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How to Say “Take Minutes” on a Resume: A Comprehensive Guide

When it comes to creating an effective resume, choosing the right keywords and phrases is essential. One crucial skill that many employers value is the ability to “take minutes.” Whether you have experience in administrative roles, project management, or any position that requires documenting meetings, it’s important to articulate this skill in a concise and impactful manner. In this guide, we will explore various ways to express “take minutes” on your resume, covering both formal and informal styles where appropriate.

Table of Contents

Formal Expressions:

To showcase your professional abilities, consider using the following formal phrases on your resume:

1. Meeting Minutes Documentation:

Clearly state your skill by explicitly mentioning “meeting minutes documentation” in your resume. This straightforward phrase effectively conveys your ability to accurately record and summarize discussions during meetings.

2. Minute-Taking:

Highlight your expertise by using the term “minute-taking.” It showcases your proficiency in capturing key points, action items, and decisions made during meetings.

3. Meeting Transcription:

An alternative expression is “meeting transcription.” This phrase emphasizes your efficiency in transforming spoken words and discussions into written records.

4. Note-Taking:

A subtle yet effective way to mention your ability to take minutes is by referring to it as “note-taking.” This phrase implies your attentiveness in recording essential information discussed during meetings.

5. Minute Recording:

Another formal way to express your skill is by using the phrase “minute recording.” It demonstrates your capability to accurately capture important details and discussions in a systematic manner.

Informal Expressions:

If you want to adopt a more casual tone, particularly in creative or relaxed work environments, the following informal expressions can be used to describe your minutes-taking ability:

1. Meeting Notes:

Instead of using “minutes,” you can mention your proficiency in “meeting notes.” This term is widely understood and conveys a similar meaning in a less formal way.

2. Capture Meeting Highlights:

Showcase your ability to document the key aspects of meetings by using the phrase “capture meeting highlights.” This expression emphasizes your talent for highlighting critical discussion points.

3. Meeting Synopses:

Describe your skill by referring to it as “meeting synopses” – a more informal way to highlight your aptitude for summarizing important meeting details concisely.

4. Document Meeting Takeaways:

Another phrase to consider is “document meeting takeaways.” This expression communicates your ability to identify key information or action items that arise during meetings and record them accurately.

Tips to Enhance Your Description:

1. Highlight Relevant Software Skills:

Mention any software proficiency related to minutes-taking, such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or specialized meeting management tools like Trello or Evernote. This showcases your ability to efficiently organize, format, and share meeting minutes.

2. Emphasize Active Listening:

Employers value active listeners who can capture crucial information. Make sure to mention your strong listening skills, as it is an integral part of effective minutes-taking.

3. Showcase Attention to Detail:

Indicate your attention to detail by emphasizing your meticulousness in recording, summarizing, and proofreading meeting minutes. This will assure potential employers of the accuracy and quality of your work.

4. Provide Examples and Metrics:

Back up your claims by including specific examples of meetings or projects where you were responsible for taking minutes. Additionally, if you were able to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of the minutes process, quantify those achievements (e.g., “Implemented a new template which reduced meeting minute turnaround time by 20%”).

5. Use Action Verbs:

When describing your minutes-taking experience, utilize action verbs such as “recorded,” “captured,” “summarized,” “synthesized,” or “transcribed.” These words convey proactiveness and engagement.

Example: Recorded comprehensive meeting minutes, capturing action items and decisions made, resulting in improved team communication and project efficiency.

Remember, adapting your expressions to match the specific job requirements is crucial. Take into account the nature of the role and the company culture to decide between formal or informal language and which phrases to prioritize. By incorporating these tips and examples, you can effectively communicate your minutes-taking ability on your resume, significantly enhancing your chances of impressing potential employers. Good luck with your application!

Related Guides:

• Guide: How to Say Military Time with Minutes
• How to Say “Minutes” in French: Formal and Informal Ways
• Guide: How to Say “Minutes” in German
• Guide: How to Say Minutes in Greek
• Guide: How to Say “Minutes” in Sanskrit
• How to Say Minutes in Sign Language: A Comprehensive Guide
• How to Say “Take Meeting Minutes”: A Comprehensive Guide
• ¡Cómo decir “ten minutes” en español!

About The Author

Oliver Corey

How To Write Effective Meeting Minutes (with Templates and Samples)

New to writing meeting minutes.

Whether you’ve been tasked with taking notes for a committee or you’ve been appointed Secretary to the Board of your organization, preparing meeting minutes doesn’t have to be an arduous task. Here are some tips and ideas that will help you get started with writing and preparing effective meeting minutes, as well as a meeting minutes sample and a meeting minutes template that you can follow.

This guide on how to write meeting minutes was prepared by WildApricot to help the volunteers and/or staff of small non-profits and membership organizations who may be new to the task of taking and preparing minutes of meeting for committees or Boards of Directors.

What Are Meeting Minutes?

Meeting minutes are the written record of what was discussed and decided during a meeting. They typically include the date and time of the meeting, a list of attendees, a summary of the topics discussed, decisions made, action items assigned, and the time of adjournment.

Minutes are essential for providing an official account of the meeting, ensuring accountability, and helping attendees recall important details. They are usually prepared by a designated person, such as a secretary or administrative assistant, and are approved at the subsequent meeting.

What Should You Include When Writing Meeting Minutes?

The five steps that you must include are:

• Pre-Planning
• Record taking – at the meeting
• Minutes writing or transcribing
• Distributing or sharing of meeting minutes
• Filing or storage of minutes for future reference

For more detail on each step, read on!

Read more: 13 Meeting Minutes Templates for More Productive Nonprofit Board Meetings

Who Should Write the Meeting Minutes?

Meeting minutes are typically written by the designated secretary or administrative assistant of the group or organization. In some cases, a specific member of the group may be assigned to take minutes for a particular meeting.

The person responsible for writing the minutes should be someone who is attentive, detail-oriented, and capable of accurately capturing the discussions and decisions made during the meeting.

Meeting Minutes Template:

Here’s a simple template you can refer to next time you need to take meeting minutes:

Organization Name

Meeting Minutes

Opening: The meeting was called to order at [Time] by [Name] at [Location].

Present: [List of all present members]

Absent: [List of any members who were not present]

Approval of Agenda: The agenda was reviewed and approved.

Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the previous meeting were reviewed and approved.

Business From the Previous Meeting:

• [Summary of any motions or topics from the previous meeting, including decisions made]

New Business:

• [Summary of any new motions or topics raised, including decisions made]

Additions to the Agenda:

• [Summary of any additional items raised during the meeting]

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at [Time] by [Name]. The next meeting will be held on [Date] at [Location].

Minutes submitted by: [Name]

Minutes approved by: [Name]

How to Create Your Meeting Minute Process

As mentioned above, there are essentially five steps involved with meeting minutes:

Pre-Plan Your Meeting Minutes

A well-planned meeting helps ensure effective meeting minutes.  If the Chair and the Secretary or minutes-taker work together to ensure the agenda and meeting are well thought out, it makes minute taking much easier.

For example, depending on the meeting structure and the tools you use, the minutes-taker could work with the Chair to create a document format that works as an agenda and minutes outline as well.

Set the Agenda of a Meeting

At the very least, it’s important to get a copy of the meeting agenda and use it as a guide or outline for taking notes, setting up your mom format, and preparing the minutes – with the order and numbering of items on the minutes of meeting matching those of the agenda.

In addition, the agenda and/or meeting notice also provides information that will need to be included in the minutes, such as:

• the names of all the meeting attendees, including guests or speakers
• documents that are sent out with the agenda or handed out in the meeting – copies (digital or hard copy) of handouts should be stored with the meeting minutes for future reference and for sharing with those who were unable to attend the meeting (and others as determined by the meeting’s Chair).

Clarify Expectations

When you take on a new role as minutes-taker or Secretary, be sure to ask the Chair of the committee or Board what their expectations are of your role during the meeting, as well as the type of detail he/she expects in the minutes.

For example, if your Board or committee will be dealing with motions, or voting on items/issues, be clear on whether you need to offer names of those making motions, seconding, etc. If you will be dealing with this type of procedures, you (and your Chair) may want to refer to Robert’s Rules of Order .

What Should Be Included in Meeting Minutes?

Before you start taking notes, it’s important to understand the type of information you need to record at the meeting. As noted earlier, your organization may have required content and a specific meeting minute format that you’ll need to follow, but generally, meeting minutes usually include the following:

• Date and time of the meeting
• Names of the meeting participants and those unable to attend (e.g., “regrets”)
• Acceptance or corrections/amendments to previous meeting minutes
• Actions taken or agreed to be taken
• Voting outcomes – e.g., (if necessary, details regarding who made motions; who seconded and approved or via show of hands, etc.)
• Motions taken or rejected
• Items to be held over
• New business
• Next meeting date and time

You can find more templates and details on formatting meeting minutes here.

The Minutes Writing Process

Once the meeting is over, it’s time to pull together your notes and write the minutes. Here are some tips that might help:

• Try to write the minutes as soon after the meeting as possible while everything is fresh in your mind.
• Review your outline and if necessary, add additional notes or clarify points raised. Also check to ensure all decisions, actions and motions are clearly noted.
• For Board of Director’s minutes in particular, we recommend including a short description of each action taken, as well as the rationale behind the decision
• If there was a lot of discussion before passing a motion, write down the major arguments for and against
• Edit to ensure brevity and clarity, so the minutes are easy to read
• Be objective
• Write in the same tense throughout
• Avoid using names other than to record motions and seconds.
• Avoid personal observations — the minutes should be solely fact-based
• If you need to refer to other documents, don’t try to summarize them. Rather, simply indicate where they can be found or attach them as an appendix

Meeting Minute Best Practices:

Create an outline.

As discussed earlier, having an outline (or template) based on the agenda makes it easy for you to simply jot down notes, decisions, etc. under each item as you go along. If you are taking notes by hand, consider including space below each item on your outline for your hand-written notes, then print these out and use this to capture minutes.

Check-off attendees as they join the meeting

If you know the meeting attendees, you can check them off as they arrive, if not have folks introduce themselves at the start of the meeting or circulate an attendance list they can check-off themselves.

Record decisions or notes on action items

As the meeting progresses, it will be critical to annotate decisions and key points made in your outline as soon as they occur to be sure they are recorded accurately. Include the names of the owners of the action items and other key personnel involved.

Ask for clarification if necessary

Don’t be afraid to speak up if you need clarification on something that was said in the meeting. It’s your job to make these meeting minutes as accurate as possible.

For example, if the group moves on without making a decision or an obvious conclusion, ask for clarification of the decision and/or next steps involved.

Don’t try to capture it all

You can’t keep up if you try to write down the conversation verbatim, so be sure to simply (and clearly) write (or type) just the decisions, assignments, action steps, etc.

Record the meeting

If you are concerned about being able to keep up with note taking, consider recording the meeting (e.g., on your smart phone, iPad, recording device, etc.) but be sure to let participants know they are being recording.

While you don’t want to use the recording to create a word-for-word transcript of the meeting, the recording can come in handy if you want to review the meeting for clarification.

Download our Meeting Minute Checklist for Associations and Nonprofits with sample minutes taken at a meeting and learn how to take better minutes. 

Meeting Minutes Samples:

Still wondering if you’re taking notes correctly? Here’s a sample of what meeting minutes at a board meeting might look like.

Do Meeting Minutes Have To Be Approved?

Yes, meeting minutes typically need to be approved to ensure accuracy and completeness. The approval process usually occurs at the beginning of the next meeting, where attendees review the minutes from the previous meeting and either approve them as written or suggest corrections.

Once approved, the minutes become the official record of the meeting. This process helps maintain transparency and accountability within the organization.

Before you share your meeting minutes, make sure that your board chair has reviewed and either revised and/or approved the minutes for circulation. They are not an official record of a meeting unless this has taken place.

Distributing or Sharing Meeting Minutes

As the official “minutes-taker” or Secretary, your role may include dissemination of the minutes.

Online sharing

The method of sharing or distribution will depend on the tools that you and your organization use. Since minutes and other documentation can create a pile of paper, it’s great if you can use a paperless sharing process. For example, if you are using a word processing tool (e.g., Microsoft Word) that doesn’t offer online sharing, you might want to create a PDF of the document and send this and the other attachments or meeting documentation via email.

Alternately, if you are all using Google docs – for meeting invitations, agenda and additional document sharing – you can simply “share” the document with that group once it has been finalized. Committee or Board members can simply read the documents online and save a few trees!

Sharing in the Cloud?

If your organization is using a cloud-based membership management system (like WildApricot ), you can publish the minutes as a web page and give access only to the committee or Board members, depending on your organization’s needs. Through members-only webpages, you can create a secure online Intranet for your Board and committees.

Tools Specifically For Meeting Minutes:

If you are wondering about the types of tools you might use specifically for meeting minutes, here are some tools that organizations we’ve worked with have found helpful:

• Google Docs:  Also supports collaborative note taking. [Here are some meeting minute sample templates in Google docs.  If you send out a meeting request using Google Calendar, you can attach a Google doc agenda outline. Once minutes are crafted (using the outline), you can simply share the document with the group using their email addresses.]
• OneNote :  (if you are a Microsoft user) – Very fast and allows for organization of notes.  Also support audio recording with corresponding note time-stamping.
• Notion: Notion is a great platform for organizing meeting minutes. It’s hierarchical document structure is a fantastic way to organize your meeting minutes in any way you want.
• Evernote :  Great note taking tool.
• Agreedo : supports creation of meeting minutes and tracking the results.
• minutes.io :  allows you to quickly take meeting minutes with hotkey shortcuts and the ability to work online or offline.

Filing/Storage of Meeting Minutes

Most committees and Boards review and either approve or amend the minutes at the beginning of the subsequent meeting. Once you’ve made any required revisions, the minutes will then need to be stored for future reference.

Some organizations may store these online (e.g., in Google docs or SkyDrive) and also back these up on an external hard drive.  You may also need to print and store hard copies as well or provide these to a staff member or Chair for filing.

What Is the Purpose of Meeting Minutes?

You shouldn’t be intimidated by the term “minutes”, since it’s actually a little misleading. After all, your committee or Board doesn’t want or need a record of its meeting proceedings minute by minute!  But it is important to capture the essence of the meeting, including details such as:

• decisions made (motions made, votes, etc.)
• next steps planned
• identification and tracking of action items

Minutes are a tangible record of the meeting for its participants and a source of information for members who were unable to attend. In some cases, meeting minutes can act as a reference point, for example:

• when a meeting’s outcomes impact other collaborative activities or projects within the organization
• minutes can serve to notify (or remind) individuals of tasks assigned to them and/or timelines

Download our Meeting Minute Checklist for Associations and Nonprofits with examples and learn how to take better minutes. 

Why Are They Called Minutes of a Meeting?

According to Today I Found Out , the “minutes” of “meeting minutes” don’t refer to the minute measurement of time, but to the “minute” (my-newt) notes taken during meetings.

And… If You’re a Nonprofit with Regular Board and Member Meetings

If you’re a nonprofit with regular board and member meetings and you want to save time and money managing your organization, get a free trial of WildApricot , an all-in-one membership management software which allows you to:

• Easily schedule online events with instant online payment processing and automated invoices.
• Create a stunning website with online member applications.
• Access an easy-to-search and filter contact database.
• Send out professionally-designed newsletters and emails.
• and much more.

Find out all the features of WildApricot’s free membership management software here .

WildApricot is also the the #1 rated membership management software used by over 20,000 organizations every day. Get your free trial now .

In Closing…Enjoy Your New Role!

Meeting minutes are important – after all, they capture the essential information of a meeting. But taking and preparing minutes doesn’t have to be a daunting task. We hope this article helps meeting minutes newbies in getting started in creating effective meeting minutes for your organization.

Thank you for reading our guide on how to write meeting minutes!

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Meeting minutes are a record of what happened in a meeting. They aren’t a transcription — they don’t cover everything that was said or done —but they highlight the key points so that everyone can remember what was discussed. Meeting minutes are also important to update people who weren’t able to attend the meeting. Usually, an individual is assigned the responsibility of writing up the minutes of a meeting. If you’ve been assigned that task, or just wondering what meeting minutes are, then keep reading. This article will discuss why meeting minutes are important, how to write them, and even give an example. Key Takeaways Good meeting minutes help companies run more effectively by establishing a record of what transpired in a meeting. Prepare to take meeting minutes by making sure you understand the purpose of the meeting, collecting the participants’ names, and creating a template to fill in as you take notes. After the meeting, type up your notes, submit them to your supervisors for approval, and then send them to the meeting participants. In This Article    Skip to section What are meeting minutes? Why are meeting minutes important? How to write meeting minutes What to include in meeting minutes Tips for writing meeting minutes Meeting minutes example Meeting minutes template Final thoughts Metting minutes FAQ References Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs Show More What are meeting minutes?

Meeting minutes are documents that cover what happened during a meeting. Minutes focus on the key events of a meeting, paring it down to the major discussion points and decisions, along with the next steps that employees are supposed to take.

In a sense, meeting minutes are the summary of the meeting. Documenting what happened in the meeting makes it possible for those not in attendance to know what happened, and to keep records of decisions, and they can be used as a reference for those who have specific tasks they have to undertake after the meeting.

Why are meeting minutes important?

Meeting minutes are important because they help businesses operate more effectively. Meetings are regarded as the time for communication in a company to take place. If the information that’s handled during meetings becomes skewed, it’s a huge waste of time and effort.

Writing meeting minutes increases effectiveness by establishing an accurate record of what transpired. It removes the room for error that comes with not keeping documentation. Monitoring meetings with a structured approach to the discussions, and actions that follow, leads toward success.

How to write meeting minutes

The process of writing meeting minutes isn’t complicated, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to put effort into it. Being detail-oriented will make it a lot easier, as well as taking careful notes during the meeting. As with most things, preparation and attentiveness are key.

Here are some steps to take to write effective meeting minutes:

Prepare beforehand. The best way to take flawless meeting minutes is by being prepared accordingly before ever walking into the meeting. Many professionals choose to arrange a template that guides them toward the information they need to collect during the meeting.

Understanding what data you need to collect beforehand makes it much easier to distinguish when the meeting is actually happening. To help with preparations, ask your supervisors what the general objective of the meeting will be and gather knowledge about the event.<.p>

Strong preparation work makes taking meeting minutes notes during the actual meeting more of just filling in the blanks. At the very least, have a firm understanding of the meeting’s purpose.

Take detailed notes during the meeting. Once you’re at the meeting, the main focus is paying attention and taking clear notes. It likely means that you won’t contribute much to the meeting itself, but your task is to record it rather than to participate.

Here are some suggestions for making organizing your notes easier:

Pass around an attendance sheet. That way you don’t have to take an awkward attendance. This is doubly important if this is a larger group and you’re not sure of everyone’s name. If it’s a small group and you know everyone, you can omit this step.

Write down brief notes as topics shift. Make sure you keep up with your note-taking. Major topic shifts should be noted down, especially if they’re moving on from one phase of the meeting to another.

Put down the initials of the people who bring up major changes or topics. While it isn’t imperative to track who said what, it’s good to have an idea of whether or not the person bringing up the topic is a manager or an expert on the topic.

Make a note of who is assigned certain tasks. There should ideally be some tasks assigned at the end of the meeting. Keep track of what they are and who they’re assigned to. This is something that people will want to know and reference in the future.

Be objective. Keep your opinions out of it, as meeting minutes are supposed to be objective. Also, everyone will be able to find out who wrote the minutes of the meeting, so be sure to keep any commentary to yourself.

Try recording it. If you find yourself struggling to keep up with note-taking, try recording the meeting. Every smartphone has a record feature. Just make sure to get permission to do so first, as some states have laws against recording someone without their knowledge or permission.

Retrieve copies of all reports used at the meeting. Documents, reports, and presentations are often given during a meeting to provide more clarification for its participants. Before leaving a meeting, ask a coordinator to forward these materials to you to bring this clarity to your meeting minutes.

Type up the notes neatly after the meeting. After the meeting has concluded, you should have a halfway-put-together handwritten series of notes.

With the information that was discussed freshly in mind, bring your notes, and type them up in a more organized fashion. Having a digital copy of your meeting minutes allows for easier edits. It also gives you the ability to share it with your supervisors and co-workers with the click of a button.

Review and send to supervisors for approval. With a proofread final copy of the meeting minutes in hand, send it off to your supervisor for approval.

Do thorough editing before emailing your meeting minutes to your manager . Once they’ve provided you with their seal of approval, the meeting minutes are finalized to be sent out to colleagues.

Include both attendees of the meeting and co-workers who may have been absent and need to catch up on the details.

What to include in meeting minutes

The point of writing meeting minutes is to have a record of all the important things that happened. They should be detailed enough that a co-worker who wasn’t in attendance would still understand them fully.

The following are information that needs to be included when writing effective meeting minutes:

The purpose of the meeting

The full names of everyone in attendance

The date and time the meeting happened

Details about projects, who they were assigned to, and when they are due by

Final calls that were made on decisions during the meeting

Any updates to the prior meeting

Details about when the next meeting will take place when it’s relevant

Tips for writing meeting minutes

While there are standards for writing up the minutes of a meeting, there are a few things you can do to make it easier and the end result more effective. If you’ve been assigned to write up the meeting minutes, here are a few more things to keep in mind.

Handle meeting minutes promptly. Getting meeting minutes done quickly after the meeting’s conclusion is important for a few reasons. Firstly, the decisions that have been made just happened, so it’s unlikely that you’ve forgotten any details.

Secondly, the information needs to be sent out to other employees promptly, especially if they’ve missed the meeting and require the details they missed.

Do not include random conversation. Although meetings are supposed to be targeted towards a particular focus, it’s natural for side conversations to take place occasionally.

However, these don’t need to be included in meeting minutes. It distracts from more important information and brings in a conversation unrelated to the meeting’s purpose.

If a conversation isn’t directly relevant to the topic of the meeting or decisions being made, leave it out of the meeting minutes.

Include who was given tasks. Oftentimes, the purpose of meetings is to go over a new project or plan of action that the team is going to embark on. When this is the meeting objective, supervisors will spend a chunk of time delegating tasks to specific employees.

It’s important to include who was designated with each task or responsibility during the meeting because it avoids encountering discrepancies later.

Look at meeting minutes templates. One avenue for making sure your meeting minutes are formatted correctly is to look at templates online. General meeting minutes templates give a good idea about how yours should look when you’re finished and ready to send it to a supervisor for approval.

Use templates for preparation when creating your own outline to bring into a meeting.

Steer clear of recording opinions. When taking down meeting minutes notes, stick to strictly the facts. While opinions may be thrown around during a meeting, that’s not the crucial information that needs to be covered in your notes.

Opinions may lead up to an ultimate decision, but only that final call should be included in meeting minutes.

Focus on listening in addition to taking notes. Even though taking meeting minutes means scribbling down notes at every chance, it’s still recommended to keep your ears open and listening too.

It’s a natural reaction to try to write every little thing that happens in a meeting when you’re the one in charge of the minutes. But that trying to do so is impossible, and will likely be detrimental rather than helpful. You also don’t want to distract the others in the meeting by constantly scribbling or typing.

Meeting minutes example

Meeting minutes example.

Johnson Bath Products Company Launching of The New Soap Campaign (1/14/2021) January 14, 2021 / 1:30 PM / Room 32 North Building of Johnson HQ INDIVIDUALS WHO ATTENDED Jamie Close, James Clark, Aaron Smith, Angela Snow, Kimberely Rhiley, Mark Taft AGENDA Last Meeting Follow-up The last meeting focused on advertising and marketing strategy regarding the new line of astrology soaps. It was decided that this campaign would target social media and employ influencers to gain the following in public. Current Meeting Objective Determine the most impactful launch date Decide which social media influencers will be used to market this product line Assign final touch-up jobs before the launch date NOTES In a market research study conducted, it was found that the target demographic for the astrology soap line is females ages between 16-35 The decided launch date of the marketing campaign is February 1st, 2021 FUTURE ACTIONS Angela Snow was assigned the task of creating a list of potential social media influencers to reach out to for a marketing deal (Due: 1/21/21) James Clark was assigned the job of a copywriter for company Instagram posts launching the new astrology line (Due: 1/21/21) Kimberely Rhiley was assigned the role of sourcing photography editors for social media postings (Due: 1/21/21) DETAILS ABOUT THE NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on January 22nd, 2021. Its objective will be to follow up on the week’s work with the campaign.

Meeting minutes template

If your employer doesn’t have a meeting minutes template, here’s one that you can use. We’ve also included an example of meeting minutes so you can see this template in action.

Meeting Minutes Template

The Title of Your Company The Purpose of the Meeting (Date) Meeting Date / Meeting Time / Meeting Place PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE AT THE MEETING Full name, Full name, Full name AGENDA Last Meeting Follow-up Details about what was covered in the last meeting and how it relates to the current one Current Meeting Objective Important points that have been discussed Decisions that have been made Tasks that have been delegated NOTES Additional useful information Any reports or presentations included in the meeting FUTURE ACTIONS When the meeting is concerning a project, use this space to write out who has been given each specific task Include names, responsibilities, and the due date DETAILS ABOUT THE NEXT MEETING If the next company meeting is on the books, use this space to give details about when and where it will be held.

Final thoughts

Information that’s been discussed at a company meeting can easily get lost in translation if it’s not recorded properly. To avoid misunderstandings, many businesses employ meeting minutes to organize information .

Meeting minutes ensure that important details throughout a business meeting are kept track of for later use. These written documents are saved for reference in the future or to convey information to employees who weren’t present at the meeting.

Metting minutes FAQ

Who’s responsible for taking and archiving meeting minutes?

Usually, one person is assigned the task of taking and archiving the minutes of a meeting. There isn’t necessarily a particular role this is assigned to, but it’s more often given to someone who has an administrative or secretarial role.

What’s the best way to store or archive meeting minutes?

Meeting minutes can be stored either electronically or physically in a file. There are pros and cons to both. Most minutes are likely to be stored electronically nowadays, but physical files are more secure. They are, however, harder to access.

Why are they called meeting minutes?

The reason that meeting minutes are called minutes rather than notes or a summary isn’t known for sure. However, the prevailing theory is that it doesn’t have anything to do with minutes, as in the measure of time, but instead comes from the Latin minuta scripta, meaning small writing.

This comes from the fact that scribes in monestaries would write in a small script in order to save ink and parchment, and minuta turned into minute. It’s actually related to minute, as in small, rather than minute, the measure of time.

Forbes — Why Meeting Minutes – Done Right – Are the Key to Remote Productivity

Corporate Finance Institute — Meeting Minutes

MasterClass — What Are Meeting Minutes? How to Take Minutes for a Meeting

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

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How to take minutes..., how to take minutes in a meeting in 10 simple steps.

It’s easier than you might think.

• Updated Sep 30, 2024
• 10 min read

Mike Dalley

HR and Learning & Development Expert

Reviewed by Chris Leitch

Taking minutes in a meeting is a huge responsibility, as organizational effectiveness and strategic ability depend on reviewing meetings and their notes. Entrusted by your manager or the meeting chairperson with this task, your role is to capture the essence of the meeting and communicate this to everyone afterwards.

Taking minutes in a meeting can be challenging, as you’re required to multitask by following the meeting and recording many different speakers accurately at the same time.

This article is the ultimate guide on what you need to know about how to write meeting minutes, including a chronological list of tips on things to prepare for and do, and also some best practices to make the challenging process of taking minutes a little bit easier.

What are meeting minutes?

Meeting minutes are written records of meetings. They capture the general discussion, action points and decisions made during the meeting, as well as practicalities like the location, any other business, timings and attendees. As well as serving as a record, minutes also lay out what happens after the meeting in terms of who is responsible for what, and any deadlines.

Writing meeting minutes is an important professional skill , as they ensure everyone who attended the meeting (and anyone who needs to know about it) has the same record of what was discussed — and they, therefore, provide a reliable reference.

To this end, sometimes meeting minutes can be legally important or critical in other ways for the organization.

What to include in meeting minutes

For them to be relied upon and be of maximum use to employers , meeting minutes need to include lots of information. Here’s what to include when writing meeting minutes:

• Date and time of the meeting (and what time the meeting was closed)
• Location (or video conferencing platform used)
• List of attendees (highlighting the chairperson and minute taker) and absences/apologies
• The purpose of the meeting
• Agenda items discussed
• Key points of discussion
• Decisions made
• Action items, including those responsible and any deadlines
• Next meeting date, time, location, and chairperson
• Signature of the minute taker and chairperson

How to write meeting minutes

Effectively writing meeting minutes takes a fair amount of preparation beforehand, and organization during the meeting to ensure everything is captured. Here is a useful guide for how to take minutes, including everything that you need to know to ensure your minutes are a barometer of accuracy and professionalism.

1. Create copies of reports

Before the meeting starts, gather all the relevant supporting documentation you might need. This might include the meeting agenda if there is one, previous meeting minutes, reports, presentation slides, and anything that will be used in the meeting.

Try to review these documents before the meeting starts to familiarize yourself with the content and to assist with creating a meeting template. This will help you anticipate discussions and keep you on track as the meeting progresses. Take the documents into the meeting with you, and distribute them to attendees if you have time.

2. Prepare a template beforehand

Having a minutes template will be very useful in keeping you organized and accurate as you record the meeting.

Use supporting documentation to create one specific to the meeting you’ll be attending. Include sections such as date, time and attendee list at the top, followed by a list of agenda items, action points and any other business. Have a space at the bottom where the minutes can be signed off.

Consider using a certain type of formatting, such as a table layout, to keep your minutes structured as you fill it in.

3. Record attendance

At the start of the meeting, it is the responsibility of the minute taker to record attendance.

Familiarize yourself with expected attendees so you know who to expect, and don’t be afraid to ask unexpected attendees to introduce themselves before you begin. Record job titles if applicable as well.

Cross-check attendees with a list of those invited and record “apologies” for anyone who isn’t present; encourage them to contact you beforehand so you have this information already prepared.

4. Keep time

Record the start time of the meeting, as well as the time the meeting ends. Seeing as the minute taker is recording the conversation as it processes, you might be responsible for keeping track of timings of the meeting as it progresses.

If there is an agenda, and you notice it is slipping or the meeting is falling behind, then prompt the chair of the meeting appropriately and help them keep the meeting under control. This will ensure everyone due to present an agenda point has a fair amount of time to speak.

5. Follow the agenda

The agenda will make it easy for you to follow the meeting and structure your notes. This way, you spend less time formatting and rearranging your notes after the meeting ends.

Following the agenda means that you can methodically work through the points, and even if the meeting chops and changes, your template structure will keep you organized. It will also aid you in following the discussion to ensure clarity of your minutes.

6. Record the key points

You won’t be able to record the meeting verbatim, and to be honest, most people who read minutes won’t want to sift through pages of speech to find the points they’re looking for.

Therefore, record the key points of the meeting only. Capture the essence of the conversation and the main points that people will be most interested in hearing about. In particular, follow the key points from the main decision-makers and meeting chair, as these will be of most importance and interest to those who read your minutes.

7. Record decisions and action items

It’s especially important to make a record of the key decisions and outcomes agreed on during the course of the meeting. This includes any ideas that were discussed as potential decisions that weren’t adopted for any reason.

Similarly, it’s essential to track action items. This is where tasks have been assigned to meeting attendees. Record who the task was assigned to, by whom, and any relevant information and deadlines that need to be traced. Document any follow-up and next steps needed for all this information.

8. Attach relevant documentation

As well as collecting any documentation available before the meeting starts, be sure to collect any documents shared during the course of the meeting. This might include handouts, supplementary reports or any other reference materials.

These documents can help you sense-check your minutes and should also be attached to the finished minutes before they’re distributed. This ensures that all aspects of the meeting are collated, recorded and distributed in a comprehensive and effective manner.

9. Create a final draft

After the meeting has ended, you’ll want to go over your minutes to format them, spell-check them and, most importantly, check them for accuracy and conciseness. This is vital, seeing as minutes are heavily relied upon to track organizational information.

If you’re unsure of any of the contents, reach out to the relevant people to double-check information; the last thing you want to do is address corrections and amendments after you have sent the minutes. Give the finished document one last once-over and get ready to sign it off.

10. Distribute the minutes

When you’ve created the final draft and confirmed any information you needed to, have the meeting minutes signed off by the chair of the meeting. Store the hard copy and scan it in.

Distribute the minutes electronically and ensure any applicable markup is included, such as labeling them “confidential” or limited to certain audiences. Store the minutes in an appropriate location for future reference or audits. You’ll also want to keep a copy handy to take into any follow-up meetings.

Tips for writing meeting minutes

Writing meeting minutes isn’t easy, and while having a structure and being organized is a great way to successfully complete the task, here are some handy tips to make minute-taking a little more efficient and straightforward:

1. Avoid jargon

Although writing minutes in an abridged way is important, using clear and accessible language is also vital to ensuring your minutes are understood by everyone. Avoid using jargon and abbreviations, and any lingo or terminology that anyone who wasn’t present in the meeting will struggle to understand.

2. Be objective

In a meeting, you're going to hear plenty of different viewpoints and angles on organizational matters. You might even be professionally invested in some of these angles.

It’s vital that, whatever your own thoughts on what is being discussed, you remain impartial and document everything fairly and objectively. Your professional credibility rests on this , and leaving out parts of the meeting will only reflect badly on you.

3. Record only important times

Chronicling the meeting is vital, but you don’t have to record timestamps throughout the meeting, nor do you have to record every date mentioned; doing so will only cause confusion. Instead, record only important times such as the start and finish time, and other critical dates and times, especially those relating to deadlines.

4. Use consistent formatting

Consistent formatting will ensure that your meeting minutes are easy to read, look neat and, therefore, give a professional and polished image . Using the same font and size all the way through, structuring your minutes with headings or table columns, and keeping to the same writing style are all ways to consistently format your minutes.

5. Use shorthand

Writing minutes is hard work, as your writing needs to keep up with the pace of speech, which won’t always happen. For your own benefit, and to ensure you don’t miss anything, creatively use shorthand in the meeting to keep pace.

This can simply be writing abridged sentences or key words, fleshing it out later after the meeting or, if you feel like a challenge, learning professional shorthand to become super-fast at documenting meetings.

Meanwhile, you might also find this video useful:

Taking meeting minutes made simple

Wondering where to start with writing minutes? Here’s a free downloadable template that you can use to structure your meeting minutes and ensure nothing is missed!

Final thoughts

Like with many things at work, taking minutes begins with effective planning and preparation to make your life easier. Maintaining a logical and efficient structure in the meeting makes the process of documenting key points a lot easier, and checking for accuracy before distributing them will ensure that the delivery of the minutes will reflect positively on you.

Finally, practice makes perfect: look for as many opportunities to take minutes as you can, and view the task as one that can help you grow professionally. Keep these points in mind and, before too long, your minutes will be the talk of the organization and lead to greater responsibility.

Got a question or want to share your own minute-taking tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments section below.

This article is a complete update of an earlier version originally published on October 30, 2018.

Professional Skills

How to take meeting minutes like a professional

Meeting minutes are a staple of all board meetings and internal company meetings. They serve as an official written record of a meeting to aid in future decision-making and fill in employees who couldn’t attend. Traditionally, the Secretary of the Board handles the writing of meeting minutes , but there are times when a Board member will appoint someone else as the minute taker. Examples include companies that don’t have a Board Secretary or instances where the Secretary cannot attend.

In these instances, attendees will assign someone to take notes and prepare formal meeting minutes for approval. Yet, if you’ve never written meeting minutes before, it may seem like an intimidating process. Or, if you’ve been assigned as the minute taker before but had no preparation or template to use, you may dread being in charge of Board meeting minutes.

The good news is that once you learn how to take meeting minutes properly, it will cease to be a cumbersome or confusing task. Instead, you’ll be able to quickly provide effective meeting minutes , all while not missing a beat of the meeting agenda.

That’s why I’ve compiled this guide on taking good meeting minutes , regardless of the meeting type. Read on to learn everything you need to know about taking minutes for your Board’s next meeting date.

What are meeting minutes for?

While they may initially seem trivial, meeting minutes serve several crucial purposes for Board meetings. Traditionally defined, meeting minutes are an official record of a meeting’s key points, action items, votes, motions, and abstentions.

Meeting minutes summarize the happenings of a team meeting, which is helpful for:

Filling in employees who couldn’t attend (they can typically view the meeting minutes online to stay updated with the latest developments).

For future reference, the board may decide how to tackle an action item during a meeting, so it’s crucial to write it down so they can consult with the plan later.

To serve as a reference point when the meeting affects other organizational projects or departments.

To remind employees/team members of specific tasks assigned to them.

These factors summarize the meeting minutes’ primary purpose — providing a step-by-step breakdown of what occurs during a Board meeting. However, the term ‘ taking meeting minutes ’ is a tad misleading, as it conjures the image of transcribing every word said during every minute of the meeting.

Where did meeting minutes come from?

It turns out that the original term was meeting minutes (my newts) — referring to minutiae or the small details of something. When taken in that context, the term’s true meaning starts to take form. Minute-taking is the process of documenting the minutiae of a meeting, not transcribing every single word spoken each minute.

The meeting minutes serve as a written record and a legal record. That means they are legal documents that can be referenced during an investigation. That’s why taking accurate minutes for each meeting is crucial while not including extra information that could harm your organization.

Besides documenting the meeting, minutes will also include information on:

The date and time of the meeting.

A complete list of meeting attendees and absentees.

Approval of the meeting agenda.

Approval of the meeting minutes.

Information on the next meeting agenda.

Any additions or amendments to the agenda or previous meeting minutes from team members.

Adjournment information (the time the meeting was adjourned and by whom).

How to take meeting minutes: a breakdown

Now that you know why meeting minutes exist and what they’re used for, it’s time to learn how to take them. Following this guide will ensure that you wind up with accurate meeting minutes that provide value to the organization. That way, you’ll never have to stress about being appointed the minute-taker for an upcoming meeting.

In general, there are five steps involved in the meeting minutes process:

Pre-planning . This is where you coordinate with the meeting stakeholders to prepare for minute-taking. Actions to take during this phase include devising a meeting minutes template to use.

Note-taking during the meeting . As soon as the meeting starts, you’ll need to start taking notes on all the most important points, votes, and motions. You can either take notes on a laptop or write them out by hand.

Writing the meeting minutes formally. This step transforms your notes into a formal meeting minutes document . It also pays to have a meeting template to use for the form.

Getting the meeting minutes approved . No meeting minutes document is official until it goes through the approval process. You’ll need to coordinate with your Board of Directors (or meeting attendees) to determine who you need to see to approve your minutes. It tends to be up to the Chair, but every organization is different.

Distribute the meeting minutes . The last step is distributing the meeting minutes online or through your organization’s network for future reference. If you use a program like Google Docs, you can quickly share the document with the rest of your team.

The meeting minutes process is in its simplest form, so let’s examine each step more in-depth.

The pre-planning phase

Your duty as the minute taker starts well before the meeting starts. It would help if you began preparing as soon as you learned you’re in charge of meeting minutes.

What does preparing for meeting minutes entail?

First, you must coordinate with your Chair when they create the meeting agenda. That will make it effortless to devise a template that addresses each agenda item you intend to cover. You can even create one template that serves as both the meeting agenda and a meeting minutes template.

Here’s what you should include in your template:

Include your organization name, date, and time at the top of the document formatted as a heading .

Include a brief opening that explains why the meeting is being held, who called it to order, and where it’s being held.

A complete list of attendees.

A list of absent employees.

Business from the previous meeting that needs a follow-up.

The new business will arise for the first time during this meeting.

Adjournment information.

Your name and the name of the Board member that approved your minutes.

As long as your template includes all these items, you’ll be all set to take detailed meeting minutes.

The note-taking phase

During this step, the meeting begins, and you start taking notes. It’s crucial to remember that you don’t need to write down every word that’s said. Instead, provide quick bullet points describing each major action item, motion, and vote.

If you prefer to type, you should bring a laptop to the meeting for note-taking. If you’re taking notes by hand, make sure you leave plenty of room on the paper for each section. The last thing you want is to wind up with illegible notes that you can’t turn into a meeting minutes document. Bearing that in mind, it’s wise to take your time while writing to ensure each word is as legible as possible.

Here are some other general note-taking tips:

Check off each of the meeting participants as they arrive . That will get the attendance/absentee list out of the way. Another alternative is to pass around an attendance sheet so participants can check themselves off.

Notate action items, votes, and motions as they occur . As soon as an action item gets mentioned, get your pen ready. To ensure everything is accurate and fresh, you’ll want to jot down the most important information as soon as you hear it.

Work from your outline . If you took the time to create a meeting minutes template (which you should), you’d want to have it by your side while you take notes. Instead of using a blank sheet of paper, your template will have spots for each action item and step of the meeting.

Get the gist of things . If you try to write down every word verbatim, you likely won’t be able to keep up and may miss something important. That’s why you should focus on keeping your notes as simple as possible. As long as you get the gist of each agenda item, you can always go back and add more detail later.

Record the meeting . Recording the meeting in real-time is the best way to ensure you don’t miss anything. You can use your smartphone or a small tape recorder to get audio of the entire meeting. When you’re typing the official meeting minutes, you can reference the tape to see if you omitted anything important.

Follow these tips, and you’ll have excellent notes to transform into a meeting minutes document quickly.

Writing meeting minutes

Next, learning how to take meeting minutes is the actual process of creating an official document. It’s crucial to note that this occurs AFTER the meeting has been adjourned. For this reason, it’s best to prepare the document as soon as possible so the meeting is still fresh in your mind. That will help you create a complete document that doesn’t miss anything essential.

You should also provide ample detail for each action item. Include a short description of each action and the rationale behind the decision.

Meeting minutes must be concise and readable, so be sure to edit your notes so they’re easy to read. When in doubt, write in plain, simple English to avoid confusion. There’s no need to get fancy here; your only goal is to communicate what happened in the meeting.

You should avoid anything subjective, like personal opinions when writing the meeting minutes. Instead, be as objective as possible while describing action and agenda items.

Also, it would help if you wrote everything in the same tense. If you write in the past tense, there’s nothing wrong with that, but the document must remain consistent.

Lastly, if you need to reference other documents in the minutes, link to them or attach them as an appendix instead of attempting to summarize them.

Approval and distribution

Once the meeting minutes document is complete, it’s time to bring it to the Board for approval. They will need to review, revise, and approve the minutes for distribution. It’s common for some organizations to wait to approve meeting minutes until the beginning of the next meeting. It will depend on how your organization does things, so ask around if you aren’t sure.

Once approved, the meeting minutes are an official and legally binding document. The last step is to distribute the minutes, and then your duty will be complete.

If your meeting minutes are in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, you can efficiently distribute them online or share them with team members.

Concluding thoughts: How to take meeting minutes

By now, you should have a better idea of how to take meeting minutes for your board. While the process may initially seem intimidating, there’s nothing to it.

All you need is a quality template, adequate planning, and a distribution plan — and you can knock out meeting minutes like a consummate professional. More Resources: The best virtual meeting platforms to pick from Icebreaker ideas for virtual meetings (that employees won’t hate) Virtual meeting problems & how to solve them

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