A practical meeting notes template
Good meeting notes help someone understand what happened without replaying the entire conversation. Use this structure for team meetings, customer calls, interviews, and planning sessions.
Start recording1. Meeting purpose
Start with one sentence describing why the meeting happened. This gives readers context before they reach the details.
2. Key discussion points
Capture the ideas, constraints, and questions that shaped the conversation. Keep this section focused on information someone may need later.
3. Decisions
Write down what the group agreed to do, including important trade-offs or conditions. A decision should be easy to distinguish from an idea that was only discussed.
4. Action items
For each action, include an owner and a due date when one exists. If ownership is still unclear, list it as an open question instead of implying that it has been assigned.
- Action: what needs to happen
- Owner: who is responsible
- Due date: when it should happen
- Status: open, in progress, or complete
5. Open questions and follow-up
End with the questions that need more information and the next meeting or message where they should be revisited.
Frequently asked questions
What should meeting notes include?
A useful set of notes includes the meeting purpose, key discussion points, decisions, action items with owners, and unresolved questions.
Should I write a transcript or a summary?
Both can be useful. A transcript preserves detail, while a summary makes the decisions and next steps easier to scan.
Ready to try the workflow?
Record a meeting in the browser, process the conversation, and review the memo.
Open Meeting Memo