting minutes with participants and date and time of the meeting
Before you begin writing the board meeting minutes, add the date and time of the meeting. This may seem obvious but you may need to refer to previous minutes to examine the action plan that has been achieved and the actions that are pending. You need to list the number of participants present and the people who were unable to attend.
2. Mention the purpose of taking minutes
When taking minutes, you should mention the purpose of taking minutes. Elaborate on why the meeting was called and what was accomplished in the meeting. This will help those unable to attend the meeting to receive a summary of what was decided. The staff who will be acting on the recommendations of the minutes meeting will receive clear guidelines.
3. Agenda and topics discussed minutes meeting
As far as possible stick to the meeting agenda as an outline for the meeting. The agenda should be distributed in advance so everyone at the meeting can contribute to the discussion. Each agenda item should have outcomes and decisions taken should be noted. Another advantage of an agenda before the meeting, you can use the mom template.
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Who should create the minutes of the meeting?
The minutes should record what was done in the meeting and not what was said by the attendees. Most businesses have a summary of the decisions taken and not verbalism on what was said by the members. The minutes of the meeting are prepared by the secretary. The minutes need to be distributed within thirty days from the date of the meeting.
1. Typist or court reporter taking minutes of a meeting
The minutes meeting may be created by a typist or court reporter. They may take shorthand during the meeting. After the meeting, they prepare the minutes of a meeting. After getting the draft approved they issue the minutes to the participants.
2. Recording meeting minutes
Large organizations, government departments use minutes recording software and devices for recording meeting minutes in real-time. The minutes are then transcribed for distribution.
3. Have a professional minute taker to take minutes
The board often enlist a third party to take minutes. The professional minute-taker uses sample meeting minutes based on the agenda to prepare the minutes of the meeting within the deadline. Sometimes the secretary hands over the minutes of the meeting to the professional to prepare a formal minute meeting.
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Top tools used in taking meeting minutes
Minutes of the meeting are written documentation that contains discussion, recommendation, and conclusion of the meeting. The documentation helps to list out the next plan of action after the meeting. But producing meeting minutes can be difficult. Luckily some tools help you taking meeting minutes. The top tools are,
1. OmniOutliner for writing meeting minutes
OmniOutliner is a great tool for writing meeting minutes, it helps to create, collate, and organize data. You can prepare a minutes template in advance based on the agenda. You can then fill in the gaps in the meeting. The software allows you to record the minutes.
2. Use Evernote for taking meeting notes
Another popular solution for taking meeting notes is using Evernote. You can prepare minutes of the meeting template before the meeting based on the agenda. It will be easy to fill in the gaps in the meeting. Evernote has a recording feature that can be a part of your notes for the minutes.
3. Google Docs for meeting minutes management
Google Docs is a great tool for meeting minutes management. It has a collaborative feature that is useful while preparing the minutes of the meeting. The only drawback is the absence of a recording feature. But several other tools help you record the minutes.
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How to distribute meeting notes?
After the meeting notes are approved you can begin to distribute them. You need to ensure that all the stakeholders get minutes of the meeting. The board of directors and attendee must receive the minutes. The way of sharing the meeting minutes will depend on company procedure. Usually, more than one method of sharing is used,
1. Sending a physical copy of the meeting summary
You can send a physical copy of the meeting summary to all the people who attended the meeting, other employees, and those who were invited but unable to attend. Before sending the minute meeting be sure to proofread the letter and include a reminder for the next meeting.
2. Minutes of meeting email
After the meeting immediately start preparing the minutes of the meeting. The minutes should include all the details discussed. While writing your email thank the attendees. In the email, you can give the highlight what was discussed and goals accomplished.
The email should include a summary, highlight the actions plan, before sending your email ensure you attach any supporting documents required.
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