45+ Free Meeting Minutes Templates (Guide & Tips) Word | PDF

Meeting Minutes are documented records of the events/activities, discussions, and decisions (motions proposed or voted on) made during a meeting.

Meeting minutes are basically kept to keep track of everything important in a meeting so that it can act as a reference for future decisions.

Meeting minutes vary from one meeting to the other and are taken by a designated participant. After the meeting, the chair should sign the minutes, and the document becomes an official summary of the meeting that can be distributed to stakeholders and participants who were not present in the meeting.

The primary purpose of minutes is to provide an accurate written record of things that transpired during a meeting. As a result, the minutes can be later used for reference and communicate what transpired during the meeting to those absent and stakeholders. Having a tangible reference is important when the outcome of the meeting influences projects in an organization and reminds participants of out-of-meeting responsibilities designated to them during the meeting.

Minutes are vital in conducting an orderly and successful meeting because they note down important points raised, decisions made through motions and votes, the next steps planned, and tasks (action items) assigned to different individuals. In addition, having this information written down is an efficient way of avoiding misunderstandings due to participants having different recollections of things said or done. 

The contents of meeting minutes will depend on the type of meeting and the requirements of the organization.

However, the common elements found in most meeting minutes templates are:

Meeting description: Basic details such as the name of the group meeting, place, date, and time.

List of the meeting participants: The names of everyone in attendance should be provided and those who are unable to attend. The list of attendees identifies people who made the decisions during the meeting. The person who will write down the minutes should also be identified.

Meeting purpose: The main objective of the meeting should be outlined. The main objective provides a direction of the meeting and an overview of the contents of the minutes. 

Acceptance of amendments: Any changes made to meetings from the previous meeting should be noted in the minutes. If they were accepted after being read out, they should be declared.

Agenda items: Well-written meeting minutes will typically have all the agenda items discussed during the meeting.

Decisions are made and actions are taken: Any decisions that have been made in the meeting ought to be stated as they are crucial in the overall main objective.

For example:

If motions were proposed and voting was conducted, the outcomes should be stated.

In addition, action items of the meeting should be stated as well as the participants who executed the tasks.

The date and place of the next scheduled meeting: The follow-up meeting should be scheduled at the end of the meeting and the dates and times noted down in the minutes.

The documents to be attached to the meeting report: Any documents attached to the meeting report should be stated in the meeting minutes. Common documents include presentations, reports, or any other documentation.

Using a template for taking meeting minutes lessens the workload involved in preparing minutes. Since minutes are not word-for-word records of the meeting, using a template that contains all the fundamental categories will often be sufficient and just as effective.

This article will offer a step-by-step guide on using a standard meeting minute template that contains essential components when writing minutes. Effective writing of minutes will usually start before and during the meeting when note-taking. First, create a meeting minutes outline.

This is then followed by the writing process immediately after the meeting as follows:

Add title of the meeting

Firstly, write down the title of the meeting as the first item on the minutes’ template.

For example:

The title can be “Staff Meeting for the month of July,” “PTA Meeting,” etc. 

Note down date/time and venue

Next, supply the date, time, and venue where the meeting was held. Finally, consult the outline first created during the meeting to ensure the specifics are accurately captured.

Note names of participants

Follow up the meeting description with a list of all the participants of the meeting (both absent and present). Also, state the person tasked with recording the minutes.

Add meeting’s agenda and topics discussed

One should then supply the meeting’s agenda and topics of discussion on the template. Finally, consult the minutes’ outline and the agenda to ensure consistent wording of topics to avoid misinterpretation.

Outline decisions made and by whom

All the decisions that were made during the meeting should then be outlined in the meeting minutes template. This should also be accompanied by the identification of the participants who made the stipulated decisions. Note that only vital points should be written down.

State motions/vote count

Next, write down any motions put forward during the meeting for attendees to vote. The minutes should note how many attendees’ voted “yes” and “no” (vote count).

Add action items

Tasks created during the meeting that should be completed later should then be noted in the meeting minutes template. This should be accompanied by the names of the participants assigned the said tasks.

Add relevant touched-upon ideas

Once the action items have been listed, write down any new discussion topics, not in the plan but were brought up during the meeting. This should include even topics that were not thoroughly discussed but were relevant to the meeting or the next meeting. 

Supply date /time for next meeting minutes

Finally, supply the date, time, and venue for the meeting in the template. This is ordinarily the last essential item on the meeting minutes template.

Templates are essential in streamlining the process of writing minutes. Instead of doing too much work coming up with the minutes from scratch, a template will simply be a matter of completing the document by filling the information in the appropriate sections. This can be time-saving, which is important in keeping up with the ongoings of a meeting. 

Following is a template provided for your better understanding:

Meeting minutes templates are readily available online on various websites. One can download the best that meets their needs. Downloaded templates can then be edited through Word or Google Docs.

Alternatively, one can create their meeting minutes template by reviewing the plan and designing a template that matches the specific requirements of the meeting. To assist with writing minutes, one can also choose to use a meeting minutes book, which can be bought from most bookshops.

Meeting minutes templates- by type

As someone taking minutes in a meeting, one can observe things to ensure the meeting’s minutes effectively serve their intended purpose.

Some of the dos and don’ts include.

They include:

• Take minutes in real-time and make notes: It is recommended that minutes must be taken during the meeting. This ensures the meeting minutes template is updated as the meeting goes on and information is captured as accurately as possible. Notes should also be taken for each topic discussed so that details not written down but ought to be in the minutes can be added later.
• Review outline: The meeting agenda creates the meeting minutes outline. Ensure to first go through it to determine what information is expected to appear in the minutes.
• Be precise: Precision or specificity is critical when writing minutes. One should be able to write down what is happened and or was said without contradiction. Remember, different stakeholders use minutes in an organization, and therefore leaving no room for misinterpretation is key in ensuring effective communication.
• Provide enough context: As much as meeting minutes are meant to be a summary of the meeting, there should be enough context that can be referenced in the future and clarify what transpired during the meeting.
• Just note the facts/sufficient detail: The meeting minutes should be factual. Note down things as they occurred or as presented. The minutes should not have personal opinions or implied statements.
• Edit to ensure clarity: Once the meeting minutes template has been completed, one should review it to correct any typos or spelling mistakes made during the writing process. Also, ensure that the proper format was used. Formal meetings require professionally written minutes, and therefore thorough editing might be needed than for informal meetings.

The things to avoid are as follows:

• Do not record everything: Meeting minutes summarize what transpired during a meeting and do not have to be too detailed.
• Do not include personal thoughts and observations: Avoid including personal perceptions in meeting minutes. Content of the minutes should be “as it is.” Personal thoughts should be recorded separately.
• Do not repeat the information: Avoid repetition. Information already noted in the minutes does not have to be repeated, but referencing can be done.
• Do not handwrite the notes: It is recommended that minutes must be typed, which makes saving and sharing of the document more accessible, which is vital since minutes are kept for future use.

Standard Meeting Minutes Templates

Since meetings are characterized by a flurry of multiple activities happening simultaneously, quick notetaking is imperative to capture all relevant information.

The tips are given below go a long way in ensuring that this is achieved:

Create an outline

Creating an outline for the meeting minutes is important for note-takers as an outline act as a guide for note-takers on what is to be included in the minutes. In addition, by having an outline, one can record notes, decisions, and pertinent details under each item listed.

Check-off attendees

Recording attendance is recommended at the beginning of the meeting.

One can use the following methods:

• Check them off at the door as they arrive
• Provide an attendance list to be circulated as the meeting goes on
• Request attendees to introduce themselves before the start of the meeting

Record decisions/notes

Decisions and notes should be recorded as they occur. This way, one won’t have to rely on their memory when noting down information.

Ask for clarification

Note-takers are advised to seek clarification in instances where statements or points are unclear.

Use initials instead of the full name

To speed up the writing process, one should opt to use initials when referring to participants. Writing their full names can be time-consuming and might result in missing important information. When writing meeting minutes, try to save as much time as possible to keep up with the ongoings of the meeting.

Use acronyms where applicable

Standard acronyms can be used in minutes. Acronyms, just like initials, help in saving time.