Meeting Minutes Template
Attendance, decisions and actions with owners and dates.
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| Date and time | [date], [time] |
| Location | [location] |
| Chaired by | [chair] |
1. Present
| [add attendees] |
2. Discussion and decisions
| Topic | What was decided |
|---|---|
| [add topics] |
3. Actions
| Action | Owner | Due |
|---|---|---|
| [add actions] |
What is a Meeting Minutes?
Minutes are the official record of what a meeting decided. Written properly they settle later arguments about what was agreed; written as a transcript of the discussion they create arguments instead.
Minutes record decisions and actions, not conversation. The test for every line is whether someone who was not in the room needs it to know what was resolved and who has to do what.
For company boards and committees, minutes are frequently a statutory record with rules about how soon they are prepared, how they are approved and how long they are kept. The specifics differ by jurisdiction and by the type of body, so check what applies to yours before adopting a format.
Two conventions matter. Attendance and quorum go at the top, because a decision taken without quorum is open to challenge. And every action gets a named owner and a date — 'the team will look into it' is not an action.
What to put in a Meeting Minutes
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Issuing organisation | For example: Maple Grove Homeowners Association |
| Organisation address | For example: 1420 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Meeting | For example: Monthly operations review |
| Date | Free text |
| Time | For example: 10:00 – 11:30 |
| Location | For example: Conference room / Google Meet |
| Chaired by | For example: James Whitfield |
| Present | One per line: Name, Role |
| Apologies optional | For example: Anita Rao, Marketing |
| Discussion and decisions | One per line: Topic | What was decided |
| Actions | One per line: Action | Owner | Due date |
| Next meeting optional | Free text |
How to write a Meeting Minutes
Record the formalities first
Body, type of meeting, date, time of start and close, venue or platform, chair, attendees, apologies, and whether a quorum was present.
Confirm the previous minutes
Note that the minutes of the previous meeting were approved, with any corrections, and record who proposed and seconded if your body requires it.
Take each agenda item in turn
For each: a one-line summary of what was considered, then the decision in the words the meeting agreed. Note dissent or abstention where it was recorded.
Log actions with owners and dates
A separate action list is the most-used part of any minutes. Action, owner, due date, and status if you are carrying items forward.
Circulate promptly and mark the draft
Send within a few days while memories are fresh, marked 'draft' until approved at the next meeting.
Common mistakes
- Writing what people said rather than what was decided.
- Actions with no owner or no date.
- Omitting attendance and quorum.
- Editing minutes after approval instead of recording a correction at the next meeting.
- Recording confidential matters in minutes that circulate widely — take those to a separate confidential minute.
Frequently asked questions
Who is responsible for taking minutes?
Usually a company secretary, committee secretary or a nominated minute-taker. The chair is responsible for their accuracy being confirmed at the following meeting.
Should minutes record who said what?
Generally no. Record decisions, and attribute only where it matters — a formal proposal, a recorded dissent, or a declared conflict of interest.
How soon should minutes be circulated?
Within a few days is good practice. Some statutory bodies have a prescribed period — check the rules that apply to your organisation.
Are minutes a legal document?
For companies and many statutory bodies, yes — they are part of the required records and can be produced as evidence of a decision. For informal meetings they are simply an internal record.
Can minutes be changed after approval?
Not by rewriting them. Corrections are raised and recorded at the following meeting.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.