Meeting minutes are a short written record of what a meeting decided and who will do what by when. Start with the basics (group, date, time, place, who attended), then write one short section per agenda item with the outcome, the decisions and the action items, each with an owner and a due date. End with the next meeting date and your name as the note taker. Write them up soon after the meeting, keep them neutral and send them to everyone who attended.
What to include in meeting minutes
| Part | What goes in |
|---|---|
| Header | Name of the group or meeting, date, start and end time, place or video link |
| Attendance | Who attended, who was absent, who chaired, who took the minutes |
| Agenda | The list of topics, numbered, in the order they were discussed |
| Per agenda item | A one or two sentence summary of the outcome |
| Decisions | What was agreed, in plain words ("The team agreed to move the launch to May 12.") |
| Action items | Task, owner and due date for every agreed task |
| Open questions | Anything left unresolved, and who will follow up |
| Next meeting | Date, time and place, if set |
| Approval | For formal groups: when and by whom the minutes were approved |
Action minutes, discussion minutes or verbatim?
There are three common formats. Pick one before the meeting, because it changes how much you write down.
| Format | What it records | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Action minutes | Decisions and action items only | Team meetings, project check-ins, most everyday meetings |
| Discussion minutes | Decisions and action items plus a short summary of the main arguments | Decisions with trade-offs that people may question later |
| Verbatim minutes | Everything, word for word | Rarely; only where a full transcript is required |
For most groups, action minutes are enough. Robert's Rules of Order, a widely known rulebook for running meetings, is clear on this: "Minutes are a record of what was done at a meeting, not a record of what was said." If your organization has its own bylaws or a standing template, follow those.
How to write meeting minutes, step by step
Before the meeting
- Get the agenda and copy the agenda items into your template.
- Fill in the header: group, date, time, place, expected attendees.
- Agree on the format (action or discussion minutes).
During the meeting
- Note attendance and anyone who arrives late or leaves early.
- For each agenda item, write down the outcome, not the conversation.
- When a decision is made, write it as one clear sentence. If the wording is unclear, ask: "So we're agreeing that...?"
- For every task, get three things: what, who, by when. If no one owns a task, say so in the meeting.
After the meeting
- Write the minutes up the same day, while you still remember the details.
- Use the past tense and neutral wording: "The group agreed..." rather than "Sam finally convinced everyone...".
- Check names, numbers and dates, then send the minutes to all attendees and ask for corrections.
- File the approved version where the group can find it.
Meeting minutes template
Copy this into Word, Google Docs or your notes app and replace everything in square brackets. Delete the lines you do not need.
MEETING MINUTES
Meeting: [Name of group or meeting]
Date: [Month Day, Year]
Time: [Start] to [End]
Location: [Room, address or video link]
Chair: [Name]
Minutes by: [Name]
Attendees: [Names]
Absent: [Names]
AGENDA
1. [Agenda item]
2. [Agenda item]
3. [Agenda item]
1. [AGENDA ITEM]
Summary: [One or two sentences on the outcome]
Decision: [What was agreed]
2. [AGENDA ITEM]
Summary: [One or two sentences on the outcome]
Decision: [What was agreed]
ACTION ITEMS
| Task | Owner | Due |
| [What needs to be done] | [Name] | [Date] |
| [What needs to be done] | [Name] | [Date] |
OPEN QUESTIONS
- [Question], follow-up by [Name]
NEXT MEETING
[Date, time, location]
Minutes approved on: [Date]
Meeting minutes example
This example was written by us. The group, names and dates are made up.
MEETING MINUTES
Meeting: Riverside Community Garden, monthly committee meeting
Date: September 23, 2026
Time: 6:30 pm to 7:25 pm
Location: Garden shed and video call
Chair: Dana Lopez
Minutes by: Chris Walker
Attendees: Dana Lopez, Chris Walker, Amir Haddad, Jo Kim
Absent: Pat Moreno
1. FALL CLEANUP DAY
Summary: The cleanup day moves because of the forecast for October 4.
Decision: Cleanup day is October 11, 9 am to 1 pm.
2. NEW TOOL SHED LOCK
Summary: Two members reported the lock sticks. Amir got a quote for a combination lock.
Decision: The committee approved buying the lock for up to $60.
3. WATER BILL
Summary: The summer water bill was higher than last year. No decision yet.
ACTION ITEMS
| Task | Owner | Due |
| Email all members about the new date | Jo | Sep 26 |
| Buy and install the combination lock | Amir | Oct 3 |
| Compare water bills for the last 3 yrs | Chris | Oct 21 |
OPEN QUESTIONS
- Should members pay a water fee next year? Discuss at next meeting.
NEXT MEETING
October 21, 2026, 6:30 pm, garden shed
Notice what is missing: who said what about the water bill, the ten minutes spent on the weather, the side discussion about tomatoes. Minutes keep the outcome.
Recording a meeting: ask first
Recording makes minutes easier, but recording people without their agreement can be illegal. In the US, the rules differ by state: some states allow recording when one person in the conversation agrees, others require everyone's consent. The Digital Media Law Project explains one-party and all-party consent and recommends getting everyone's consent when in doubt. Other countries have their own rules, and many workplaces have policies too.
Information, not legal advice
Ask everyone at the start of the meeting and record only if they agree. If someone says no, or you are not sure, do not record. Your organization's policy may also apply.
The safe alternative: do not record the meeting at all. Right after it ends, dictate your own summary: what was decided, who does what, by when. That is your own voice, and it turns into minutes just as well.
Turn a recording or your spoken notes into minutes with Retexta
Retexta is a cloud voice to text and AI writing app for Android. It can write a meeting protocol from a recording, an imported audio file or your own spoken summary.
- Open Retexta and tap New task.
- Under What do you want to do?, tap Summarize a meeting.
- Choose how to start:
- Record audio: record the meeting (with everyone's agreement) or speak your own summary afterwards.
- Import audio: pick a recording you already made with another app. Android's file picker opens and shows your audio files.
- Paste text: paste notes or a transcript you already have.
- Retexta transcribes the audio on its servers and writes the meeting protocol. It is organized into sections such as a summary, decisions, action items and open questions. Participants or the next meeting date are added only if they come up in the recording.
- From the result you can create focused follow-ups, for example action items, next steps or a Follow-up email to the group, and share only the part you need (Share summary, Share action items, Share everything) or export it as a PDF. Sharing and exporting need Retexta Pro or credits.
- Check the minutes before you send them. The app marks results with "AI-generated. Check important details." Pay special attention to names, dates and who owns each task.
Summarize a meeting and Import audio are part of Retexta Pro. Retexta is free to try: new users get a few free Pro results to view in the app. Copying, sharing and exporting need Retexta Pro or credits, and so does everything after the free results.
Speak your summary like this
"Minutes for the garden committee, September 23. Cleanup day moves to October 11. Amir buys the new lock, up to 60 dollars, by October 3. Jo emails everyone about the new date by Friday. Water bill: no decision, Chris compares the last three years." That short summary holds everything the example above needs.
Tips for better minutes
- Write outcomes, not transcripts. If a sentence starts with "Then Sam said", it probably does not belong.
- One owner per task. "The team" is not an owner.
- Real dates. "Next week" means nothing a month later. Write "October 3".
- Neutral tone. No opinions, no adjectives about people.
- Fast turnaround. Minutes sent the same day are easier to check, because everyone still remembers the meeting.
Keep reading
After the meeting, the next step is usually an email to the group: see how to dictate an email on Android. Already have a recording on your phone? Here is how to transcribe a voice memo on Android. More about the app: Retexta, voice to text for Android.
Sources
Checked by FLAME Apps on September 25, 2026.
- Robert's Rules of Order, Frequently Asked Questions, question 15: "Minutes are a record of what was done at a meeting, not a record of what was said." (RONR, 12th ed., 48:2).
- Digital Media Law Project, Recording Phone Calls and Conversations: federal and state consent rules in the US.
- Retexta: names of goals, meeting outputs and plans as shown in the app and on its Google Play listing.
