Meeting Minutes Template: Free Doc and AI Prompts

Good minutes do one job: they let anyone who reads them later know what was decided, who is doing what and by when. They are not a transcript, and they are not a diary of who said what. This kit gives you seven fillable meeting minutes templates for team meetings, board meetings, client calls, one to ones, project standups and association AGMs, plus a follow up email, a filled sample, an action tracker and AI prompts that turn rough notes into clean minutes.

Fill in a detail once, such as the meeting date or the chair's name, and every template that uses it updates. Your answers are saved on this device, and you can save the page as a PDF or download your own copy from the toolbar.

How to take good meeting minutes

Taking minutes is easier when you split the work into three parts: what you do before the meeting, what you write down during it and what you send afterwards.

Before the meeting

• Get the agenda early. Copy the agenda items into your template as headings. Most of your writing during the meeting then goes under a heading that already exists.
• Know who is expected. Prepare the attendance list in advance so you only need to tick names and note late arrivals and apologies.
• Agree the format. Ask the chair whether they want decisions only, or decisions with a short summary of the discussion. Board and association meetings usually need more formal wording than a weekly team meeting.
• Check the rules for formal meetings. For a board, committee or association, find out the quorum (the minimum number of members who must be present for decisions to count) and whether motions need a proposer and a seconder.

During the meeting

• Write decisions, not conversations. For each agenda item, capture the outcome in one or two sentences. "The team agreed to move the launch to 14 March" is more useful than a page of who said what.
• Capture every action with an owner and a date. An action without a named person and a deadline usually does not happen. If the meeting does not set a date, ask the chair before moving on.
• Note formal motions exactly. Record the wording of the motion, who proposed and seconded it, and the result of the vote (for, against and abstentions).
• Ask when you are unsure. It is normal for the minute taker to say "Can I confirm what we decided there?" A ten second check saves a long argument later.
• Mark items that are carried over. If an item runs out of time, write that it was deferred and to which meeting.

After the meeting

• Tidy the notes the same day. Your memory fades quickly, and gaps are easier to fill while the meeting is fresh.
• Send them to the chair first. For formal meetings, the chair should review the draft before it goes out. For a team meeting, sending directly is usually fine.
• Send within 24 to 48 hours. Minutes that arrive a week later are rarely read, and actions slip in the meantime.
• Approve them at the next meeting. Formal minutes are confirmed as an accurate record at the start of the next meeting, then signed or marked as approved.

What minutes should and should not record

Record this	Leave this out
Date, time, place and type of meeting	Word for word speeches and side conversations
Who attended, who sent apologies and who chaired	Personal opinions of the minute taker
Each decision, in clear and neutral wording	Emotional language, jokes and heated exchanges
Each action, with an owner and a due date	Private or sensitive personal details that are not needed for the decision
Motions, proposers, seconders and vote results in formal meetings	Long lists of who agreed with whom, unless a vote was taken
Conflicts of interest declared, and who stepped out of a discussion	Draft figures or claims that were not confirmed in the meeting
Items deferred to a later meeting, and the date of the next meeting	Anything said "off the record" that the chair asked not to be minuted

A useful test: if someone who missed the meeting reads only the minutes, could they act on them? If yes, your minutes are doing their job.

Minutes of meeting format

Almost every set of minutes follows the same basic format, whether it is a five person team or a company board:

1. Heading: the name of the group, the type of meeting, the date, time and place (or video link).
2. Attendance: present, apologies, absent and in attendance (guests or staff who are not members).
3. Opening: who chaired, the time the meeting started and, for formal meetings, confirmation that a quorum was present.
4. Previous minutes: approval of the last minutes and any matters arising from them.
5. Agenda items: one numbered section per item, each with a short summary, the decision and any actions.
6. Any other business: items raised at the end that were not on the agenda.
7. Action list: every action in one place, with owners and due dates.
8. Close: the date of the next meeting and the time the meeting ended.
9. Approval: for formal meetings, a line for the chair to sign once the minutes are approved.

The meeting minutes templates

Search or filter the templates, press Fill in to add your details, then copy the finished minutes into a document, an email or your notes app. Anything you leave blank stays as a placeholder in curly brackets, so you can fill it in later.

{organisation}
{meeting_title}: minutes

Date: {meeting_date}
Time: {start_time} to {end_time}
Location: {location}
Chair: {chair}
Minutes taken by: {minute_taker}

Present: {attendees}
Apologies: {apologies}

1. {agenda_item_1}
Discussion: {discussion_1}
Decision: {decision_1}

2. {agenda_item_2}
Discussion: {discussion_2}
Decision: {decision_2}

3. {agenda_item_3}
Discussion: {discussion_3}
Decision: {decision_3}

Any other business
{aob}

Actions
1. {action_1}. Owner: {owner_1}. Due: {due_1}
2. {action_2}. Owner: {owner_2}. Due: {due_2}
3. {action_3}. Owner: {owner_3}. Due: {due_3}

Next meeting: {next_meeting}
Meeting closed at {end_time}.

{organisation}
Minutes of the board meeting held on {meeting_date} at {location}

1. Opening and attendance
The meeting was called to order at {start_time} by {chair}, who chaired the meeting.
Directors present: {attendees}
Apologies: {apologies}
Absent: {absent}
In attendance: {in_attendance}
Minutes taken by: {minute_taker}

2. Quorum
The quorum for this board is {quorum} members. {members_present} members were present, so the chair confirmed that the meeting was quorate.

3. Declarations of interest
{conflicts}

4. Minutes of the previous meeting
The minutes of the meeting held on {previous_minutes_date} were reviewed and approved as a true record.

5. {agenda_item_1}
{discussion_1}
Decision: {decision_1}

6. {agenda_item_2}
{discussion_2}
Motion: "{motion_1}"
Proposed by {proposer_1} and seconded by {seconder_1}.
Vote: {votes_for_1} for, {votes_against_1} against, {abstentions_1} abstentions.
Resolution: {resolution_1}

7. {agenda_item_3}
{discussion_3}
Decision: {decision_3}

8. Any other business
{aob}

9. Actions
{action_1}. Responsible: {owner_1}. Due: {due_1}
{action_2}. Responsible: {owner_2}. Due: {due_2}
{action_3}. Responsible: {owner_3}. Due: {due_3}

10. Date of next meeting
The next board meeting will be held on {next_meeting}.

There being no further business, the chair closed the meeting at {end_time}.

Approved as a true record:

Signed: ______________________ (Chair)
Date: ______________________

Client meeting notes: {project}

Client: {client}, {client_company}
Date: {meeting_date}
Location: {location}
Client attendees: {client_attendees}
Our attendees: {our_attendees}

What the client wants to achieve
{client_goals}

Feedback and concerns raised
{client_feedback}

What we agreed
{agreed_scope}

Open questions
{open_questions}

Next steps
1. {action_1}. Owner: {owner_1}. Due: {due_1}
2. {action_2}. Owner: {owner_2}. Due: {due_2}

Next check in: {next_meeting}

One to one: {manager} and {report}
Date: {meeting_date}

Wins since our last one to one
{wins}

Challenges and blockers
{challenges}

Support requested
{support}

Growth and development
{growth}

Feedback shared
{feedback_given}

Agreed actions
1. {action_1}. Owner: {owner_1}. Due: {due_1}
2. {action_2}. Owner: {owner_2}. Due: {due_2}

Next one to one: {next_meeting}

{project}: status update
Date: {meeting_date}
Attendees: {attendees}

Overall status: {status}

Done since the last update
{done}

In progress
{in_progress}

Blockers
{blockers}

Risks to the timeline
{risks}

Actions
1. {action_1}. Owner: {owner_1}. Due: {due_1}
2. {action_2}. Owner: {owner_2}. Due: {due_2}

Next update: {next_meeting}

{organisation}
Minutes of the general meeting held on {meeting_date} at {location}

1. Opening
The meeting started at {start_time} with {chair} presiding.
Members present: {attendees} ({members_present} members)
Apologies: {apologies}
Minutes taken by: {minute_taker}

2. Quorum
The constitution requires {quorum} members for a quorum. The chair confirmed that the meeting was quorate.

3. Reading and adoption of previous minutes
The minutes of the meeting held on {previous_minutes_date} were read. The adoption was moved by {proposer_1} and seconded by {seconder_1}.

4. Matters arising
{discussion_1}

5. Treasurer report
{treasurer_report}
Current balance: {balance}
Dues and levies: {dues}

6. Welfare
{welfare}

7. {agenda_item_2}
{discussion_2}
Decision: {decision_2}

8. Election of officers
{officers_elected}

9. Any other business
{aob}

10. Actions
{action_1}. Responsible: {owner_1}. Due: {due_1}
{action_2}. Responsible: {owner_2}. Due: {due_2}

11. Date of next meeting
The next meeting will be held on {next_meeting}.

12. Closing
The meeting ended at {end_time} with a closing prayer or remarks.

Signed: ______________________ (Chair)
Signed: ______________________ (Secretary)

Hi {recipients},

Thank you for your time on {meeting_date}. The minutes are here: {minutes_link}

The main decisions were:
{decision_1}
{decision_2}

Actions agreed:
1. {action_1}. Owner: {owner_1}. Due: {due_1}
2. {action_2}. Owner: {owner_2}. Due: {due_2}
3. {action_3}. Owner: {owner_3}. Due: {due_3}

If anything is missing or not quite right, please reply by {reply_by} and I will update the minutes.

Our next meeting is on {next_meeting}.

Thanks,
{my_name}

A filled sample: team meeting minutes

Here is what finished team minutes can look like. Notice how short each item is, and how every action has an owner and a date.

Brightpath Digital
Weekly marketing meeting: minutes

Date: Monday 3 March
Time: 10:00 to 10:40
Location: Google Meet
Chair: Amaka Obi
Minutes taken by: Tunde Bello

Present: Amaka Obi, Tunde Bello, Grace Eze, Femi Adeyemi
Apologies: Sola Martins

1. February campaign results
Grace shared the February results. The Instagram campaign brought in more enquiries than the email campaign, but most enquiries came from existing followers.
Decision: keep the Instagram budget the same for March and test one new audience.

2. Website launch date
Femi reported that the new pricing page is still waiting for final copy, so the 7 March date is at risk.
Decision: move the launch to Friday 14 March.

3. Client case study
The team agreed that the Lagos bakery project would make a strong first case study, as the client is happy for us to share results.
Decision: draft the case study this month.

Any other business
None.

Actions
1. Send final pricing page copy to Femi. Owner: Amaka. Due: Wednesday 5 March
2. Set up the new Instagram audience test. Owner: Grace. Due: Friday 7 March
3. Interview the bakery owner and draft the case study. Owner: Tunde. Due: Friday 21 March

Next meeting: Monday 10 March, 10:00
Meeting closed at 10:40.

Action item tracker

Minutes only help if the actions get done. Keep one running tracker for the group, and review it in the first five minutes of every meeting. A simple table is enough:

Action	Owner	Due	Status	From meeting
Send final pricing page copy	Amaka	5 March	Done	3 March
Set up Instagram audience test	Grace	7 March	In progress	3 March
Draft bakery case study	Tunde	21 March	Not started	3 March

Use four statuses only: not started, in progress, done and blocked. If an action is blocked, write what it is waiting for, so the meeting can unblock it.

You can keep your own open actions below. The boxes save on this device.

AI prompts that turn notes into minutes

AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are good at turning messy notes or a transcript into a clean first draft. Paste your notes after the prompt, then check every name, number and date yourself before you send anything. AI can misread who agreed to what, and it can fill gaps with details that were never said.

A note on privacy: board papers, HR discussions, salaries, legal matters and anything about named individuals can be confidential. Before you paste them into an AI tool, check your organisation's policy, use a business account that does not train on your data where possible, and remove names or figures you do not need. When in doubt, write those minutes by hand.

You are an experienced minute taker. Turn my rough notes below into clear meeting minutes.

Use this format:
1. Heading with the meeting name, date, time, location and chair
2. Present and apologies
3. One numbered section per agenda item, each with a two sentence summary and a clear decision
4. Any other business
5. An action list with the action, owner and due date
6. Date of the next meeting

Rules:
- Write in neutral, past tense, plain English.
- Record decisions and actions, not who said what.
- Do not invent anything. If an owner, date or decision is missing, write [missing] so I can fill it in.

My notes:
[paste your notes here]

Below is a transcript of a meeting. Write formal minutes from it.

Meeting: [meeting name]
Date: [date]
Chair: [name]
Agenda: [list the agenda items]

Instructions:
- Group the discussion under the agenda items above, even if the conversation jumped around.
- For each item, write a short neutral summary and the decision reached. If no decision was reached, say so.
- List every action with the person responsible and the deadline mentioned. If no deadline was mentioned, write [no date set].
- Leave out small talk, repetition and side conversations.
- Do not quote people word for word unless it is the exact wording of a motion or resolution.
- At the end, list anything in the transcript that was unclear so I can check it.

Transcript:
[paste the transcript here]

Read the meeting notes below and list every action item that was agreed.

Return a table with these columns: Action, Owner, Due date, Notes.

Rules:
- Start each action with a verb, for example "Send", "Draft" or "Book".
- Only include actions that someone agreed to do. Do not include ideas that were only discussed.
- If no owner was named, write [no owner]. If no date was given, write [no date].
- After the table, list any actions that seem to be missing an owner or a date, so I can raise them.

Notes:
[paste your notes or minutes here]

Summarise these meeting minutes in two short sentences for colleagues who missed the meeting. The first sentence should give the most important decision. The second should say what, if anything, they need to do and by when. Use plain, friendly language and do not add anything that is not in the minutes.

Minutes:
[paste the minutes here]

Questions about meeting minutes

What is the difference between meeting minutes and meeting notes?

Minutes are the official record of a meeting. They are shared with the group, approved at the next meeting and kept, which matters for boards, committees and associations. Meeting notes are less formal. They are often for your own use or a small team, and they focus on what you need to remember and do.

Who should take the minutes?

In formal settings, the secretary usually takes the minutes. In a team, anyone can, but it should not be the person chairing, because running the meeting and writing it down at the same time is hard. Some teams rotate the role each week.

How long should minutes be?

As short as possible while still being clear. A one hour team meeting often fits on one page. Board minutes are usually longer because motions, votes and resolutions must be recorded in full.

Should minutes record who said what?

Usually not. Minutes record what was decided and who is responsible for each action. Name a person only when it matters, for example the proposer and seconder of a motion, someone declaring a conflict of interest, or a member who asks for their objection to be recorded.

How do you approve minutes?

At the start of the next meeting, the chair asks whether the previous minutes are an accurate record. Any corrections are agreed and noted, then the minutes are approved, often by a proposer and a seconder in associations, and signed by the chair.

Keep going

• Record, summarise and act on meetings faster with the guide AI meeting notes: record, summarise and act faster.
• Find out what your next meeting really costs with the free Meeting Cost Calculator.
• Turn a repeated meeting process into a written procedure with the SOP template with AI workflow.
• Browse more AI productivity guides.