How to Write Staff Meeting Minutes + Free Template & Sample
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Staff meeting minutes create a written record of issues discussed, assignments given, decisions made, and other issues brought up by staff during the meeting. Staff meeting minutes should reflect all of these details, as well as the general purpose of the discussions.
If you’re in charge of staff meeting minutes, preparing for the meeting can save you a lot of time when you edit the report later.
Today, we’re sharing an example of a staff meeting minutes sample and template, along with the meeting minute best practices you need to know.
What are staff meeting minutes?
Staff meeting minutes are a factual record of all discussions, decisions, and assignments during a staff meeting. Since staff meetings are typically more informal, they also include an open discussion section where staff members can bring up any grievances or pressing issues that weren’t originally on the agenda.
Staff meeting minutes don’t need to record every minute of the meeting. However, they should record the consensus and essence of the meeting.
What is the purpose of staff meeting minutes?
Staff meeting minutes are helpful for several reasons, including:
Create a written record of goals, objectives, and items discussed during the meeting.
Check that the team stays on track during the meeting and follows the schedule. Many staff meeting minutes also include time allocations for each topic or presentation.
Improve results. Staff meeting minutes include notes on decisions made and assignments given. In addition, many also include a tasks assignment list at the end of the meeting minutes, which lists all tasks, deadlines, and people responsible for completing the task. The minutes also hold the team accountable for action steps and prevent confusion around who is responsible for what.
Create transparency within your organization. Meeting minutes create transparency by recording members that didn’t attend the meeting, tasks that need to be completed, and more. This written record is an essential reference point that shows whether your team is making progress and upholding their decisions.
Record meetings concisely for those that couldn’t attend. Staff meeting minutes can be shared with coworkers who missed the meeting or higher-ups who are too busy to participate in but want a quick look at what went on at the meeting.
What should you include in staff meeting minutes?
You should always include the following for staff meeting minutes best practices:
Date, time, and location of the meeting
Meeting purpose
Attendance
Reports and presentations provided during the meeting
Next action steps, including a task summary with assignments and deadlines at the end of the minutes
Attachments of shared documents and presentations
An open discussion section
How do you take staff meeting minutes effectively?
So, how can you best record staff meeting minutes? Here are our top tips:
Review the plan before the meeting and create time allocations for the meeting minutes.
Gather copies of all presentation materials before the meeting to hand out and attach to the meeting minutes.
Create an easy-to-read, clear, and organized staff meeting minutes template. This template will make writing staff meeting minutes easier and more efficient during the meeting.
Write the meeting minutes during the session and immediately after so that the meeting information is fresh in your mind.
Use Notta to create a transcript of the meeting audio. You can also add images, pictures, and notes to the transcript and share the audio and transcript with your coworkers for reference.
Record every decision and action item created, including who is in charge of the action item and the deadline.
Ask for clarification during the staff meeting if a deadline or discussion is not clear.
Check off attendees as they arrive at the meeting. If the staff meeting has many attendees, pass around an attendance sheet for everyone to fill out.
Easily Capture Meeting MinutesRely on Notta to automatically generate clear, shareable transcripts from meetings. This streamlines record-keeping so you can focus on discussions, not note-taking.
Staff Meeting Minutes Template
Month Day, Year
Time meeting takes place
Meeting Location
Include 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.
Presenters:
Name, Title
Name, Title
Name, Title
Attendees:
Name
Name
Name
Staff Meeting Minutes Body
Presentation #1 Time Allocated
Discussion 1: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Decision 1: Include information about the final decisions and tasks assigned.
Discussion 2: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Decision 2: Include information about the final decisions and tasks assigned.
Presentation #2 Time Allocated
Discussion 1: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Decision 1: Include information about the final decisions and tasks assigned.
Discussion 2: Factual explanation of what the discussion entailed.
Decision 2: Include information about the final decisions and tasks assigned.
*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 topics not on the agenda under “Open Discussion.”
Open Discussion Time Allocated
Topic #1
Discuss any problems or other items the group wants to discuss.
Decisions: What actions need to be taken, if any.
Task Summary + Adjournment Time Allocated
Staff Meeting Minutes Sample
June 30, 2022
10:00 - 12:00
Conference Room
Connie Smith called a routine staff meeting at 10:00 a.m. in the conference room to discuss upcoming administrative reports, ongoing projects, and budget cuts.
Presenters:
Connie Smith, Supervisor
Nelson Parks, Accountant Lead
Felicity Nichols, Department Head
Attendees:
Roger Darling
Pete Campbell
Joan Stewart
Staff Meeting Minutes Body
Administrative Report & Sales #1 10:30 - 11:00
Discussion 1: Connie Smith presented the administrative report and reported that we are over the budget. She also shared that the profit and loss sheets were submitted on time by members of the time, so an up-to-date budget was provided. Connie shared that she is pleased with the team's progress and will continue to adapt to ensure that the team is on track with their budget by next month.
Decision 1: Budget cuts will be made to the marketing budget while the team gets back on track. The company will increase social media marketing to compensate for the lower budget.
Discussion 2: Online retail has been growing company sales. Connie proposed that the team focus on improving online retail sales and marketing to compensate for the budget cuts.
Decision 2: Team will focus on retail sales. The staff will add new sale items within the week to encourage greater sales.
Ongoing Projects 11:00 - 12:00
Discussion 1: Nelson shared his progress on the accounting reports. The team passed the updated accounting reports, and Nelson broke down each item. Nelson shared his thoughts on where the team could potentially improve their accounting and recommended that department members submit business receipts directly to him, rather than over email, to ensure that all receipts are accounted for.
Decision 1: No new items were raised in this discussion.
Discussion 2: Felicity presented the results of the latest in-store marketing implements. The new marketing failed to boost sales. The team brainstormed on possible solutions for this but ultimately decided that this venture was not worth the time invested currently.
Decision 2: This project is postponed until further notice.
Open Discussion Time 12:00 - 1:00
Budget Cuts
The group discussed various budget cuts that need to happen to stay on budget. These budget cuts included cutting back on holiday party expenses, waiting on a new office couch, and trimming the marketing budget.
Decisions: Felicity will return to her department and coordinate the budget cuts.
Holiday Party
The group discussed how they would pivot and host the holiday party. Felicity will be in charge of throwing the staff holiday party on November 20, 2022. She has a budget of $300 for catering and decorations. Other staff offered to bring baked goods. Nelson offered to bring an extra Christmas tree for the conference room.
Decisions: Felicity will coordinate the staff holiday party. Connie will make baked goods. Nelson will bring an additional Christmas tree by November 1, 2022.
Task Summary + Adjournment Time Allocated
Final Thoughts
Staff meetings can be messy and ineffective without a plan and written records of assignments, including specific deadlines and who is responsible for the task. As a result, meeting minutes are essential to keep staff on task, efficient, and accountable for all decisions and assignments. They also give the team a chance to discuss any issues that have suddenly come up and other more casual topics, such as staff parties or events.
We hope today’s piece on how to record staff meeting minutes helps you create concise, productive meeting minutes. Don’t forget to speak with management about recording your staff meetings. Creating a transcript of your meetings is a great tool for filling out meeting minutes later and sharing with coworkers who missed the meeting.
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