How to take meeting notes (template)

The point of meeting notes isn't to write every word; it's to not lose the decisions, owners, and follow-ups. Good notes are short, scannable, and action-oriented. The structure below works for almost any meeting.

The 6 parts of effective meeting notes

1. Header: Meeting name, date, attendees.
2. Purpose / agenda: Why the meeting happened and the topics to cover.
3. Discussion: Main points as short bullets, topic by topic.
4. Decisions: Clearly, "what was decided".
5. Action items: Who does what, by when.
6. Open items: Topics not resolved, carried to the next meeting.

Copy-paste meeting notes template

Use this template for every meeting:

• Meeting: [name] — Date: [dd.mm.yyyy]
• Attendees: [names]
• Purpose: [one sentence]
• Discussion: [topic → bullets]
• Decisions: [bullet points]
• Action items: [Person — task — date]
• Open items: [bullet points]

3 common note-taking mistakes

• Trying to write everything: You can't keep up and miss both the notes and the meeting.
• Actions without an owner: An item that says "to be looked at" is nobody's job; always assign a name and a date.
• Not sharing the notes: Even the best notes are useless in a drawer; share right after the meeting.

In short: good meeting notes = clear decisions + owned action items + sharing. You can do it by hand, or use a tool that turns the recording into a ready summary in minutes.