Meeting minutes template with a filled-in example
Minutes are the official record of a meeting. They say who was there, what was discussed under each agenda item, what was decided, and who will do what by when.
Good uses for formal minutes
- Board, committee, association and council meetings, where a record may be needed later.
- Monthly management or operations meetings with a fixed agenda.
- Meetings with a client or partner where both sides want the same written record.
- Any meeting where a decision needs a date and the names of the people who made it.
For a quick catch-up with one colleague, minutes are too much. A summary is enough.
Parts of a set of minutes
| Part | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Title | Organisation, meeting name and number, if meetings are numbered |
| Date, time and place | Including "online" and the tool used, if relevant |
| Attendees | Present, apologies (sent regrets) and guests. Mark the chair and the minute-taker |
| Agenda items | Numbered, in the order they were taken |
| Discussion | Under each item: the main points and views, not every word |
| Decisions | Under each item or in one list, written as clear statements |
| Action items | Task, owner and due date |
| Open issues | Questions raised but not settled |
| Next meeting | Date, time and place, if agreed |
Filled-in example
This is an invented meeting at an invented design studio. The names are made up.
Example minutes
Kestrel Studio: monthly operations meeting
Date: Tuesday 4 August 2026, 10:00 to 11:00
Place: Meeting room 2 and online
Present: Hannah Price (chair), Ravi Menon, Julia Novak, Ben Carter (minutes)
Apologies: Chloe Adams
1. Budget for July to September
Discussion: Ravi reported that software costs are 12% over plan because two design licences were added in July. Julia said both licences are in daily use. Hannah asked whether the annual plan would be cheaper. Ravi will check.
Decision: Keep both licences. The extra cost comes from the training budget, which is 30% unspent.
2. Onboarding for the new designer
Discussion: The new designer starts on Monday 24 August. Julia proposed a two-week buddy plan. Ben noted that the laptop order takes about 10 working days.
Decision: Julia is the buddy for the first two weeks.
3. Office move
Discussion: The landlord offered a larger unit on the same floor from November. Rent would rise by about 15%. Views were split. Hannah wants to see the floor plan before deciding.
Decision: None yet. See open issues.
Action items
| Task | Owner | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Compare the monthly and annual licence prices | Ravi | Friday 14 August |
| Order a laptop for the new designer | Ben | Friday 7 August |
| Write the two-week buddy plan | Julia | Friday 21 August |
| Get the floor plan of the new unit from the landlord | Hannah | not stated |
Open issues
- Office move: decide once the floor plan is in. The landlord wants an answer by the end of September.
Next meeting
Tuesday 1 September 2026, 10:00, meeting room 2 and online.
Minutes template
Copy this and replace the parts in square brackets. Delete any part you do not need.
[Organisation]: [meeting name] Date: [Day date month year], [start time] to [end time] Place: [Room, or online and the tool used] Present: [Name (chair)], [Name], [Name (minutes)] Apologies: [Names, or "none"] 1. [Agenda item] Discussion: [Main points and views, in 2 to 5 sentences.] Decision: [A clear statement, or "None yet".] 2. [Agenda item] Discussion: [ ] Decision: [ ] ACTION ITEMS | Task | Owner | Due | |------|-------|-----| | [Start with a verb] | [One name] | [Date, or "not stated"] | OPEN ISSUES - [Question raised but not settled, and what is needed to settle it] NEXT MEETING [Date, time and place, or "not set"]
Writing tips
- Record outcomes, not speeches. Minutes are not a transcript. Two to five sentences per item is usually enough.
- Keep views neutral. Write "Views were split" or "Julia proposed", not "Julia wrongly argued".
- Write decisions as statements. "Keep both licences" is clear. "It was felt that the licences might be kept" is not.
- Say when there was no decision. "None yet" stops people from later reading a decision into the discussion.
- Use full dates for actions. "Friday 14 August" leaves no room for doubt. "Next week" does.
- Check names and numbers against the recording. Speech-to-text often gets names and figures wrong.
- Send the draft within two working days, and ask the chair to confirm it before it becomes the record.
Questions about minutes
Who should take the minutes?
Anyone except the chair. The chair runs the meeting and cannot also write it down well. Many teams rotate the job.
Should minutes say who said what?
Only when it matters, for example who proposed a decision or who objected. Most points can be written without names.
How long should minutes be?
For a one-hour meeting, usually one to two pages. If they are much longer, you are probably writing a transcript.
Can I make minutes from a recording?
Yes. Get a transcript from your meeting app or phone (see how to get a transcript), or upload a recording of up to 30 minutes to our tool. Always check the draft before you share it.
Minutes from your transcript
The tool follows this layout. Owners and dates that nobody said are marked "not stated", never guessed.
Open the tool with Formal minutes