Meeting Notes Template

Record information accurately – It’s easy to think you’ll remember everything your colleagues said, but memories can be finicky. Avoid forgetting the important stuff with accurate meeting notes that record key items and ideas from everyone on the team. 

Absorb in real-time – Following a meeting summary template helps you to be present and absorb information fully, without having the worry about organizing your notes.

Improve productivity – Download our free meeting minutes template and document action items, quarterly objectives, and any ideas you come up with to increase focus while you’re in the meeting.

Avoid irrelevant communications – With Evernote, you can easily find notes on the meeting, what action items came from it, and who is responsible for what. No more long email chains clarifying project logistics after the fact.    

Store records – Getting into the habit of taking notes also helps you keep track of your progress and share your perspectives with the rest of your team.

Maintain a reference point – When it comes time to take on a project, these docs help ensure that you’ve met the goal of the meeting. Information gets lost in time, but your notes help you stay right on track.

Meetings can sometimes feel like a waste of time, but that’s often due to a lack of organization and time management. A meeting notes template empowers you to improve performance during and after the meeting.

A template for meeting minutes should include everything that was said in a meeting for posterity. Your goal is to distill the conversations and presentations into something usable and actionable.

The goal of your notes is to cut through the noise and focus on the core points. So, what should you include in your meeting notes?

Agenda threads
Read through the agenda and summarize the key points for each item on this list. Concentrate on what was discussed and any proposed or definitive outcomes. Try to keep each point to no more than a few sentences to avoid confusion—simply get right to the heart of the matter.

Action items
Meetings are defined by the action items that result from them. Action items offer firm direction on what needs to happen next, who is responsible for making it happen, and when results are expected. If you’ve got a whole team working on different projects or events, writing down notes you can share with team members is the best way to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Team ideas
Sometimes, a meeting is designed simply to bring new ideas to life. Brainstorming sessions offer a chance for people to get creative and innovate, as well as build trust among teams. Focus on the ideas that others are putting forward. Write down any concepts that you would like to explore a bit more or follow up on later.

Don’t feel like you need to mention everything, particularly during longer meetings. The reactions of others in the room will give you an idea of whether something is likely to receive further consideration from the decision-makers in your company.

Key questions
Your meeting is also an opportunity to ask questions. If your company is pushing forward in a bold, fresh direction, you may have questions regarding the processes involved in making it happen.

Write down any important questions that were asked during the meeting and include any helpful answers that were provided. You may want to ask follow-up questions in further meetings if there’s more to explore. If someone asks an open-ended question, make a special notation if you’d like to request a follow-up later.

Decisions
Ultimately, meetings are designed for people to share information and make decisions. While details, new concepts, and the chance to ask questions are important, deciding on important matters or what steps need to be taken next should be the expected result from a meeting.

If any decisions are made, you must include these in your meeting minutes. Include information regarding the decisions that were made, the next steps resulting from that decision, and the potential outcomes relevant to you and your team.

Your template for meeting notes is just a starting point. There’s an art to taking stellar notes that offer value in the future to your team and yourself. If you’re struggling to record effective notes, here are some quick tips you can employ at your next meeting.

Use the Evernote meeting notes template
Your template for meeting notes should be detailed and provide a clear structure. Evernote specializes in providing smart templates that can be customized to any meeting.

Get to the heart of every meeting with our easy templates. You can also use Evernote as a simple way of filling in the blanks and making your records easy to refer back to later.

Record your meetings
In some cases, you may be able to record your meetings. The chance to revisit your meetings whenever you like is a powerful tool to ensure you didn’t miss anything. Not every meeting needs to be recorded, but if you’re approaching a pivotal gathering of stakeholders, recording ensures you don’t miss anything. Use Evernote’s voice memo feature to capture everything in real-time, allowing you to be fully present and create more detailed notes later when you have the time.

Make your notes accessible
Your notes should be easily integrated into your day-to-day work. Everyone involved in a project should have access to your notes, so your team can function at its best. If you’re using an app like Evernote to record your notes, you can upload the results to your team channel so everyone has access.

Add links and attachments
Include context for your notes by adding any relevant attachments or links. Combining all your notes in a single location enables every member of your team to access the tools, resources, and information they need quickly and efficiently. It will also save time, as well as back-and-forth messages clarifying points or asking where relevant documents are located.

Revise your notes for clarity later
Everyone gets carried away sometimes. If you have noted down too much, consider revising your notes down to simpler concepts to clarify points further.

There’s nothing wrong with going back over your notes and removing superfluous information. Clear and concise notes support your team and empower everyone to act on the outcomes.

Backup your notes
Did you ever accidentally delete an essay and have to start over? Don’t make that mistake again in your professional life. Evernote automatically saves your notes for you to ensure you don’t lose all your hard work and your teammates’ valuable ideas. After all, you can’t have the meeting again.