Are you struggling to take meeting minutes that capture everything important? Or maybe you’ve been tasked with writing the notes for your next big project meeting or student group presentation, and you want to do it like a pro. Whatever your situation, writing meeting minutes can be an essential skill that helps you keep track of what was discussed, decided, and planned. In this article, we provide a step-by-step guide on how to write meeting minutes like a pro, along with some meeting minute examples.
Step 1: Prepare in advance
Preparing in advance can make writing meeting minutes easier and more effective. You should start by writing the agenda. Most professional meetings have an agenda, and you should base your notes on it to know the structure of the whole meeting. If you want to be extra prepared, you can also prepare a template or format for your notes. Check if your company has a meeting minute template or create your own. You can use OneNote, for example, to create a simple and easy-to-use template.
Step 2: Write the notes
During the meeting, it’s essential to take notes of everything that was said, including decisions made and actions needed. You should use the notes field to write the headline, which should be the agenda item. This way, it’s easier to follow along during the meeting and later when you’re reviewing the notes. If there was a PowerPoint presentation, you should add a link to it for easy reference later. When writing out decisions made during the meeting, make sure to include any notes regarding the decision and the rationale behind it. Additionally, list any actions that need to be taken, including who is responsible for each action and the deadline for completion.
Step 3: Rewrite the notes
After the meeting, take some time to rewrite your notes to make sure they are readable and understandable. You can use bullet points, headings, and subheadings to organize the information better. You should also summarize the main points discussed during the meeting and highlight any decisions made and actions needed.
Step 4: Store or share the notes
The last step is to store or share your meeting notes, depending on what you need to do with them. You can save them in a shared folder, email them to participants, or upload them to a project management tool.
Meeting Minute Examples
Here are two examples of meeting minutes – one for a more formal meeting and one for a more casual meeting.
Formal Meeting Minute Example:
- Title: Marketing Strategy Meeting
- Date: 4/15/2023 10:00 AM
- Participants: John, Jane, Bob, Sarah, Susan
- Agenda: Discuss marketing campaign for Q2
- Reviewed the marketing campaign performance for Q1
- Discussed potential marketing channels for Q2
- Decided to focus on social media, email marketing, and influencer marketing
- Bob to create a social media content plan by 4/30/2023
- Sarah to create an email marketing plan by 5/1/2023
- Susan to reach out to potential influencers by 5/7/2023
- John to review the performance of the Q2 campaign by 7/15/2023
Conclusion
In conclusion, writing meeting minutes can be a daunting task, but with a little bit of preparation and organization, you can become a pro at it in no time. Remember to prepare in advance, use a template or create one, use clear language, and make sure to include all the necessary details. With these tips, you can make sure that your meeting minutes are effective, professional, and easy to read.
By following the steps outlined in this article, you can write meeting minutes that are clear, concise, and easy to understand. Whether you’re a student or a professional, these tips will help you become a pro at writing meeting minutes and will make your next meeting a success.