Some Tips on How to Take Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes are a written record of the discussions and decisions made during a meeting. They are an important communication tool that can be used to keep track of progress, identify risks, and make sure everyone is on the same page.

However, taking meeting minutes can be a challenge, especially if the discussion is highly detailed and technical. Here are some tips for taking meeting minutes without verbatim copying:

Most importantly, capture Decisions and Action Items.

For Decisions, the key is to capture clearly and concisely (1) WHAT is the decision, (2) WHY meaning the rationale for the decision, and (3) NEXT STEPS, if any, of what needs to happen to both communicate the decision and whether the decision leads to subsequent action such as a Go/NoGo decision leading either to continuation (GO) or discontinuation (NoGo) of the impacted work.

For Action Items, make sure to capture (1) WHAT is the action needed, (2) WHO is responsible/accountable for completing that action, and (3) WHEN is the completion of the action due.

A nice tool to have for regular meetings is a meeting minutes template that contains a table for DECISIONS TAKEN with columns for WHAT, WHY, and NEXT STEPS. Similarly, a table for ACTION ITEMS with columns for WHAT, WHO, WHEN. The table allows not only for easy capturing of the key items but also easy visualization for those reading the meeting minutes.

During the meeting discussion, make sure to:

1. Listen carefully. The most important thing you can do when taking meeting minutes is to listen carefully to what is being said. This will help you to understand the context of the discussion and to identify the key points that need to be recorded.
2. Take brief notes. Don't try to write down everything that is said in the meeting. Instead, take brief notes that will help you to remember the key points of the discussion particularly listening for and noting down Decisions and Action Items.
3. Include the important points. When you are summarizing the discussion, focus on the important points that were made. This will help to keep your minutes concise and to the point and allow for better recall and comprehension when reviewing the minutes at a future date or communicating them to others who were not in the meeting.
4. Use a template. A template can be a helpful way to ensure that your minutes are consistent and that they include all of the necessary information. As noted above, it can really help to have a dedicated pre-formatted location in the template for Decisions and Action Items.
5. Proofread your minutes. Once you have finished taking your minutes, proofread them carefully to make sure that they are accurate and complete. With document software making it super easy to catch typographical and spelling errors, leverage these to avoid sloppy mistakes.
6. Communicate your minutes. Once you have finished taking your minutes, distribute them to the meeting attendees and any key stakeholders.  This is especially important to communicate the minutes to anyone impacted by the Decisions or Action Items. Try to get the minutes distributed as soon after the meeting, as possible.  I always try to have them sent out within 1 day of the meeting.
7. Archive your minutes. Keep a document archive of meeting minutes so that they are available for future reference.  Archived meeting minutes are a great value to onboarding new team members, recalling past discussions on why decisions were made, and for lessons learned reviews post-project completion.  Make sure to transfer the Decisions and Action Items to your Decision Log and Action Item Log if you are maintaining those logs (note, you should be keeping a log of Decisions and Action Items, often known as an ADI or RAID log for Actions/Decisions/Issues or Risks/Actions/Issues/Decisions, respectively).

By following these tips, you can take meeting minutes to create accurate and concise records that will be useful for everyone involved in the meeting.

Here are some quick tips for taking meeting minutes:

• Start by identifying the purpose of the meeting. This will help you to focus on the key points that need to be recorded.
• Identify the participants in the meeting. This will help you to keep track of who said what.
• Use a consistent format. This will make it easier for people to read and understand your minutes.
• Include the date, time, and location of the meeting. This will help people to find your minutes later.
• Include the decisions that were made in the meeting. This will help people to stay on track with the project.
• Include any action items that were assigned. This will help people to know what needs to be done.
• Distribute the minutes to the participants in the meeting. This will help everyone to stay informed about the progress of the project.

Taking meeting minutes can be a helpful way to keep track of progress, identify risks, and make sure everyone is on the same page. By following these tips, you can take meeting minutes without feeling you need to capture everything that was said or discussed. Just focus on the most important things which are Decisions and Action Items and create accurate and concise minutes that will be useful for everyone involved in the meeting.