How to take meeting notes: 7 steps and 4 templates by purpose

Good meeting notes are not a transcript of the conversation; they are the outcome of the meeting: the decisions made, who will do what by when, and the questions still unanswered. Below you will find 7 steps for taking notes without losing the thread of the conversation, how notes differ from minutes, and 4 templates you can copy depending on what the meeting is for.

#How do you take meeting notes? 7 steps

#1. Write the purpose in one sentence before the meeting

At the top of your notes, answer this question: “By the end of this meeting, what do I want to know or have decided?” That sentence tells you what is worth writing down.

#2. Prepare the template in advance

Walking into a meeting with a blank page pushes you to write down everything. Pick the template below that fits the meeting and set up the headings beforehand.

#3. Write down the outcome, not the conversation

Don’t try to record who said what, word for word. Capture three things:

• Decisions: “We’ll test the feature internally first.”
• Action items: “Sarah drafts the announcement, Friday.”
• Open questions: “Will pricing change? Not clear yet.”

#4. Give every action item an owner and a date

An action item without an owner usually doesn’t get done. Instead of “to be followed up,” write “Mike follows up, by Tuesday.” If an action item has no clear owner during the meeting, ask: “Who’s taking this one?”

#5. Use shorthand and markers

To write fast, set up your own markers: D: decision, A: action item, ?: open question. When you clean up your notes afterwards, these markers make it easy to move each item under the right heading.

#6. Confirm the summary out loud in the last two minutes

“To wrap up: we decided this, these are the action items, and this topic is still open. Did I miss anything?” This short recap catches misunderstandings before the meeting ends.

#7. Clean up and share within the first hour

While the details are still fresh, tidy up your notes, cut unnecessary detail and share them with the attendees. Put the action items at the top; most people only read the line with their name on it.

#What is the difference between notes, a summary and minutes?

For most work meetings, what you need is a summary: short, focused on action items and easy to share. Minutes are for situations that call for a formal record.

#4 meeting note templates by purpose

One template doesn’t fit every meeting. In a sales call, the customer’s objection matters more than a decision does in a team meeting. You can copy and use the templates below.

#General meeting template

For team meetings, weekly status meetings and project discussions:

Meeting: [Name] · [Date]
Purpose: [One sentence]

Decisions
-

To-dos (who · what · by when)
-

Open questions
-

#Sales and demo call template

For product walkthroughs and sales calls with prospects:

Call: [Company] · [Person and role] · [Date]

Customer needs
-

Objections (and how you answered)
-

Budget and timing
-

Next steps (who · what · by when)
-

#Customer support and account management template

For support calls and meetings with existing customers:

Call: [Customer] · [Date]

Issue (including its impact)
-

What was done
-

Open items (who · what · by when)
-

#Post-interview template (as a candidate)

Right after a job interview, to prepare for the next one:

Interview: [Company] · [Position] · [Date]

Questions asked
-

My weak answers (and how I would answer better)
-

Things to research
-

Writing down the questions you were asked after an interview is one of the most effective ways to prepare for the next one; the same questions come up again and again at different companies.

#How does Koldash produce meeting notes?

During the meeting, Koldash transcribes your microphone and the audio playing on your Mac live, on separate channels. When you end the meeting, it prepares a summary based on the meeting’s purpose. The templates above are adapted from the structure of those summaries: Decisions, Action Items and Open Questions for a general meeting; Customer Needs, Objections, Budget and Timing and Next Steps for a sales call; Issue, Actions Taken and Open Items for a support call; and Questions Asked, Weak Answers and To Look Into for an interview.

Every item in the summary is linked to its source line in the conversation; click an item and you jump to the point where that sentence was said. Action-item owners are labeled You, Them or Unclear. You can share the summary as Markdown via Mail, Notes or AirDrop. Audio is not stored; only the transcript and the summary stay in your account, and you can delete them at any time.

Before you transcribe a conversation, check the rules where you are and your company’s policy, and let the other side know if required.