Notes

Meeting notes

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Meeting notes

Without good meeting notes (minutes) much of the impact of the meeting is lost. Meeting notes:

  • are available to those who attended, those who missed the meeting, and other interested people
  • summarize the takeaways and decisions from the meeting
  • clearly lay out action items
  • reduce chance of disagreement by attendees over the meeting’s outcome

Discuss with the meeting owner what your role should be, so you can understand how much you’ll be expected to participate while taking notes.

"Meeting notes" or "minutes"?

There’s no real difference. Minutes tend to be more formal and may follow a set template. Find a copy of the previous meeting’s minutes and follow the format.

Minutes template

Meeting minutes should include the following information:

  • Date and time
  • Purpose of the meeting
  • Who is leading the meeting
  • Decisions made
  • Action items
    • Who it was assigned to and deadline
  • Future business
    • Issues that were tabled for later
  • Details for follow-up meetings
    • When, where, and what will be discussed
  • Who submitted the minutes (you)

Conventions for taking meeting notes

  • Note items that require further discussion
  • List all tasks that are generated at the meeting
    • Include who is assigned to a task and when it is due
  • Avoid describing “he said, she said” details
    • For example, if there was a three hour debate, just include what the idea was, who made it, and what was decided about it
  • Avoid summarizing other documents, just link to them in an appendix

Format

  • Use headings and bullets so the notes are easy to skim
  • Each bullet statement represents a different finding, discussion, or decision
    • Use nested bullets when needed
  • See Minutes template
  • Group action items together, decisions together, and reference information together

Style and tone

  • Be objective
  • Use the same tense everywhere
  • Minimize use of adjectives and adverbs
  • Avoid inflammatory or personal observations
  • Tone should be dull
  • Choose the best way to organize the information rather than always using chronological order

Example

See Example: for the corresponding agenda.

Prom 202x Meeting Agenda

Meeting Organizer: Pat Schellhardt

Location: Meeting Room A

Meeting Attendees: Maria and Sameer

Date/Time: Thursday, April 5th 4:30-5:30pm

Item #1: Chaperones

  • Parents usually volunteer to chaperone.
  • If parents don’t volunteer, then teachers will chaperone.
  • The letter to the parents should include information on volunteering to chaperone.

Item #2: Prom committee students

  • This year’s prom committee includes the following students: 
    • Senior class: Janet Jay, Minna Choi and John Fenske. 
    • Junior class: Charlie McKinley, Dennis Kelleher and Ravneet Grewal. 
  • The prom committee meets weekly and will begin meeting twice weekly when the prom is two weeks away.
  • The prom committee is in charge of hiring a DJ for the prom.

Item #3: Letters to parents

  • The letter will include: 
    • Asking parents to volunteer to chaperone
    • Providing information on an after-prom activity (Either roller-skating or a laser show) 
    • Asking for their help in making this year’s prom safe and enjoyable  
  • Maria will draft the letter.
  • Maria will send out the draft on Wednesday the 24th.
  • Comments and changes will be submitted the following Friday.
  • A finalized letter will be sent out Wednesday, May 6th.

Item #4: After-prom activity

  • We will give students a choice of two after-prom activities: Roller-skating or Laser show 
  • Maria will email all teachers with instructions to poll students on Monday regarding which activity they prefer. 
  • Teachers will respond with a total of votes for each activity by Wednesday the 10th. 
  • Sameer will contact the roller rink and the planetarium on Friday the 12th to find out what we need to coordinate the chosen activity. 
  • Maria will add final details regarding the chosen activity to the letter.

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