How to Take Meeting Minutes Effectively (with Templates & Samples)
Minute meetings are an essential communication tool for your company and organization. If you’ve been tasked with writing meeting minutes, you may be wondering how to take meeting minutes effectively and correctly.
Today, we’re going to share an informal meeting minutes template and a formal meeting minutes template with you, as well as written samples for both. By the end of this article, you’ll know which template to use, how to take meeting minutes effectively, and what should always be included in your meeting minutes.
What are the meeting minutes?
Meeting minutes, also known as m.o.m., are a written record of everything discussed during a meeting. Companies create meeting minutes at formal meetings, like board and investor meetings, and informal meetings, like routine staff meetings.
Despite their name, meeting minutes are not a record of everything that went on each minute of the meeting. Instead, they are a concise report, usually one to two pages, of everything discussed and decided upon during the discussion.
What is the purpose of the meeting minutes?
Meeting minutes are a tangible record of what happens during meetings and an excellent reference for anyone at the meeting. Meeting minutes are also beneficial to anyone who misses a meeting. They keep track of everything decided upon during the session to hold individuals accountable for any actions they are assigned. They are also helpful for legal protection in the case of formal meetings like board meetings, staff meetings and corporate meetings.
What should you include in the meeting minutes?
If you’re wondering how to take meeting minutes effectively, start by reviewing everything that you need to record in meeting minutes. We recommend creating a template that can be used repeatedly for each meeting to keep your meeting minutes simple and consistent.
All meeting minutes should include the following:
Date, time, and location of the board meeting
The type of meeting (routine, special, annual, board, emergency, etc.)
If quorum requirements are satisfied (for formal meetings)
Attendance of the board chair, board members, secretary, and any guests
Approval of the previous meeting’s minutes (for formal meetings)
Reports and presentations during the meeting, including the titles and names of presenters
Action steps required
Attachments of shared documents and presentations
A closing summary with a timestamp for when each meeting adjourned, the next meeting date and time, and an approval signature from the president
Planned hour of adjournment
If you are taking meeting minutes at a board meeting or other meeting where you may need the minutes to protect your organization against liability, review your organization’s bylaws and mission statement prior to recording the meeting minutes. This refresher can help you accurately and positively reflect on the organization’s actions during the meeting.
For informal meeting minutes, like routine staff meetings, you can keep a simple meeting minutes template. However, we still recommend recording basics, like attendance, action steps required, everything discussed, and organizational elements, like when the next meeting will be. This information keeps everyone on the same page and can help meetings go more smoothly.
What should you never include in meeting minutes?
Never include the following in your meeting minute records:
Arguments between meeting attendees
Different personal views
Withdrawn motions
Detailed reviews of reports or presentations - focus on key points and highlights instead.
When taking meeting minutes, keep your tone simple and factual. Your personal opinions and bias should not come through, nor should you include other meeting attendees’ criticisms or stories.
Don’t add emotional readings of a situation to your notes either, such as noting that a report was well organized or a discussion was intense or heated. However, you should note positive expressions that the whole group echoes, such as gratitude or excitement over a new project.
How to take meeting minutes (a step-by-step guide)
Preparing for the meeting
Planning can save you a lot of time and headache during and after the meeting. Work with the meeting chairperson before the meeting to determine what the agenda for the meeting is. Then, create an agenda that you can pass around during the session. The schedule will keep the discussion on track and help you format your meeting minutes more easily.
We also recommend speaking with the meeting chairperson about what is expected of you when recording the meeting minutes. For example, they may also ask you to make copies of documents and reports to hand out at the meeting or want you to record the number of votes for specific topics. Another example would be including the name of individuals who seconded a motion. Traditionally, meeting minutes only note if the motion was seconded, but some chairpersons may want the seconder’s name indicated on the meeting minutes.
If you’re in charge of taking meeting minutes, create a template for the meeting minutes based on the order of topics that will be discussed in the meeting. Use the meeting’s outline or agenda to guide your template. Numbering your meeting minute topics can help with this.
Don’t forget to add space for other key parts of the meeting minutes, such as a list of attendees, the location and time of the meeting, the next meeting time, etc. Before the meeting, collect copies of everything you need and the supplies you’ll need to take meeting minutes, such as your laptop, charger, pen, paper, and a device to record the meeting.
During the meeting
During the meeting, take minutes in real-time and make notes after each topic of discussion, taking special care to note any action steps or motions made. Keep your notes concise and factual. When the meeting begins, take attendance and check off each attendee as they arrive. If you do not know someone’s name, ask that everyone introduces themselves or circulate an attendance list around the room so that you can accurately record all attendees.
The primary goal of your meeting minutes is to provide a concise, clear overview of everything discussed at the meeting so that someone who missed the meeting can quickly understand what went on. To accomplish this, we recommend recording decisions and notes on action items as soon as they occur so that it’s clear who is responsible for what.
Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you need it. For example, if an action step is unclear, unassigned, or doesn’t have a specific due date, ask for one. You’ll be able to create more concise, helpful meeting minutes, and the group will stay on track better with more precise expectations.
We strongly recommend recording the meeting. Recording the meeting allows you to have an accurate reference for completing your meeting minutes and reports after the meeting. You can also create a transcription easily with Notta and add notes and images to the transcription, which can be a fantastic reference for individuals unable to attend. Make sure you always let meeting attendees know that they are being recorded.
After the meeting
After the meeting, immediately record any notes that you need to catch up on while they are still fresh in your mind. Then, create copies of reports or presentations shared during the meeting so that you can share them with anyone who missed the meeting and at the beginning of the next meeting with your minutes. Consider using a paperless sharing method, like the Cloud or a membership management system or members-only webpage, to publish your meeting minutes if your organization allows.
Take your audio recording and create a transcript with Notta so you can review everything said during the meeting and fill in any missing information in your meeting minutes.
If your meeting minutes need to be approved by the chair or a manager, make sure you provide them with copies of the meeting minutes before your next meeting. Then, you can distribute them at the next meeting. Some meeting minutes may be approved at the beginning of the next meeting, depending on the company or organization.
Lastly, create backup copies of the meeting minutes. We recommend having a paper copy filed away, a copy on your computer, and a copy uploaded online or to the Cloud. If possible, store a copy on an external hard drive to ensure that you always have a copy of your meeting minutes, even if your computer crashes.
Formal Meeting Minutes Template
If you are taking the meeting minutes for a formal meeting, such as a board meeting or investor meeting, use a formal meeting minutes template like the following:
Name of the group meeting, Meeting #
Month Day, Year
Time meeting takes place
Where the meeting is held, City, State
A short paragraph explaining who called the meeting, when the meeting started, and the primary purpose of the meeting. This paragraph should also include the location of the meeting.
Those in attendance and constituting a quorum included:
Present:
Name
Name
Name
Absent:
Name (Excused)
Name (Unexcused)*
Guests: List names
Quorum present? Yes or No
*Also note whether someone absent was excused, such as if someone was missing because they were sick or out of town. Mark if someone was unexcused and didn’t give notice as absent.
Approval of the Agenda
Motion: NAME moved to approve the meeting agenda.
Seconded and carried without dissent.
Approval of the Minutes
Motion: NAME moved to approve the minutes of the Month Day, Year meeting.
Seconded and carried without dissent.
You should always include the approval of the agenda and minutes at the top of the minutes to indicate that all meeting attendees were made aware of the agenda and minutes.
Following this, the board meeting minutes will follow a breakdown of each discussed topic.
Minutes Body
Topic/Presentation #1
Discussion 1: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Motion 1: Include who made the motion and if it was seconded or not.
Discussion 2: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Motion 2: Include who made the motion and if it was seconded or not.
*If a discussion does not require a motion, please note this within the discussion section.
Topic/Presentation #2
Discussion 1: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Motion 1: Include who made the motion and if it was seconded or not.
Discussion 2: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Motion 2: Include who made the motion and if it was seconded or not.
*Continue to organize the meeting minutes by headers titled with the topic or presentation until the meeting is over. At the end of the minutes, include additional issues not on the agenda under “Other Business,” when the session ended, and who submitted the minutes.
Other Business
Topic #1
Factual record of what this discussion included.
Topic #1 Action Item: What actions need to be taken.
Meeting adjourned at TIME.
Next board meeting at TIME, DATE, LOCATION
Minutes submitted by Secretary, FULL NAME _____ Date
Informal Meeting Minutes Template
If you’re taking meeting minutes for a less formal meeting, such as a team meeting or casual staff meeting, use the following format:
Name of team meeting, Meeting #
Month Day, Year
Time meeting takes place
Where the meeting is held, City, State
A short paragraph explaining who called the meeting, when the meeting started, and the primary purpose of the meeting. This paragraph should also include the location of the meeting.
Those in attendance included:
Present:
Name
Name
Name
Absent:
Name (Excused)
Name (Unexcused)*
*Note whether individuals were excused or unexcused from the meeting. For example, someone sick or out of town is marked “excused,” but someone who didn’t come should be labeled “unexcused.”
Following this, the meeting minutes will follow a breakdown of each discussed topic.
Minutes Body
Topic/Presentation #1
Discussion 1: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Action Item: Include notes on future actions to be taken
Discussion 2: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Action Item: Include notes on future actions to be taken
*If a discussion does not require an action item, please note this within the discussion section.
Topic/Presentation #2
Discussion 1: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Action Item: Include notes on future actions to be taken
Discussion 2: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Action Item: Include notes on future actions to be taken
*Continue to organize the meeting minutes by headers titled with the topic or presentation until the meeting is over.
Meeting adjourned at TIME.
Next board meeting at TIME, DATE, LOCATION
Minutes submitted by Secretary, FULL NAME on DATE
Formal Meeting Minutes Sample
Here is a sample of meeting minutes for a formal meeting, such as a yearly staff meeting, investor meeting, or board meeting:
Staff at Brown, Meeting #124
June 13, 2022
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Staff Room 3, Chicago, Illinois
James Sullivan, Manager, called a staff meeting in staff room three at Brown. The primary purpose of this meeting was to discuss layoffs and budget cuts that need to be addressed before the end of the year.
Those in attendance and constituting a quorum included:
Present:
James Sullivan, Manager
Emily Smith, Department Head
Mary Donald, Secretary
Absent:
Don Gerber (Excused)
Hailey Snow (Unexcused)
Guests:
Betty Draper
Mark Wilder
Robert Burns
Jessica Price
Quorum present? Yes
Approval of the Agenda
Motion: James Sullivan, Manager, moved to approve the meeting agenda.
Seconded and carried without dissent.
Approval of the Minutes
Motion: Mary Donald, Secretary, moved to approve the minutes of the Month Day, Year meeting.
Seconded and carried without dissent.
Following this, the board meeting minutes will follow a breakdown of each discussed topic.
Minutes Body
Staff Layoffs
Discussion 1: James Sullivan presented information and budget numbers showing that the company must make staff layoffs to keep Brown in business during the coming year. The attendees discussed different departments that could be trimmed down to accomplish this and ultimately decided on a discharge in the HR department.
Motion 1: James Sullivan moved to approve the staff layoff and nominated Emily Smith to carry out the necessary paperwork to start the process. Seconded and passed without dissent.
Discussion 2: Emily Smith discussed the possible implications of the staff layoff on the team’s morale and what steps may need to be taken. The attendees agreed with her that there could be backlash or anxiety about more job cuts. The group decided that they would handle this on a case-by-case basis. No motion is required at this time.
Budget Cuts
Discussion 1: James Smith discussed the need for budget cuts to continue running Brown into the new year. Different possibilities presented included cutting back on the marketing budget for the end of the year and relying on less costly marketing efforts, like marketing emails and social media ads.
Motion 1: Emily Smith moved to approve these budget cuts except for cutting back on marketing costs related to direct mailers. This proposition was accepted and seconded, and passed without dissent.
Discussion 2: Emily Smith presented information about where budget cuts could be made, focusing on the end-of-year staff holiday party. She suggested that the party costs are cut so that the end-of-year bonuses could remain the same for the staff, resulting in less anxiety or backlash from staff members.
Motion 2: Mary Donald moved to approve this proposition and have cuts to the party decorations and catering so that end-of-year bonuses could remain the same. Seconded and passed without dissent.
Other Business
Holiday Party
Mary Donald raised the question of who should be in charge of the holiday party this year. The group discussed different options.
Holiday Party Action Item: Emily Smith will speak to her department and see who is up to the task of taking on party planning with the budget cuts in mind.
Meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m.
Next board meeting at 5:00 p.m., June 20, 2022, Staff Room 3
Minutes submitted by Secretary, Mary Donald on June 13, 2022
Informal Meeting Minutes Sample
Here is a sample of meeting minutes for an informal meeting, such as a routine staff meeting or team meeting:
Staff at Brown, Meeting #124
June 13, 2022
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Staff Room 3, Chicago, Illinois
James Sullivan, Manager, called a routine staff meeting in staff room three at Brown. The primary purpose of this meeting was to discuss financial projections for the year and a new team project.
Those in attendance included:
Present:
James Sullivan, Manager
Emily Smith, Department Head
Mary Donald, Secretary
Betty Draper
Mark Wilder
Robert Burns
Jessica Price
Absent:
Don Gerber (Excused)
Hailey Snow (Unexcused)
Minutes Body
2022 Financial Projections
Discussion 1: James Sullivan presented the financial projections for the rest of 2022. He shared information from the accounting department demonstrating a positive trend for the rest of 2022. During the discussion, it was noted that team members should encourage their departments to focus heavily on credit card signups for the remainder of 2022 to boost holiday sales.
Action Item: Each staff member in attendance will go back to their team and present the 2022 credit card signup numbers and financial projections. Then, they will have the team rewatch the training video on credit card signups and demonstrate the best sales tactics for increasing enrollments.
Discussion 2: Betty Draper suggested that the team incorporate a new incentive for customers when they sign up for a Brown credit card. Her idea was to create gift bags as a credit card signup incentive. Emily Smith offered to oversee the creation of these incentives.
Action Item: Betty Draper and Emily Smith will work together to create gift bags to incentivize customers to sign up for Brown Credit Cards. They will send out an email by June 17, 2022, sharing their progress with the group.
New Team Project
Discussion 1: James Smith discussed an available new team project. He needs volunteers to shop for, purchase, and assemble furniture for the customer lounge. As a result, James Smith suggests that the area be updated to look more professional. Things to be updated include the furniture, paint, and smell of the room.
Action Item: Emily Smith will take this project back to her department and assemble a small team to handle it. They will select new paint, furniture, and candles to update the room with and run the proposed purchases by James Smith.
Discussion 2: Mary Donald suggested that the group could improve the new team project by including her team members and creating a spreadsheet with proposed purchases. She offered to take this on.
Action Item: Mary Donald will return to her team and select two individuals to help with the new team project. Then, she will reach out to Emily Smith to collaborate on the project.
Meeting adjourned at 2:02 p.m.
The next staff meeting is at 2:00 p.m., June 20, 2022.
Minutes submitted by Secretary, Mary Donald, June 17, 2022
Final Thoughts
Meeting minutes are an essential tool for any company or organization. Not only do meeting minutes record essential next steps, but meeting minutes also provide a written record of everything discussed in the meeting, making them excellent references for the meeting attendees and anyone who couldn’t attend.
Taking meeting minutes can seem challenging, but with an easy-to-follow meeting minutes template, you can quickly put together organized meeting minutes. Pre-planning your strategy and outline for your meeting minutes will be your biggest asset in creating outstanding records of meetings, so put in the time now, and you’ll see the immediate time-saving benefits during your next meeting.
