How to write meeting minutes: the format and an example

Minutes are a record of what was decided, not a transcript of what was said. The useful ones are short, written in the past tense, and name people only where the naming matters — who proposed, who objected, who was given the action. Everything else is noise that makes the document longer and less likely to be read. Write them the same day, circulate them for correction with a deadline, and say plainly that you will treat them as the record after it. That is a working convention, not a rule that binds anyone — a person who never replied has not signed anything. The template and a worked example are below.

The template, then a worked example

Formal minutes for a board or a committee carry more — quorum, apologies, the motion as moved. For everything else this is enough, and the shorter version is the one people read.

Header

[Group] — [date] — [time started/ended] — Present: [names] — Apologies: [names] — Minuted by: [name]. The last field matters more than it looks: minutes with no author are hard to correct because nobody knows who to correct them to.

Item, the standard shape

[n]. [Subject.] [One or two sentences of context.] Decided: [what]. Action: [who] to [what] by [date]. That is the whole pattern and it repeats. Context earns one or two sentences, never a paragraph — the reader either was there, or needs enough to understand the decision, not to relive the debate.

When there was disagreement

[Name] raised [concern]. Noted; the decision stands / the item was deferred to [date]. Record that an objection was made and how it was resolved. A minute that flattens a real disagreement into consensus is the one that gets challenged, and the challenge is usually correct.

When nothing was decided

Discussed. No decision. Returns to [date] with [what is needed first]. Write this down explicitly. An item that quietly vanishes from the minutes is the single most common way a decision gets made by default rather than by anyone.

Worked example

4. Supplier renewal. Current contract ends 31 Oct; two quotes received. Rahul raised the delivery failures in August. Decided: renew for 12 months with the service credit clause added. Action: Rahul to send redlines to the supplier by 24 Sep. Action: Chen to confirm budget line by 26 Sep.

The circulation line

Corrections to [name] by [date, usually 3 working days]. After that these stand as the record. Put it at the top, not the bottom. It is a convention rather than a legal mechanism — nobody has agreed to anything by failing to read an email — but it does get corrections in early, while they are still cheap, which is the property you want.

What to leave out

Verbatim quotes unless the exact words are the point. Side conversations. Anything said in confidence, and anything about a person that they would be surprised to read — minutes are frequently forwarded, subpoenaed, or read by someone joining in two years. Write them as if that has already happened.

Questions

What should be included in meeting minutes?

Date, attendees, apologies, the author, then each item with its decision and any actions with owners and dates. Record objections and how they were resolved, and record explicitly where no decision was reached.

Are meeting minutes a legal document?

For a board or a statutory committee, minutes are generally the formal record of the body’s decisions and are treated seriously in a dispute; the specifics depend on the organisation and the jurisdiction. For an ordinary team meeting they are an internal record. Either way, assume they may be read by someone outside the room.

Should minutes be verbatim?

No. The value of minutes is in what was left out; a transcript leaves nothing out and so settles nothing for the reader. If you need both, keep the recording and publish edited minutes, and say in the minutes that a recording exists.

How soon should minutes be circulated?

The same day where possible, with a correction deadline of about three working days. Memory of what was agreed diverges quickly, and a correction offered on the day is a courtesy where the same correction a fortnight later is a dispute.

Who should write the minutes?

Someone who is not chairing. If that is impossible — which it often is in a small team — record the meeting and edit the summary afterwards rather than trying to do both live, because live attempts produce the worst of both.

What tense should minutes be written in?

Past tense, third person, no first names without surnames on first use. "Decided" rather than "we decided", and "Rahul Mehta (RM) raised" rather than "Rahul said". It reads as a record rather than as somebody’s notes.

Who approves meeting minutes?

For a formal body, usually the group itself at the following meeting, with the chair signing them. For an ordinary team meeting, circulation with a correction window is the practical equivalent. Say which one you are doing at the top of the document.

Should minutes name who said what?

Only where the naming does work: who proposed, who objected, who was given an action. Attributing every remark makes the document longer, more contested, and less likely to be agreed.

The hardest part of minuting is not the format, it is that the person best placed to write them is usually the person running the meeting, and they cannot do both. Capturing the audio and editing a summary down is a workable answer — the edit is the work, and the summary is the first draft. Scriben is recording people know about. You say what the pen is and what it does, they agree, and then it stays out of the way for the rest of the conversation — that second half is the product, and it only works after the first. Recording law varies by jurisdiction and by profession: see recording people lawfully before you start.