How to create a meeting minutes template

Work meetings are essential for the organization of a company or team, as well as for monitoring the different projects and actions that are carried out. In turn, meeting minutes are an essential tool to maintain a clear and organized record of the information that is transmitted, the actions and agreements that are established, as well as to provide effective follow-up. 

In this post, we tell you everything you need to know about meeting minutes models, from how to structure them, the types and classes that exist, and some examples to inspire you.

What is and different examples of meeting minutes

Meeting minutes are a document that captures the key details of a work meeting. It serves as an official record of the topics discussed, decisions made, issues that occurred, and actions agreed upon among the participants.

This type of record document is very useful for documenting all the agreements reached in the meeting, and also allows for proper monitoring of the actions and tasks that were proposed to ensure that they are completed effectively. 

Here are some brief examples of meeting minutes with different objectives:

Meeting minutes to resolve a specific issue

Meeting name: Q4 budget review

Date: August 25, 2023 

Attendees: Members of the Project Committee (list of names)

Objective: Review and approve the budget for Project A for the last quarter of the year.

Resolution: It was agreed to approve the budget for Project A with an additional allocation of funds for the finance department. The implementation of the new marketing plan was also unanimously approved. The actions for its implementation will be detailed in a monthly plan, which will be presented at the next meeting.

Minutes to inform a superior who was not present at the meeting

Meeting name: Quarterly project update 

Date: October 18, 2023

Attendees: Members of the Operations team (list of names)

Objective: Review the progress of Projects B, C, and D, as well as the next steps for each. 

Summary: The team presented a report on the progress of Project B, highlighting the completion of the design phase. In addition, information on the status of resources was shared and the next project milestones were announced. Updates were also provided on Projects C and D, highlighting the challenges overcome and recent achievements.

Meeting minutes to establish the actions of each team member around a project

Meeting name: Kickoff preparation

Date: July 10, 2023

Attendees: Members of the Marketing team 

Objective: Prepare the launch campaign for Project E and determine the tasks of each team member.

Agenda:

• Campaign concept. 
• Materials to be developed.
• Deadlines.

Agreed actions:

• [Name] will be responsible for coordinating the design to finalize the sketches for the client before Friday. 
• [Name] will be in charge of researching and presenting supplier options for the project materials. 
• [Name] will confirm the team's availability to organize training sessions next week.

Types and classes of meeting minutes

There are different types and classes of meeting minutes that vary in structure and content and that can be implemented according to the objectives and needs of the work team. Each type of meeting minutes can in turn be organized chronologically, according to the order in which the agenda items are discussed, by topic, grouping the information around the themes or specific areas of discussion, or by actions, emphasizing the actions and tasks agreed upon. 

Here are the most common types and classes:

Textuals

In these minutes, every word spoken during the meeting is recorded, so they provide a literal transcription of everything that was said. They are characterized by being very detailed and can even give a very clear vision of what happened to anyone who was not present. 

This type of record is generally used in formal or legal meetings.

Summary

This type of document reflects the key points discussed during a meeting. Unlike verbatim records, these minutes are more concise and tend to focus on specific aspects such as decisions made, actions agreed upon for follow-up, or generally highlights of the discussion.  

It is common for this type of minutes to be used in executive and high-level meetings.

Resolution

These are the ones that focus on documenting the decisions made during the meeting. They are especially useful when the objective is to reach conclusions that allow solving a particular issue or problem. 

Resolution minutes are common in board of directors and committee meetings.

Informative

These minutes are used to provide detailed information on a specific topic that has been discussed during the meeting. They are very useful documents for transmitting knowledge or providing updates on projects and situations, both so that the participating people can revisit the information, and so that it can be transmitted to other people who were not present at the meeting.

Of shares

These types of minutes are focused on recapitulating the actions agreed upon during the meeting. They detail information on what tasks will be carried out, who is responsible, what the delivery dates are, and any other data or resources that may be necessary. 

Action minutes are very useful for effectively tracking tasks after the meeting.

The parts of meeting minutes

The structure of meeting minutes can vary depending on the information recording needs of each team. Some elements that you can include in your minutes to ensure that the information is as complete as possible are: 

• Header: An initial section that includes the necessary data to identify this meeting. For example, the name of the participating company(s) or team(s), a list of attendees and their roles, as well as the date, time, and place where the meeting took place.
• Objective: A brief description of the purpose of the meeting.
• Agenda: An agenda explaining the points that were discussed during the session.
• Session development: A synthesis or transcription (depending on the type of record to be made) of the participants' interventions and the information discussed on each topic.
• Decisions and actions: The conclusions reached during the session regarding the tasks to be carried out, including the responsible persons and the deadline for each one.
• Annexes: Here you can include any additional information, either on topics that were not scheduled on the agenda, or that will not require follow-up after the meeting. Likewise, supporting documents or links can be included to follow up on the tasks to be carried out.

At Aticco Workspaces we understand the importance of meetings for teamwork and effective monitoring of your projects, that's why we offer you multiple rooms of coworking in Barcelona or workspaces in Madrid, equipped with everything you need to carry out your work meetings without worrying about anything.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT MEETING MINUTES MODELS AND EXAMPLES

How to write meeting minutes?

Here is a guide with the elements you can include in meeting minutes to ensure that the points discussed, the decisions made, and the actions agreed upon are captured accurately and clearly. 

1. Heading: Consisting of the reason or topic of the meeting, the date and time it was held, and the people who attended (including their roles).
2. Objective: Brief description of the purpose of the meeting.  
3. Agenda: List of each point that was discussed during the meeting.  
4. Discussions and decisions: Brief summary of what was discussed at each point on the agenda, recording the highlighted arguments and the decisions made on each one.
5. Agreed actions: List of the actions to be carried out where those responsible assigned to each one and the deadline for carrying them out are established. 
6. Annexes/other matters: Additional notes can be included, either on topics that were not included in the agenda, or auxiliary information for monitoring the topics and established actions. 

You can add more elements to your meeting minutes template, or make a more summarized version, depending on the needs and objectives of your team.

It is essential that the content is clear and concise, maintains a professional tone, and above all, is functional for effectively tracking the topics discussed in the meeting.

How to write company meeting minutes?

Establishing a meeting minutes template within an organization can be an extremely useful tool for maintaining a clear and organized record of discussions, decisions, and actions taken during meetings. Likewise, it can work to give visibility to actions and allow the monitoring of transversal projects in which different teams participate, even when not all members attend the meetings. 

Here are some tips for writing company meeting minutes:

• Establish a format or structure that is easily replicable for all the company's teams. 
• Make sure the writing is clear and concise. Highlight the key points and formulate short sentences that are related to topics established in the meeting agenda so that 
• If you quote participants' comments in the minutes, make sure to correctly assign the comment to the corresponding person. Similarly, assign each person the tasks or actions that correspond to them according to the agreements established in the meeting.    
• Include any notes or documents that you consider necessary as an annex to the minutes so that the information is as complete as possible.