What to Include in the Minutes of a Meeting

Minutes are a summary of what was said and decided in a meeting. The format for this will vary depending on your requirements. But, here, we look at key components for the minutes of a meeting, which include:

1. The meeting information (i.e. details about the meeting and attendees).
2. A section where the minutes from the previous meeting are approved.
3. The review of the agenda, plus any changes made.
4. A series of action items and decisions taken.
5. Closing remarks and details of the next meeting.

Let’s take a closer look at how to write up each of these elements. At the end of the post, we’ve also included an example set of minutes.

1. Meeting Information

All minutes begin with the basic information about the meeting:

• The name of the company or group holding the meeting.
• The date, time, and venue of the meeting.
• Who attended the meeting, starting with the person chairing it.
• The names of people who were unable to attend.

You should be able to find most of this information on the meeting agenda.

2. Approval of Previous Minutes

In this section, you’ll want to note whether the minutes of the previous meeting were accepted. This means checking everyone agrees that the previous minutes reflect what happened at the meeting.

If anyone raises an issue with the previous minutes, such as an error or incorrect name, it may need correcting. When this happens, make a note of the correction and the name of the person who raised the problem.

3. Review of the Agenda

A meeting agenda is an itemised list of things that will be discussed during the meeting. Typically, this will be circulated before the meeting, so you won’t need to include it in the minutes. And as long as everyone accepts the agenda, you’ll simply need to note that it was approved in this section.

If the agenda needs to be amended (e.g. if someone who was supposed to speak at the meeting on a specific point is unable to attend), though, the review of the agenda should note any changes to the schedule.

4. Action Items

Each topic of discussion listed in the agenda is known as an action item. And the main body of your minutes will cover these actions items, including:

• The subject under discussion.
• The name of the person who led the discussion.
• Any decisions that were reached.
• The name(s) of the people responsible for implementing the decision.
• The time frame for its implementation.

Focus on these main points to make sure your meetings are clear and concise. Alternatively, if an item has been dropped from the agenda, you can note when it will be addressed instead.

5. Closing Remarks and Next Meeting

After the action points, include a short section for any concluding remarks or requests made at the end of the meeting. Next, note details of the next meeting (e.g. where and when it will take place, proposed agenda items).

Finally, you may want to provide a few administrative details, such as when the meeting ended, who prepared the minutes, and/or a date of distribution.

Example Meeting Minutes

To finish this post, we’ve prepared an example of a set of minutes containing all the sections set out above. Remember that this is just an example, though. If you need to write up the minutes for a meeting at your company, you should adapt this format to match your needs.

We hope this post has helped you work out what to include in your minutes! If you need a little extra help to ensure they contain no typos, though, why not submit them for proofreading when you’ve written them up?