If you are responsible for taking minutes during a business meeting, it can be very helpful to use a sample template to help organize the information. To access the sample minutes provided here, simply click the image below. It will open as a PDF that you can edit, save and print. For assistance working with the document, see this guide for printables.
Printable Template for Business Meeting Minutes
Looking for a printable template for organizing minutes from a staff meeting or other type of business meeting? You can type directly into this sample template, or simply print it to use as a guide to follow when typing or writing your notes.
More Sample Formats for Business Meeting Minutes
Of course, the sample above is not the only option to consider when you are looking for resources to help with the task of writing minutes from a professional meeting. Meeting minutes can be set up in a variety of different formats.
Simple Meeting Minutes
One way to keep a record of what happened at a meeting is by keeping basic notes organized in a simple, easy to skim format. Here's how to set them up:
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Meeting of the [Name of Work Group or Project] Date: Location: Agenda: Names of People Who Attended the Meeting: Names of Group Members Who were Absent: Discussions: Announcements (if any): Decisions Made (if any): Items for Follow Up: Name of the Person Taking the Minutes: |
Traditional Minute-Taking Format With Action Items
Use this style for a more traditional format approach to taking minutes of a business meeting:
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Minutes of Meeting (Date) Name of Person Recording the Minutes: Agenda: Old Business Items carried over from last meeting will be listed here. New Business List new items to be discussed here in point form. Old Business Set out detailed account of the discussion relating to the old business on the agenda, including each topic discussed and the names of everyone who contributed ideas or made presentations. New Business After the old business has been dealt with, set out details of new business to be discussed. Again, the names and questions, comments, or concerns of the people who contributed to the discussion need to be recorded in detail. Action Items
Next Meeting List the date, time, and location for the next meeting. Next Meeting Agenda At the next meeting, attendees will deal with old business carried forward from the current one. A detailed agenda should be set for the next meeting. Names of attendees who need to gather information or make presentations should be listed. Adjournment Make a note of the time the meeting was adjourned. |
Streamlined Minutes With Next Steps
If you want to keep detailed records using a minimal format, this modern approach may appeal to you.
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Meeting Minutes Project Name: Location: Date: Names of Attendees: Names of Team Members Not in Attendance: Item #1 on the Agenda:
Item #2 on the Agenda: Repeat the information for each subsequent item on the meeting agenda. |
Distributing Business Meeting Minutes
Once the minutes of the meeting have been prepared and proofread, they should be distributed to everyone on the team or committee involved. This is true for in-person meetings as well as virtual meetings. The minutes can be printed for distribution, or sent out as a PDF document attached to an email message. Alternately, your company may want to set up a spot on the intranet where meeting minutes can be uploaded. However meeting minutes are distributed, they can serve as a reminder to everyone in attendance of what was discussed, the decisions made, and what the next steps should be on the task or project in question.
Making Corrections
If one of the attendees notices something in the minutes that was recorded in error, he or she should contact the person who prepared them to ask that they be revised. If an item was overlooked, this should also be brought to the attention of the person who prepared the minutes so the item can be added. For this reason, you may want to put a watermark that specifies 'draft' on the first version of the minutes that is circulated, along with a deadline for pointing out any revisions that might be needed. Once everyone has had time to provide feedback, then an updated final version can then be distributed to everyone who attended the meeting.
