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An Effective Guide to Write Meeting Minutes (With Tips and Templates)
Meeting minutes can help record the important decisions and ideas of the meeting. Learning how to write meeting minutes for a business, including tips and suggestions from the experts is an inevitable task in your business.
Businesses rely on meeting minutes to keep everyone on the same page and make sure that they understand what actions need to be taken. It also provides a written record of discussions and decisions.
If you’re not confident in your ability to take meeting minutes. You come to the correct place. You can get everything you need here. In addition, we’ve included some helpful tips and templates to get you started!
What Are Meeting Minutes?
Meeting minutes are files to record the decision made or idea proposed at a meeting. They are typically taken by one person and shared with others afterward. It should be as concise as possible while still providing enough detail that everyone understands what was discussed.
Its primary purpose is to keep a safe record of critical points and decisions held in a meeting. Moreover, It also helps inform the organization’s crucial decisions regarding absent candidates.
Meeting Minutes VS Meeting Notes
The critical difference between meeting minutes and notes is that meeting minutes are a formal record of what was discussed and decided during a meeting. While meeting notes are less formal and provide a more personal account of what happened during the session.
| Meeting Minutes | Meeting Notes |
| Written in a formal way. | Written in an informal way. |
| Focus on the decisions. | Focus on details |
| Need to use a template | Do not need to follow a template |
| Once it is done, it needs to get approved by managers. | No need to get approved. |
| Need to share with team members | Only keep it for personal use. |
Benefits of Meeting Minutes
1. Help in Record Keeping and Improve Efficiency
In any organization, efficiency is key to success. Minutes of meetings serve as an essential record-keeping way that can help to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Providing a written record of what was discussed and decided at a conference can help ensure that everyone is working on the same goal.
Moreover, it can be helpful for reference later on or for providing transparency to those who could not attend the conference.
2. Drive Action and Help in Accountability
One of the most critical functions of meeting minutes is to help members remember their tasks and hold people accountable for their actions. It provides a written record of any actions that needed to be taken and who is responsible for them.
It is imperative in large organizations where many committees and working groups may be responsible for various tasks. Without minutes, it would be effortless for things to fall through the cracks. And some people will claim that they were unaware of their responsibilities. With it, no one can find an excuse.
3. Used as a Training Tool
They can be a valuable training tool for new team or organization members. By reading through them, new team members can learn about the team’s history, goals, and decision-making process.
They can also understand the team’s dynamics and how various members interact. In short, meeting minutes can provide new team members with a wealth of information that would otherwise be difficult to obtain.
4. Help in Future Meetings
They can help improve the efficiency of future meetings. Looking back at previous ones, you can identify areas where meetings tend to drag on or where discussion could be better focused. This information can then make future engagements more productive and streamlined.
What Should Be Included in Meeting Minutes?
To write meeting minutes, you should know what needs to be included. Here are A few key things that should have, regardless of the type of conference or organization.
1. Date, Time, and Location:
First, they should include the meeting’s date, time, and location. It is necessary for record-keeping purposes and knows when and where the conference took place.
2. List of Attendees:
Next, you should list all attendees at the conference. It will be helpful in case any questions or follow-up items need to be directed to specific people. If possible, each individual should note attendance as present or absent.
3. Reason for The Conference:
It’s critical to note and communicate that *why” this conference happened. It will help members understand the background and have an overall view of the conference.
4. Summary of Discussion:
It should include a summary of what was discussed at the conference. It is essential to include enough detail so someone not at the conference can understand what happened.
Depending on preference, it can be done in a bullet-point format or a more narrative style.
However, it should not be so lengthy which will result in it being difficult to read.
5. Include Action Items and decisions:
Finally, the most important elements in meeting minutes are the action items assigned at the conference and what decisions make. It can help members have a clear understanding of what they should do.
How to Take Meeting Minutes?
1. Prepare Before a Meeting
Taking meeting minutes is very essential and sometimes tough work. So getting all things ready are very necessary. Here are things you should do before taking minutes to a conference.
- Create a structure: You need to create the structure of what you will take. You can create one according to what should be included mentioned in the last part. Or you can ask your colleagues for one template if they took one before. Also, you can search for the templates on the internet and create your own based on them.
- Read the agenda: check the agenda and gather the information that needs to appear in your minutes like attendances, conference dates, places, and the background of the conference. And you can also have a clear idea about what will be talked about at the conference. It is helpful for you to write minutes in the conference.
- Fill in some contents in advance (optional). Some information like attendances we mentioned before are known and will not change. You can type them into your prepared structure now if you want.
- Prepare a voice recorder. It is very difficult to write down all important points without omission. Preparing a voice recorder for the conference is a smart action.
- Prepare computer or pen and paper. As the meeting minutes needs to be sent out, it is recommended to use a computer to write them. If you choose a pen and paper, you need to type it into your computer again. It will waste time.
2. Write Meeting Minutes
When the conference starts, you can open the voice recorder and start to write the minutes by following the structure. Highly recommend you to ask during the conferencce if you are not clear about one point in case what you write down is wrong.
3. Organize and Double Check the Meeting Minutes
When the conference ends, you need to order the minutes and double-check whether there are any wrong points via listening to the voice recorder.
4. Get Approved from Colleagues and Meeting Holders
When you finish wrting, you need to check with some members to see whether all points and decisions you write down are correct, especially, you need to check with the members who are responsible for the tasks.
It is also important to let the conference holder confirm there is no problem.
5. Send the Meeting Minutes Out
You can send them to all relevant colleagues such as attendances, absentees, managers, and those who need to know the decisions and discussions.
10 Tips for Writing Great Meeting Minutes
1. Keep It Short and Sweet
Less is more. Include only the most essential points from the discussion and leave out any extraneous details. It will make it easier for everyone to review the minutes and understand what was discussed.
2. Be as Objective as Possible
It’s essential to be as objective as possible. It means including all relevant information without bias or opinion. Report what was discussed and leave your thoughts out of it.
3. Use Action Items as A Guide
If you’re unsure what points to include, look at the action items assigned during the conference. These items are the most important part. And it can make sure everyone knows what needs to be done and when.
4. Write in Present Tense
Please always use the present tense. It will make the minutes more clear and concise.
5. Use Bullet Points
Using bullet points makes it easier to make the document clear and find the information you’re looking for.
6. Use Simple Language
It’s essential to use simple, straightforward language and avoid using technical terms that not everyone will be familiar with.
7. Employ Templates
You will probably be in charge of taking minutes more than once as the minute taker. Creating a fresh document for every conference is simply a waste of time. You can create templates on your own or use prepared templates from your members or the internet.
8. Sit Close to Chairperson
Taking the chair close to the conference holders can make it easier for you to hear everyone during the conference. More importantly, most of the decisions are made by the conference holders and tasks are assigned by them. It is helpful for you to catch their voices immediately if you sit near them.
9. Ask Questions
If you’re taking minutes at a conference, don’t hesitate to ask questions if you miss something. It’s better to get clarification than to wing it and end up with inaccurate minutes.
10. Proofread the Minutes
Before distributing the meeting minutes, proofread them for any typos or errors. It will ensure that everyone has accurate information to reference.
Free Meeting Minutes Template
Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
Sample 4
Conclusion:
Taking accurate and complete meeting minutes is an important task in your business. These guidelines should help you produce high-quality minutes that accurately reflect the discussion and decisions made during your meetings. Whether you’re new or have been in business for years, following these simple tips will ensure that your meeting minutes are helpful and informative.
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