What are meeting minutes?
Imagine this: You have just wrapped up an important meeting, and everyone has ideas and action points swirling around. Some things are crystal clear, while others a bit fuzzy. Some participants may have taken notes, but they are unclear and unstructured. What if you learn how to take the most of your meetings and create a valuable follow-up?
This is where meeting minutes come in. They act as a structured and concise record of the most important points, ensuring nothing gets lost in the shuffle. Meeting minutes are more than just a list of topics discussed, they are the roadmap to keeping your team aligned and focused. Not only do they highlight key takeaways and decisions made, but they also serve as a helpful reference for future actions. Whether you’re looking to follow up with a team member, track progress, or inspire new content ideas, meeting minutes give you the clarity you need.
Why are meeting minutes useful?
- Official documentation: You can distribute the meeting minutes as post-meeting notes, so attendees can use them as guidelines to review, or take necessary actions.
- Source of information: Meeting minutes can be used as a source of information and be sent to people who could not attend the meeting. This way everybody has the chance to stay informed or review previous discussions.
- Enhancing clarity and efficiency: Well-structured meeting minutes can help maintain efficiency by preventing getting side-tracked from your original goals. They also prevent miscommunication by summarizing the key points in a clear way that everybody could easily follow.
- Accountability and project management: Having this official record, teams have a more clear view on the assigned tasks, which provides an easier delegation of accountability. This way future tasks are clearly outlined and managed.
How to create an effective meeting minutes record?
- Assign a designated note- taker: In order not to get distracted and to be able to efficiently participate in the meeting you need to select someone to take the role of a secretary. This person will document the meeting accurately and avoid confusion while taking notes.
- Use clear and simple language: In order to be clear and easily understandable the notes have to be simple and straight-to-the point. Deliver the context as clearly as possible and make any needed adjustments while the discussions are still fresh in your mind.
- Prepare the outline in advance: Use a template to facilitate your work during the meeting. Write down the most key elements as a start-up point and start documenting from there. This will help you easily follow the agenda and will serve you as a consistent format reference for future meetings.
What are the main elements of a meeting minutes record?
Structure and clarity are the main factors for such notes. This is why the format and most templates include the following elements:
- Details : Include important details like date, time, location and participants.
- Agenda Items : Make a short and structured list of the topics to be discussed during this meeting.
- Decision outcomes: What decisions were taken based on the discussions? Write them down and possibly note who proposed them.
- Action items: What actions should be taken and who will be responsible for them? Describe what the next steps will be, based on the decisions of the discussion.
What are the most common mistakes in creating meeting minutes and how to avoid them:
- Being too vague: Don’t just write “We talked about the marketing strategy.” Be specific about the key takeaways and decisions made.
- Overloading with details: Avoid writing every single word spoken. Focus on key points, decisions, and actions to keep the minutes concise and actionable
- Not following up: Ensure that action items are followed up on in future meetings. Always have a “next steps” section.
- Not including questions: Be sure to note down any important questions or tensions that were mentioned during the meeting, but need further clarification or require a follow-up action.
