Meeting Minutes: Best Guide to Write Minute with Examples in 2023

 

Meetings play a crucial role in businesses and organizations, serving as a platform to discuss and address issues and manage internal issues to drive progress. To capture the essence of these meetings, whether virtual or face-to-face, Meeting Minutes are crucial for taking notes, summarizing the key issues discussed, and keeping track of decisions and resolutions reached.

This article will guide you through writing effective meeting minutes, with examples and templates to use, as well as best practices to follow.

Table of Content  1.1 What are meeting minutes? 2.1 Who is the Minute Taker? 3.1 How to Write Meeting Minutes 4.1 Meeting Minutes Examples and Templates  5.1 50 Verbs to Spice up Your Meeting Minute Writing 6.1 Conclusions

Hopefully, this article will help you stop feeling challenged about writing meeting minutes. And don't forget to be creative and interactive in each of your meetings.

What are meeting minutes?

Meeting minutes are a written record of the discussions, decisions, and action items that occur during a meeting.

They serve as a reference and source of information for all attendees and those unable to attend. They help ensure that important information is not forgotten and that everyone is on the same page about what was discussed and what actions to take.

Minute also provide accountability and transparency by documenting the decisions and commitments made during the meeting.

Who is the Minute Taker?

The Minute-Taker is responsible for accurately recording the discussions and decisions made during the meeting.

This may be an administrative officer, a secretary, an assistant or manager, or a volunteer member of the team performing the task. It is essential that the minute taker has good organization and note taking skills, and that s/he can summarize the discussions effectively.

How to Write Meeting Minutes

For effective meeting minutes, it is first that they are objective, a record of the facts of the meeting, and avoid personal opinions or subjective interpretations of the discussions. Next, it should be short, clear and easy to understand, just focus on the main points and avoid adding unnecessary details. Finally, it must be accurate and ensure that all information recorded is up-to-date and relevant.

Let's get into the details of writing meeting minutes with the next steps!

8 Essential Components of Meeting Minutes:

• Date, time and place of the meeting

• List of attendees and apologies for absence

• Agenda and purpose of the meeting

• Summary of discussions and decisions made

• Any voting carried out and its results.

• Action items, including responsible party and deadline to complete

• Any next steps or follow-up items

• Closing remarks or closure of the meeting 

Steps to writing effective meeting minutes

1: Preparation

Before the meeting, familiarize yourself with the meeting agenda and any relevant background material. Make sure you have all the necessary tools, such as a laptop, notepad, and pen. It's also a good idea to review past meeting minutes to get an idea of what information to include and how to format one.

2: Note taking

During the meeting, take clear and concise notes on the discussions and decisions made. You should focus on capturing key points, decisions, and action items, rather than transcribing the entire meeting verbatim. Be sure to include the names of the speakers or any key quotes, and any action or decision items. And avoid writing in abbreviations or shorthand that others don't understand.

3: Organize the minutes

Review and organize your notes to create a coherent and concise summary of your post-meeting minutes. You can use headings and bullet points to make the minutes easy to read. Please do not take personal opinions or subjective interpretations of the discussion. Focus on the facts and what was agreed upon during the meeting.

4: Registration of details

Your meeting minutes should include all relevant details, such as date, time, location, and attendees. And mention any major issues discussed, decisions, and assigned action items. Be sure to record the votes that were taken and the outcome of the discussions.

5: Action items

Be sure to list the action items that have been assigned, including who is responsible and the deadline to complete them. This is a crucial part of meeting minutes, as it ensures that everyone knows their responsibilities and the timeline for completing them.

6: Review and distribution

You must review the minutes for completeness and accuracy, and make any necessary revisions. Be sure to write down all the key points and decisions. You can then distribute the minutes to all attendees, either in person or by email. Save a copy of the minutes in a centralized location for easy access, such as a shared drive or cloud-based storage platform.

7: Follow up

Make sure meeting action items are followed through and completed promptly. Use minutes to track progress and ensure decisions are implemented. It helps you stay accountable and ensures that the meeting is productive and effective.

Meeting Minutes Examples and Templates

Examples of meeting minutes: 

1: Simple meeting template

The level of detail and complexity of simple meeting minutes will depend on the purpose of the meeting and the needs of your organization.

In general, simple meeting minutes are used for internal purposes and do not need to be as formal or comprehensive as other types of meeting minutes.

So if you have an urgent need and the meeting revolves around simple and not too important content, you can use the following template:

Meeting Title: [Insert Meeting Title] Date: [Insert date] Hours: [Insert time] Location: [Insert location] Attendees: [Insert names of attendees] Apologies for the absence: [Insert names] Diary: [Insert item 1 of the agenda] [Insert item 2 of the agenda] [Insert item 3 of the agenda] Summary of the meeting: [Insert a summary of the discussions and decisions made during the meeting, including key points or action items.] Action Items: [Insert a list of action items that were assigned during the meeting, including the responsible party and the deadline for completion.] Next steps [Insert any next steps or follow-up items that were discussed during the meeting.] concluding remarks [Insert closing remarks or closing of the meeting.] Signed: [Insert signature of person taking minutes]

2: Board meeting template

Minutes of board meetings are recorded and distributed to all members, providing a record of decisions made and the direction of the organization. Therefore, it must be clear, complete, detailed and formal. Here is a template of board meeting minutes:

Meeting Title: Board of Directors Meeting Date: [Insert date] Hours: [Insert time] Location: [Insert location] Attendees: [Insert names of attendees] Apologies for the absence: [Insert names of those who apologized for the absence] Diary: 1. Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting 2. Review of the financial report 3. Discussion of the strategic plan 4. Any other matter Summary of the meeting: 1. Approval of previous meeting minutes: [Insert highlights from the previous meeting that were reviewed and approved] 2. Financial Report Review: [Insert highlights of current financial situation and recommendations for future financial planning] 3. Discussion of the strategic plan: [Insert that the board discussed and made updates to the organization's strategic plan] 4. Any other business: [Insert any other important business that was not included in the agenda] Action Items: [Insert a list of action items that were assigned during the meeting, including responsible party and due date for completion] Next steps The board will have a follow-up meeting on [Insert date]. concluding remarks The meeting adjourned at [Insert time]. Signed: [Insert signature of person taking minutes]

This is just a basic template for a directory meeting, and you may want to add or remove elements based on the needs of your meeting and organization.

3: Project management template

Here is an example of meeting minutes for a project management template:

Meeting Title: Project Management Team Meeting Date: [Insert date] Hours: [Insert time] Location: [Insert location] Attendees: [Insert names of attendees] Apologies for the absence: [Insert names of those who apologized for the absence] Diary: 1. Review of the status of the project 2. Discussion of project risks 3. Team Progress Review 4. Any other matter Summary of the meeting: 1. Project Status Review: [Insert any updates on progress and highlight any issues that need to be addressed] 2. Discussion of project risks: [Insert potential risks to the project and a plan to mitigate those risks] 3. Team progress review: [Insert progress reviewed and discuss any issues that arise] 4 Any other business: [Insert any other important business that was not included in the agenda] Action Items: [Insert a list of action items that were assigned during the meeting, including responsible party and due date for completion] Next steps The team will have a follow-up meeting on [Insert date]. concluding remarks The meeting adjourned at [Insert time]. Signed: [Insert signature of person taking minutes]

50 Verbs to Spice up Your Meeting Minute Writing

Action Words for minute writing	Actions words for minute writing
Acknowledged/Agreed On Agreed to Announced Arranged Asked for Asserted Assured Believed Brought up Complained Confirmed Decided Declared Described Detailed Discussed Displayed Emphasized Explained Expressed Guaranteed Identified Implemented Informed	Listed/Maintained Mentioned Noted Observed Perceived Predicted Presented Promised Proposed Recommended Remarked Reported Requested Reviewing Said Settled Showed Specified Stated Stressed Suggested Summarized Understood Worked on

Conclusion

The purpose of the meeting minutes is to provide a high-level overview of the meeting for those who were unable to attend, as well as to keep a record of the results of the meeting. Therefore, the minutes should be organized and easy to understand, highlighting the most important information clearly and concisely.