How to Write Meeting Minutes

How to take notes of meetings: Here is a tutorial of how I write meeting notes. The simplest and most effective way to take notes of your meeting. Download here: rodrigocaetano.com/meeting-mi...
This meeting minutes template is very useful in meetings. Print a batch of them and bring them along with you.

[@mariabrown4866]

Just started my job and I’ve been asked to do meeting minutes for the first time. I was panicking! But after watching this I feel confident. Thank you so much

[@yhummharrconstantino2161]

Maria Brown this is so me! 😱😱

[@strategicwhat]

I'm glad it's been somehow useful! Thanks!

[@ms.t8213]

But I'm still in panics 🙂

[@Milahkay42]

Maria can we get an update?

[@dalilarose2589]

Sameeeeee

[@marcydoyle9279]

I took some minutes once (and only once). The issue I had was keeping everyone on topic so thank you for this little tip on the parking lot.

[@strategicwhat]

I learned it from a very efficient manager I worked for. It's a small and simple trick, but works really well. Thank you for the feedback!!!

[@greenfire3000]

This is exactly what I need because with so many meetings at work I'm falling behind!! Thank you so much! #Brasil!!

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!!!

[@boink8653]

Thank you for this template idea I'm going to implement this from tomorrow! My minutes are usually quickly squiggled down which I can't read ten minutes later. I like how there's a section for minutes and a section for jotting down everything that's discussed, a section for the action items you derive from the meeting and your own agenda, that way you know what you want to discuss going in and you know what you have to do going out. Simple, effective and innovative! Thank you for this

[@strategicwhat]

Thanks for the feedback, Fareen!

[@syedahmad9204]

i think you deserve a noble award for your extra beautiful writing 💀

[@marcusn8541]

Note: In some countries the participants of a meeting expect you to share the meeting agenda and related material BEFORE the actual meeting (e.g. when working with Japanese) so they can prepare and decide on certain points. Often times this is misunderstood and people wonder why the meeting had no clear result or the attendees were not willing to make decisions on the spot.

[@strategicwhat]

You're totally right, Marcus. Preparation is key for any meeting. There is a clear advantage in creating an agenda before the meeting and circulating that, so people are more prepared for the discussion. However, some corporate cultures don't accommodate that, unfortunately. I've seem many organizations just trying to get things done on the fly, and they end up spinning their wheels not knowing what's going on. Needless to say, the better prepared you are for the meeting (especially, if you are running the meeting) the better for everyone around you. Thanks for bringing this point up.

[@fuzzylogics139]

Sounds completely logical that people need some time to weigh pro’s and cons and perhaps check some data before they make discisions 👍

[@Levelworm]

Damn this is REALLY helpful! I never thought about making my own templates, but after changing my job to a pretty fast paced company this is what I need to do.

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you! I'm happy it's been helpful!

[@ASMRconKiki]

This is such a big help. Thank you for this video!

[@strategicwhat]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sajanneupane8778]

Thank You so much for this help.Jesus be with you.

[@gem9136]

thank you!!! this is a great video. easy to follow and I got a lot from it.

[@marouanouira4628]

Thank you for sharing. Very helpful and easy to demonstrate.

[@nalamonet]

This organization tactic helped me tremendously! thanks so much!

[@strategicwhat]

Thanks for the feedback, Nala!

[@elgatodeoro05]

Great work, thank you for sharing. I look forward to checking your office.

[@chefjamz]

Thank you for such a concise video on writing minutes.

[@Horxim]

Great template, great video! Thank you!

[@ainulfarihaahmadzikri796]

I've been looking for this kind of video for long and thank you for uploading this. I also love how the template look because if we create our own template like yours did, it would be easy to take minutes of the meeting. I feel like companies in Malaysia didn't do these kinds of templates.
Every time I searched for simple ones like yours, they always ended up with the difficult ones and I got stressed out.
Tomorrow I have a meeting and I hope I could take minutes of meeting like this tutorial did. Thanks again for the tutorial.

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you very much! Love your feedback. Let me know if you'd other types of templates.

[@LudmilasRain]

Thanks! this gave me a lot of ideas!

[@derrecktravers3105]

Brilliant, love the simplicity and the template is awesome!!!!👍👍👍

[@strategicwhat]

Thanks so much!

[@erod6424]

When I was year 9 head girl (age 13) in school, i was asked to take minutes, and I had no idea what it meant. So I wrote how many minutes each person spoke for, and confidently handed the page in to the head teacher. She didn't react at all, so I thought I did it right, and moved on...Years later I remember that meeting and I'm still flushed with embarrassment whenever I speak to the head teacher since I now know what minutes are...FML

[@sheheryarali1644]

Haha

[@strategicwhat]

Thanks for sharing, Lippy. :-)

[@bakedutah8411]

Lippy Life, only a year or two younger than that, I was asked by my teacher to remove an electrical plug from an old piece of equipment. My father is an electrician and my teacher knew that, so he assumed I’d know what to do. I proceeded to unscrew all screws but the correct one. Then I started tugging at the cable. By the end of my torture, the entire class we’re watching me, in hysterical laughter, and ignoring the teacher. He finally came over and put me out my misery. We may have got our tasks wrong, you and I, but at least we tried. At least we tried! 🤓

[@jwelcome5640]

😅😅

[@zachariachilambe6707]

Lippy Life, for me it was in Grade 10

[@samuellaramsey5824]

Excellent! Love the parking lot idea!

[@patrickmansaray9501]

Thanks for your template it is short and precise.

[@d.p.6463]

Thank you, I was assigned to do the minutes but don't know where to start. This vid gave me a clear direction.

[@strategicwhat]

Glad it helped!

[@diane-s3391]

Good simple minute meeting template to capture the essentials. Hope to see more videos 😊

[@strategicwhat]

Hi! Thank you for the feedback! What type of videos you'd be interested to see? On a side note, I've been more heavily involved in my consulting business for the last few years, with little time to add more videos. But now, I may reconsider it. There is more content in my podcasts, if you are interested. Just search for my name (Rodrigo Caetano) in your preferred podcast app. Thank you again and all the best!!!

[@tylerhandley2095]

Amazing layout! Thank you so much.

[@strategicwhat]

Thank YOU for the feedback!!!😊

[@noragoodman9241]

OUt of 10 videos yours was the best. It was simple and informative ...thank you

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you for the feedback. This is greatly appreciated. Just wanted to keep things simple. :-)

[@gladysmunjiru6475]

Wow, i find this very simplified and helpful. Thanks alot.

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!!!!

[@jeremydavit6675]

I really like this format! Thank you very much.

[@strategicwhat]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@CoachImaniandCoachKen]

Very helpful and simply to follow!

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!

[@hmloldtableau7781]

Great format. Thanks.

[@anilakokapeta9203]

Thank you for worthful ideas 🙏

[@strategicwhat]

Most welcome 😊

[@mrslove8256]

Great ideas! Thanks

[@DongminLover1]

Magnificent video! Thank you, sir.

[@strategicwhat]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@queenestherc-squared802]

You made it simple and clear! Thank you!

[@strategicwhat]

Thank YOU for the feedback!

[@hildaparedes8024]

Thank you! This will help me a lot!

[@hiimchrystal]

Thank you very much for these tips and template! I will be putting this to use in the office :)

[@anshularya1111]

Awesome , very nicely explained, easy to understand.

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you. I'm glad it's been useful.

[@ahmadnurruddinzainori8648]

Thank you so much for this!!. Now I just have to make sure I use it next time.

[@jackshun4456]

Thanks so much this is very helpful !!!

[@maysarasaeed4760]

Thanks!

[@jenncharles619]

Excellent!! Concise & precise. Perfect.

[@tikax2085]

Helpful tips, thanks

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!

[@SuNguyen-ji8th]

Great video and template. Thank you.

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you, Su! I'm glad it's been helpful.

[@payelsrivastav4725]

Thanks for the help

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!

[@joycedcomegys5927]

Thanks for sharing!

[@icesummer1725]

Simple but very efficient system!

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!!!!!

[@umairali3149]

Thanks a lot this is really helpful.

[@strategicwhat]

Glad it was helpful!

[@maryann7304]

THANKS

[@tracygoodwin1559]

Great video, very helpful! Thank you!

[@strategicwhat]

Tracy Goodwin -- Thanks a lot, Tracy! I'm glad it was helpful!

[@akshatsingh7462]

Thankyou Sir , it really helped a lot !!!

[@userunknozn]

Thanks! Really useful! Are there going to be more videos though?

[@gwynquiros9462]

Great video. Great tips too. I like the template that you have created. Thank you for sharing.

[@mehedihasanrefat5177]

This is really helpful for my exam thank you

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!!!

[@shstv5375]

Thank you for sharing this template

[@strategicwhat]

I'm glad it's been helpful!

[@draliasadullah]

Thank you for idea!!

[@ahmadmohamad8173]

Great...Thanks for the template =)

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!!

[@victorvoorendyk7239]

Very nice - it would be great if you could share some further tips on conducting a follow-up meeting - in other words, how do we follow up and report on actions due by or before the next meeting, and how do we deal with actions that are stood over?

[@strategicwhat]

Hi Victor, I'm working now on an e-course describing a delegation strategy I use, so you can delegate work to my team and things get actually done. If you are interested, please subscribe to this link rodrigocaetano.com/how-to-delegate-course/?ref=yt_meeting_minutes_video and I'll let you know as soon as it's available. Thanks a lot for your feedback. I'm glad it's been useful.

[@mohamedaminhussienogle545]

GOOD THANK YOU

[@markod1977]

Thank you! This is straightforward and effective. Have a great day as well.

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you for the feedback!

[@thee-content-creator]

Really helpful. I appreciate your video 🤗🤗

[@strategicwhat]

Thanks a lot!

[@thee-content-creator]

@@strategicwhat you're welcome

[@thisbluerose1]

HI, I have been tasked with helping co-workers learn to take minutes. I will use your template as a tool. Thank you for making it available.

[@saddamalhumaikani7239]

He nailed it

[@saragpat]

thanks for this tip.

[@strategicwhat]

Happy to help

[@judgejulie7869]

Very helpful 👌 thanks 😊

[@strategicwhat]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mariagu2602]

i love the template idea, was it created by you? its so simple every company should have it

[@asmariasat8187]

Thank you 😊

[@munnah1991]

Great tips

[@manedwolf369]

Awesome, thanks for that simple explanation! But what happens afterwards? Are you writing it into a document digitally and hand that around to the other participants? How would you structure that document?

[@strategicwhat]

Hi, in broad terms it all depends on how information is shared in your organization. For me, in the past, in more informal settings, I would just take a picture of the minutes and circulate it within the team. However, in more formal settings, where a record of the decisions was necessary, I would type a summary of the minutes in an email (or word doc) and circulate with the participants.
As you can see in the video, my writing is not one of the best. So, sometimes if I need to make it really clear what's discussed, I would go the extra step and transcribe them. This way people could read and refer back to the items discussed.
My main consideration is always to capture as much as I can from the meeting when it's happening. Next, I would check to who would consume the minutes, who would be reading it. Then, I would decide how much effort I would invest in making them readable and available in other formats -- when necessary.
If you are in doubt, I encourage you to not overdo it. To start, just do the minimum necessary and ask for feedback. Remember: Minutes are not a PhD thesis, so keep it simple, short and sweet. Move swiftly along to the next meeting and improve as you go.

[@sullystone307]

thanx, much respect sir.

[@tamizhveera4157]

thanks

[@mamathava6107]

Superb

[@DelShawnHayesMoneyControlTV]

THANK YOU

[@jillianstenzel1671]

Thank you for sharing this! So helpful and clear! One question- is there a reason it's structured to have the initial notes on the right side, rather than the left? Or just a preference? Generally people work from left to write, so I was wondering if there was a reason you did it this way.

[@strategicwhat]

Hi Jillian, Thanks for the question. This template was originated from the way I took notes on my notebook during my meetings. On the right page of the notebook, I would always have the meeting attendants, agenda and a space for the action items. On the left, I was always free to go crazy writing the main points of what we were discussing. When I designed this template, I ran it through some friends and got the final format. In the end, having one thing over one side or the other was just my personal preference. Feel free to move things around as you wish and use this template as a starting point for your own design. My goal was to help people have a better way to document their meetings. Great question! Cheers, Rodrigo

[@jillianstenzel1671]

@@strategicwhat Awesome. Thank you so much! Teaching my ESL students business English. Will use this for the minute-taking lesson. Cheers! :)

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you for your feedback, Jillian. Super happy to learn the template has been useful to you. :-)

[@PhilipCarpina]

Thank you!

[@strategicwhat]

I'm glad It's been useful, Philip!

[@simmploo]

thank you))

[@verjikovskiy]

thanks, great explanation

[@lexuscarrington]

Excellent

[@fuzzylogics139]

Thank you. Do you have a video with an example of someone saying something in a meeting and what you would write down?
I work in costumer service and struggle with leaving short minutes. I tend to write way to much down which takes too much time according to the company.

[@nesespinosa]

Awsome thanks

[@edlyndcruz152]

Really helpful

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!

[@Revelation_22_13]

This is how it's done. Short simple.
I prefer not to do parking lots etc. I'm one of those time, consideration for others time, military, stay on topic, plan, action items, let's go home, back to work or grab a beer types lol

[@Memoir_of_My_Own]

It is very helpful before I jump to my next work of doing minutes taking for the first time. But can you help clarify how to differentiate the meeting notes from action items and agenda items? what exactly are to put in the meeting notes section? Thank you!

[@strategicwhat]

In the meeting notes you just summarize decisions, or discussion points people had during the meeting. This is something like creating a point of reference, so the participantes can refer back to the minutes if some discussion arrizes. For example, someone asks you, "when did we decided this?". You can look back at the minutes and say "we did in such and such meeting, when we talked about a, b and c." or say "actually, it seems we have never decided anything about this. On day x, we talk about a, on day y, about b, and on day z, about c... but no decision was made. remember that?" So you joggle peoples memory through the minutes. Get the idea?
In regards to action items, as the meeting progresses, whenever someone becomes responsible for something, you note it down. Many times, when you get at the end of the meeting, people will appreciate if you read a summary of all the actions and who is responsible for them. This will help keep things organized for your manager, too.
Notes are summary points and decisions. Actions are tasks assigned to people.
Cheers!

[@karinklinczak2296]

Very cool!

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!

[@heavenonearthislove4734]

thank-you. :) m.

[@MohammadKasim786]

Good Template.

[@meetthemaans]

Hi this is so helpful thank you. Can you please tell me what the spring lot is for?

[@strategicwhat]

The parking lot is used to "park" or put aside topics that weren't initially included in the agenda, so these new items don't take the focus away from your meeting.
When you download the minutes pdf, you will get an email with a little more information about it.
Also, I describe parking lots on episode 9 of my podcast. Here is the link rodrigocaetano.com/how-to-avoid-meeting-distractions/
I hope that helps. Cheers, R.

[@xhareonxharein531]

thanks for sharing

[@Sam0_21_]

thank you

[@faisalalmutairii]

Amazing video. Anyway, are signatures required in any cases?

[@strategicwhat]

Not necessarily, Faisal. I would only require signatures if you are creating meeting minutes for a legal document, for an audit, to document a formal negotiation, or something similar. Usually I just circulate the minutes (or an image taken using with my phone) and ask people to let me know if they want me to add/update anything. I always indicate a timeframe, such as "These are the minutes from our meeting today, please let me know by Friday if you would like me to add or update anything". Then, if they don't respond, I assume that they are OK with the content and I can circulate to an wider audience. Doing this way, you keep the ball rolling and you can always review the previous meeting minutes in the next upcoming meeting. Thanks for the question!

[@faisalalmutairii]

Strategic What?! Podcast Thank you so much for the information. By the way, your website is offline. I wanted to check cause I am starting my second company and to be honest this one video taught me so many things.

[@Aman_Yadavvvvv]

Hey man Thanks

[@scarlethellard9313]

This is great, am I okay to share this with some of my clients?

[@strategicwhat]

Yes, absolutely, Scarlet. Please feel free to share it with anyone that may find it useful.

[@scarlethellard9313]

@@strategicwhat Thankyou :)

[@PriyankaTiwari-vx9cf]

Thanks

[@connie11888]

Superior template!! Do you have a digital copy of your template that you can share?

[@strategicwhat]

Thanks, Connie. I haven’t done that yet, because things have been quite busy here behind the scenes. Let me know and I can add this to my list of future deliverables. What kind of digital copy you would be interested?

[@connieb.9343]

@@strategicwhat hello! An editable version would be great! Thanks heaps.

[@gratitute1]

That is wonderful I will share with my students. How can we download or get your template?

[@strategicwhat]

Thanks a lot for your feedback. There is a link available on the video description where you can use to download the templates. You can also download it directly from my website: rodrigocaetano.com/meeting-minutes-template/

[@jenielynbuebos5860]

How

[@jagdeshkumer3431]

Mper khass

[@ava_grace0815]

Im 11 and secretary of sacred paws service dogs and i have a service dog of my own no message just wanted to show off lol😊

[@nathanielgrand]

great!

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!

[@chizamahat9882]

My 1st job as a sale coordinator and have to prepare meeting minute and i searching for it and found the easy way of preparing video
Thank you so much

[@strategicwhat]

Thank you!

[@DanielFlores-os9fr]

Hi Rodrigo, do you have a format like this for Onenote? Or any other digital format? Like Outlook or so

[@strategicwhat]

Hi Daniel, I've been thinking about creating a digital format. Give me a couple days and I'll get back to you. Thanks for your feedback!

[@DanielFlores-os9fr]

@@strategicwhat I just bought tab s3. Hope I can get the must of it and save paper as well. I also handle a laptop w/Outlook and Onenote I think with your technique something good can get together and work!

[@strategicwhat]

@@DanielFlores-os9fr Hi Daniel, just send me an email at [e-mail] and I can share with you some new template files.

[@siyabongangubane4912]

Thanks a lot can u pls provide the copy of your template

[@strategicwhat]

Hi! Thank you! Here the page where you can download the minutes. You will find a download linke there: rodrigocaetano.com/meeting-minutes-template/

[@faisalalmutairii]

Should you stamp the agendas and minutes or just stick to your letterheard?

[@strategicwhat]

Hi Faisal, sorry, not sure if I understand the question. The template is just a suggestion and you can definitely create something similar using your own customizations, letterhead, etc.

[@faisalalmutairii]

Strategic What?! Podcast i have my own letterhead, after handwriting the meeting on this template of yours i want to document it in printed form so should i use stamps or not? Because for some govermental documents processing it might be required. Thanks.

[@heathercorinne5876]

I did not get the download. Anyone have one they can send me a link?

[@strategicwhat]

Hi Heather, sorry for the late reply. Were you able to get the link. Please drop me a line at [e-mail] if you still need it.