Meetings. We have all been in long meetings more often than we would have liked. Whether they are business meetings, one-on-one reviews, team discussions, daily Scrum meetings, or weekly reviews, meetings are part of our workflow. And nothing is more frustrating than when each participant recalls a different version of the meeting or doesn’t have a clear memory of the discussed topics. Here is where meeting minutes enter the scene.
Table of contents:
Meeting minutes are a written record of the meeting. They include everything that happens during the meeting, from discussion points to suggestions, decisions, actions, progress, task planning, future steps, and so on. Meeting minutes are concise, straightforward, and well-organized. They aren’t a narrating the meeting but rather a detailed summary.
Often, a designated person writes the meeting minutes. Based on the meeting type, it may be a secretary or assistant (e.g., business meetings), a team member (e.g., team meetings), or an HR employee (e.g., disciplinary meetings). After the meeting, the meeting minutes are sent to the participants and used as a starting point for future meetings.
The key aim of meeting minutes is to record what was discussed and decided during the meeting. Attendants can access the note anytime they want and clearly understand the meeting. Furthermore, they all have the same record of the meeting. Meeting minutes help you avoid confusion, mistakes, and conflicts. They promote transparency, access to data, and communication.
Meeting minutes have an additional benefit. People who missed the meeting (e.g., employees who took time off) or managers can stay updated with tasks progress and business actions by reading the meeting minutes. You can also use them to prepare a new employee, explain a decision, or compose the next meeting’s agenda.
Meeting minutes are official records. As a result, they can be used in legal situations. Some types of organizations (e.g., government, nonprofit organizations, public companies, etc.) are legally required to have meeting minutes.
Practically, the importance of meeting minutes can be summarized as following:
Meeting minutes should be accurate, clear, and to the point. They should record all relevant information in a well-structured form. Meeting minutes often include the following elements:
The language is simple and clear. The structure of the document is airy and easy to follow. The writer of the minutes takes notes during the meeting and follows thoroughly the discussions. He or she doesn't write in advance nor completes the notes after the meeting is over. The information should be accurate, impersonal, and respectful. The tone of the minutes is neutral and usually formal.
A few simple tips will help you get started writing meeting minutes. You can prepare and plan your actions if you’re assigned the secretary role before the meeting. For example, you can ask for the meeting agenda and include it in the minutes, format the meeting minutes document, and write information you already know (date, time, location, and purpose of the meeting, participants, etc.). During the meeting, you will only update the initial data (e.g., note if someone is missing or someone else took their place).
So, consider the following tips before committing to the minutes-taker role:
• Prepare in advance: Ask for the meeting agenda, participants’ names, and other relevant and known information. When you start with the outline of the meetings, have the participants already in the document, and know what the agenda items will be, you gain time and will be less stressed. Using the minutes’ template, like the ones available below, will be helpful.
• Create a structure and follow it consistently: Find a suitable document format for meeting minutes and discuss it with the meeting’s chairman or people in charge. Once you have the structure, stick to it, and use it for all future meetings. It’s easier for you to work with a familiar format and easier for the participants to follow it.
• Take notes in smart ways: You can use pen and paper, but you’ll soon fall behind the speakers. The next best thing is to take notes using a laptop. But you will still have to share the document with the participants. The very best thing is to use online documents and share them at the end of the meeting or collaborative tools and invite the participants to work with you on the document.
• Summarize: Don’t write everything you hear. Take brief and concise notes, but make sure they are accurate. Use abbreviations and lists to speed things up. Remember that the tone of the minutes is neutral and usually formal.
• Take note during the meeting: The writer of the minutes takes notes during the meeting and thoroughly follows the discussions. Edits, spelling, and grammar can be fixed after the meeting is finished.
• Ask for clarifications: If you missed something or aren’t sure you understand correctly, ask for clarifications. It’s OK to respectfully interrupt and ask for more precise conclusions or better-explained decisions.
• Ask for feedback: After one or two meetings, take time to ask your co-workers what they think about the meeting minutes and how you can improve them. Not only will you receive valuable tips, but you will also cultivate a transparent policy and open a communication channel.
• Review and share your notes: After the meeting, review and refine your notes while the discussions are still fresh in your mind. Share the meeting notes with relevant stakeholders, ensuring they receive a concise and accurate summary of the discussion.
Below you can find some examples of meeting minutes. More exactly for informal meetings, team meetings, business meetings, project meetings, and weekly reviews. You can identify all the necessary elements of a meeting minute, download the word templates, or just copy-paste the format within your follow-up email to share the key takeaways with your colleagues.
Date: Feb 20, 2024
Meeting Objective: To discuss the onboarding process
Participants: Alex, Maria, John, Judy, Victor, Saul
Agenda
Follow-up actions:
Download The Informal/Simple team meeting minutes template
Informal meetings are useful when few colleagues meet to discuss a particular problem on an ad-hoc basis, or as a sector. They are informal, because they will not be treated as formal one. Colleagues can meet at a coffee, or in someone's office to discuss a specific objective, or upcoming milestone.
Team Meeting Minutes of [Team name / HR] for [Discussion subject / Welcoming new employees]
Date and Time: Nov 20th, 2024
Location: HR Office
Attendance: Alexandra, John, Bill, Maria
Hugo (absent), Valerie (excused)
Writing meeting minutes: Maria
Meeting objective: Discussing the welcoming procedure for three new employees in Marketing and IT
Agenda: Existing welcoming procedure (Alexandra), why it needs to change and how (John), presenting a new welcoming procedure (John), approving changes, future steps
Report:
Task planning:
Next steps: Meet in two weeks to discuss the progress and results.
Download the team meeting minutes template
Staff meetings or team meetings are regular reunions where colleagues gather to be updated on the teams progress, upcomming initiatives, support needed, acknoledge hard work, welcome new commers, or commonly decide on the strategies and tactics needed to be assembled and executed to reach the desired outcomes.
Business Meeting Minutes for [Discussion subject / Collaboration between parts]
Date and Time: September 15th, 2024
Location: Conference Hall
Attendance: Business Group (members) and Organization (members)
Notetaker: Maria Johnson, assistant manager for Organization
Meeting objective: Discussing the collaboration between parts of the project/product
Agenda: Collaboration protocol, new business proposal, budget, timeline
Key items discussed:
Decisions:
Task planning
Next steps: Meet in two weeks to discuss the progress and results.
Download the business meeting minutes template
Business meetings usually bring toghether representatives from two or more entities to do business toghether. One has to offer somenthing, or is in need of service, that the other party could be a buyer, or has a solution available in the market. They follow pretty much the same structure as an internal meeting, however the tone is a bit more formal, and the details regarding the attendance is a bit more detailed.
Project Meeting Minutes of [Project name / National Conference of Medicine - NCM] for [Discussion subject / Location]
Date and Time: April 15th, 2024, 10:00 AM
Location: NCM Central Office, Lisbon
Attendance: Alexandra John, Maria Gutierrez, Juan Rivas
Writing meeting minutes: Juan Rivas, NCM committee secretary
Meeting objective: Finding a location for the 3rd edition of NCM in Lisbon, Portugal
Agenda:
Report:
Adopted motions:
Task planning:
Future steps: Meet in one week to discuss the progress and results.
Download the project meeting minutes template
Managing projects is a complex and many times many players are involved. Since there is also a timeline, a special attention needs to be given to tracking that all the discutions and outcomes to be followed up by the responsible employees. The project meeting minutes helps to handle such needs, regardless if they happen physically or as a virtual meeting on Zoom, Teams or Meet.
Weekly Meeting Minutes of [Team name / HR]
Date and Time: June 15th, 2024; 10:00 AM
Location: HR Office
Attendance: Alexandra, John, Bill, Maria
Writing meeting minutes: Maria
Meeting objective: Discussing weekly tasks
Agenda:
Report:
Adopted motions:
Task planning:
Download the weekly review meeting minutes template
Having a clear record with the outcomes of the weekly meeting ensures that everyone is aligned with what has been discussed, what are the follow-up actions, who is responble for what. And if someone who was absent at the meeting is interested about some outcomes of the points discussed, he can find them in the meeting, and can ask the participants for more details.
Date: June 1, 2024
Time: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Location: Company Headquarters, Boardroom
Attendees:
John Hightower - Chairman
Sabrina Davis - CEO
Michael Johnson - CFO
Sarah Thompson - CTO
David Wilson - Board Member
Emily Adams - Board Member
Absent:
None
Agenda:
Call to Order
Approval of Previous Minutes
CEO Report
Financial Report
Technology Update
New Business
Adjournment
Call to Order:
The chairman, John Hightower, called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM. He welcomed all attendees and ensured a quorum was present.
Approval of Previous Minutes:
The minutes from the previous board meeting held on May 15, 2024, were distributed to all board members before the meeting. The board reviewed the minutes and unanimously approved them with no amendments.
CEO Report:
Sabrina Davis, the CEO, provided an update on the company's overall performance and key achievements since the last board meeting. She highlighted new business contracts secured, major projects completed, and future growth opportunities. She also discussed upcoming challenges and outlined strategies to overcome them. The board acknowledged the CEO's report and expressed satisfaction with the company's progress.
Financial Report:
Michael Johnson, the CFO, presented the financial report for the previous quarter, including the company's revenue, expenses, and profitability. He discussed any significant changes or trends and explained the financial implications of the company's recent activities. The board members engaged in a detailed discussion regarding financial performance, cash flow management, and budgetary considerations. The board accepted the financial report.
Technology Update:
Sarah Thompson, the CTO, provided an update on the company's technology initiatives, ongoing projects, and IT infrastructure. She highlighted the successful implementation of a new software system and improvements in data security measures. She also outlined upcoming technology investments and their expected benefits. The board appreciated the CTO's efforts and encouraged continued innovation in the technology domain.
New Business:
a. Board Member Appointment: David Wilson was formally introduced as a new board member, having joined the company on May 20, 2024. The board congratulated him and expressed confidence in his ability to contribute positively to the company's strategic decisions.
b. Marketing Campaign Proposal: The CEO presented a new marketing campaign proposal aimed at increasing brand awareness and customer acquisition. The board reviewed the proposal, asked clarifying questions, and requested further details regarding budget allocation, target audience, and expected outcomes. The decision to approve the marketing campaign was postponed until the next board meeting to allow for additional information gathering.
Adjournment:
The chairman, John Hightower, thanked all attendees for their participation and contributions. The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 AM.
Next Board Meeting:
The next board meeting was scheduled for June 20, 2024, at 9:00 AM in the same location.
[Signature]
John Hightower
Chairman
[Signature]
Sabrina Davis
CEO
[Signature]
Michael Johnson
CFO
[Signature]
Sarah Thompson
CTO
[Signature]
David Wilson
Board Member
[Signature]
Emily Adams
Board Member
Download the board meeting minutes template
Board meeting minutes play a crucial role in ensuring legal compliance, promoting good governance, maintaining an accurate record of decisions, facilitating communication, and managing risks within an organization.
Conclusion
Meeting minutes help you keep up with the progress of your projects and others. Similar to shared calendars, HR tools that show you who is at the office and who’s on leave of absence, meeting minutes encourage transparency, communication, and a trustful work environment.
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