What is Meeting minutes?
The written record of a meeting: who was there, what was decided, and who's doing what next.
Meeting minutes are the official record of a meeting. Boards and committees often must keep them. For everyone else, a short version is still the best way to make sure a meeting actually changes something.
What to include
- Date, time and who attended.
- Topics discussed, in a sentence or two each.
- Decisions made. The most important part, and the most often forgotten.
- Action items, each with an owner and a due date.
- Open questions to pick up next time.
Our free meeting notes template has a slot for each, in Word and Markdown.
Writing them without missing the meeting
The person taking minutes often misses the conversation. A recording and transcript lets everyone stay in the call and still get an accurate record. See How to take meeting notes without typing.
In Fetch
Fetch turns each call’s transcript and your rough notes into AI notes with a summary, decisions and action items, using your own Claude or ChatGPT account. See Enhance your notes.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between minutes and notes?
Minutes are the formal, shared record, often approved at the next meeting. Notes are anyone's personal jottings. In practice, most teams just want a short shared summary with decisions and action items.
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