Meetings are an essential part of any business or organization. They provide a forum for team members to discuss important issues, make decisions, track progress, and assign responsibilities. But with so many people involved and so many topics discussed, it can be easy to lose track of what was said and agreed upon. That's where meeting minutes come in.
Don't know how to write meeting minutes? Don't worry. It's actually much simpler than it seems.
This article will teach you everything you need to know to take proper minutes. And if you stay till the end, there's a free meeting minutes template that will help you get started.
Table of Contents
- 📝 What Are Meeting Minutes?
- ✏️ How to Write Meeting Minutes
- 🤔 Is There a Simpler Way to Capture Meeting Minutes?
- 👋 Parting Words
📝 What Are Meeting Minutes?
Meeting minutes are a written record of everything that happens during a meeting. They serve as official documentation of who attended the meeting, what was discussed, what decisions were made, and what the team will do next.
🏭 Etymology: The term "minutes" possibly derives from the Latin phrase minuta scriptura (literally "small writing") meaning "rough notes."
Meeting minutes serve the purpose of informing those who were not present during the meeting about its proceedings. They also provide a bite-sized reference for keeping track of the decisions made so they can be revisited and used to guide future decisions.
Why Are Meeting Minutes Important?
Meeting minutes are important in ensuring transparency and accountability within an organization. They provide a clear and concise summary of the topics discussed and decisions made during a meeting, ensuring all participants are in the know.
Meeting minutes also act as a follow-up tool. By documenting any action items that were assigned, along with the responsible party and due date, meeting minutes can help ensure that tasks are completed efficiently and to a high standard.
By making meeting minutes a staple in the meeting culture, organizations can improve their overall efficiency and productivity.
Who Is Responsible for Taking Meeting Minutes?
It's common for a meeting facilitator or a designated minute-taker to be responsible for taking meeting minutes. This person is responsible for accurately recording meeting events and distributing the notes for review and confirmation among attendees.
This review process allows for any errors or inaccuracies to be identified and corrected before the minutes are finalized and used as an official record.
In some organizations, such as government entities and trade unions, there is a designated secretary responsible for taking meeting minutes. You can also rotate the role of note-taker among meeting participants to ensure equal participation.
It's important to ensure that the responsibility is assigned to a reliable and meticulous individual. Whether it's a designated minute-taker or one of the meeting participants, having a clear and accurate record of the meeting is crucial in maintaining transparency and accountability.
✏️ How to Write Meeting Minutes
Start With the Basics
Keep your meeting minutes concise and to the point. Including too much information can make the minutes difficult to read and understand. At a minimum, your notes should feature:
- 🗓️ Date and time of the meeting
- 👥 Names of attendees (including those who were absent)
- 📑 Agenda items or topics discussed
- ✅ Action items or decisions made (with deadlines)
- 💬 Discussion points or summary of each agenda item
- 🗳️ Any voting outcomes or agreements made
Keep Track of Key Discussion Points
When writing meeting minutes, it is important to summarize the main topics discussed during the meeting, including any decisions made and action items assigned.
Include the highlights of the discussion but avoid getting into too much detail. This will provide a clear and concise record of what was discussed and what was decided during the meeting.
Follow Up and Ask For Feedback
After the meeting, take the time to review and summarize the key points, decisions, and action items that were discussed. When done, send your minutes to the rest of the team.
It is important to distribute them to all attendees for their review and confirmation. This step is crucial as it helps to ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of what was discussed.
You can easily improve the quality of your notes by asking for feedback from the attendees. You can even invite your team to edit the notes together (more on that in a moment).
Use Clear and Concise Language
When writing meeting minutes, it is important to use clear and concise language that is easy to understand. Here are a few tips that will make your team's life easier:
- 🐇 Use short, simple sentences to convey your ideas.
- ⚙️ Avoid using overly complex or technical vocabulary.
- ⚡️ Use active voice instead of passive voice.
- 🗑️ Eliminate unnecessary words or phrases.
- 🌟 Use familiar terms and avoid acronyms or abbreviations.
- 🪨 Break up long paragraphs into smaller, more manageable chunks.
- 👀 Consider using examples or visual aids to help illustrate your points more effectively.
Finally, use headings and bullet points to organize the document and make it easier to read. This will ensure that your minutes are useful for the attendees and also across your organization.
Write in an Objective and Accurate Tone
Writing meeting minutes in an objective, impartial, and accurate manner is crucial. Avoid opinions and personal comments, and stick to the facts and main points discussed.
Using clear and concise language can also help maintain an objective and accurate tone. Avoid using overly complex or flowery language, and instead focus on using simple, direct language.
Maintain a sense of impartiality when writing meeting minutes. Avoid taking sides or showing favoritism towards any particular individuals or viewpoints. Instead, present the information in a neutral and balanced manner that accurately reflects the discussion that took place.
Keep Your Meeting Minutes Consistent
Having a format or template will help you keep your notes consistent. This, in turn, will make the minutes easier to read and understand, saving your team time and effort down the road.
Not sure where to start? Here's a free meeting agenda template that can serve as the roadmap for your next meeting. With a clear structure in place, all you have to do is fill in the blanks.
🤔 Is There a Simpler Way to Capture Meeting Minutes?
Writing effective meeting minutes doesn't have to be difficult. With 🐑 Taskade, you can easily capture and organize meeting minutes while chatting and collaborating with your team without having to shuffle multiple apps. Here's how Taskade can make your meetings better:
- ⚡️ Real-time note-taking: Taskade allows you to take notes in real-time during the meeting, so you can capture the key discussion points and any decisions made.
- 🤝 Collaboration: With Taskade, your entire team can work, chat, and take notes in the same project, at the same time. Everything is synchronized in real-time.
- 👨💻 Built-in video chat: You can host your meeting with Taskade's built-in video call feature, allowing for seamless collaboration with your team.
- 🗂️ Easy organization: Taskade helps you organize information both on a project level (#hashtags, backlinks), and across workspaces (tags, global search).
- 📲 Accessibility: Taskade is available on all major platforms, including web, desktop, and mobile, making it easy to access your meeting minutes from anywhere.
And the best part?
Taskade comes with hundreds of free templates you can use to supercharge your projects. Just like this meeting minutes template you can copy to your workspace and share with your team.
👋 Parting Words
Whether you're an experienced minute-taker or just starting out, taking good meeting minutes is a valuable skill to have. We hope that the tips from this article will help make your meeting minutes clear, concise, and more engaging.
Use Taskade to host meetings and write minutes in the same project, in the same app. Taskade's free video call feature will help you host meetings within your team, collaborate on projects in real-time, and work smarter and faster. Try Taskade for free today! 👈
Who is responsible for taking meeting minutes?
Meeting minutes are typically taken by a designated person, such as the meeting facilitator or a designated minute-taker.
What should be included in meeting minutes?
Meeting minutes should include the organization name, meeting details (date, time, and location), attendees, main topics discussed, decisions made, votes taken, and guests/speakers present.
How should meeting minutes be written?
Meeting minutes should be written in a clear and concise manner, with headings and bullet points to help organize the information. Use objective, impartial and accurate language, avoid opinions, and personal comments, and stick to the facts and main points that were discussed during the meeting.
What is the purpose of meeting minutes?
Meeting minutes are a formal record of the decisions, actions, and any assigned tasks discussed during the meeting. They also provide a comprehensive overview of what was discussed and agreed upon, ensuring all participants are informed and aligned.
Why are meeting minutes important?
Meeting minutes are a record of who is responsible for what. They provide a starting point for the next meeting and allow those who were not present to understand what was discussed and what decisions were made.
What should not be included in meeting minutes?
Meeting minutes should be impartial and avoid any personal opinions or biases. It's important to stick to objective facts and avoid including subjective comments. The goal is to provide an accurate and neutral record of what took place, not to capture every detail of the conversation.
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