Meeting minutes: how to write them, with a practical example
Meeting minutes are the document that sums up what was discussed, what was decided and who has to do what. Good minutes are short: someone who was absent should grasp the decisions made and the next steps in two minutes. You don’t need to transcribe everything, you need to write down what changes the work.
Some meetings, such as shareholder or condominium meetings, have their own rules: for those, ask whoever handles the subject. This guide covers work meetings.
What they should contain
- Date, time and place of the meeting.
- Participants and absentees.
- Topics on the agenda.
- Decisions made, written clearly.
- Actions to take, with an owner and a deadline.
- Next meeting, if planned.
How to write them in 5 steps
- Prepare the outline beforehand, starting from the agenda.
- Take notes on decisions and actions, not on every sentence.
- Write them up straight away: after a few days the details are lost.
- Have them reviewed by whoever led the meeting.
- Send them within a day to participants and absentees.
An example
Project progress meeting: Website 12 January, 10:00 a.m., online Present: Maria, Paolo, Sara. Absent: Luca.
Decisions
- Delivery is confirmed for 26 March.
- The new pricing page goes into the first version.
Actions
| Action | Owner | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Send the copy to the client | Maria | 15 January |
| Prepare the pricing page | Paolo | 22 January |
| Check the timeline with Luca | Sara | 13 January |
Next meeting: 26 January, 10:00 a.m.
The most common mistakes
- Transcribing everything: nobody reads it.
- Vague decisions: “we’ll look into it” is not a decision.
- Actions without a name: what belongs to everyone gets done by no one.
- Sending them too late: after a week they’re no use.
Minutes with kMeeting
With kMeeting the transcript and minutes come from the meeting recording, so you only have to check them. If you are choosing a tool, read how to choose a business video conferencing platform.
Alex