Meeting notes templates
Six plain-text templates for the meetings most people have every week. Each one has sections for decisions, owners and dates, because those are what get lost. Copy one, paste it into any notes app, and fill it in as you go.
General team meeting
Weekly syncs, planning meetings and most internal meetings with an agenda.
Meeting: [name] Date: [date] Time: [start–end] Attendees: [names] Notes by: [name] Previous actions - [owner] – [item] – done / new date / dropped Agenda 1. [topic] 2. [topic] Discussion (brief) - [key point] Decisions - [decision] Action items - [owner] to [verb] [output] by [date] Open questions - [question] – [who] – [by when] Next meeting: [date]
Tip: Always start with the previous actions. It takes two minutes and is the single biggest reason teams finish what they agree to.
One-to-one (1:1)
Regular check-ins between a manager and a team member, or between peers.
1:1 – [name] and [name] Date: [date] Their topics - [topic] My topics - [topic] Wins since last time - [win] Blockers and support needed - [blocker] – [what would help] Growth and feedback - [note] Agreed next steps - [owner] to [action] by [date] Carry to next 1:1 - [topic]
Tip: Let the team member own the first half of the agenda. A 1:1 that only covers status updates could have been a message.
Daily stand-up
Short daily meetings for teams working on shared projects.
Stand-up – [date] [Name] Yesterday: [done] Today: [plan] Blocked by: [blocker or none] [Name] Yesterday: [done] Today: [plan] Blocked by: [blocker or none] Follow-ups after stand-up - [topic] – [who needs to join]
Tip: Keep it to blockers and commitments. Anything needing discussion goes to a follow-up with only the people involved.
Client call
Calls with clients, customers or external stakeholders, where commitments on both sides matter.
Client: [company] Contact: [name, role] Date: [date] Call type: [discovery / review / check-in] Our side: [names] Their goals and priorities - [goal] What they liked / didn't like - [feedback] Scope, budget and timeline discussed - Scope: [details] - Budget: [amount and currency] - Timeline: [dates] We will - [action] by [date] They will - [action] by [date] Risks or concerns - [risk] Recap email sent: [yes/no, date]
Tip: Record what the client owes you as carefully as what you owe them, and include both in your recap email.
Project kick-off
The first meeting of a new project, to agree goals, roles and ways of working.
Project: [name] Kick-off date: [date] Sponsor: [name] Lead: [name] Why we're doing this - [problem and goal] What success looks like - [measurable outcome] In scope - [item] Out of scope - [item] Roles - [name] – [responsibility] Milestones - [milestone] – [date] Budget - [amount] How we'll work - Updates: [channel, frequency] - Decisions made by: [name or group] First actions - [owner] to [action] by [date]
Tip: Write down what is out of scope. Most project disputes come from things nobody said were excluded.
Brainstorm
Idea-generation sessions where you want quantity first and judgement later.
Brainstorm: [question we're answering] Date: [date] People: [names] Time limit for ideas: [minutes] Ideas (no judging yet) - [idea] - [idea] - [idea] Themes - [theme]: [ideas that fit] Top ideas after voting 1. [idea] – [votes] 2. [idea] – [votes] 3. [idea] – [votes] Next steps - [owner] to [test / research / draft] [idea] by [date] Parked for later - [idea]
Tip: Separate generating from judging. Collect ideas without comment for a fixed time, then vote.
Using them well
A template only helps if the notes get used afterwards. Three habits make the difference. First, fill in action items in full during the meeting: an owner, a verb and a date. The action items guide shows how with twelve examples. Second, send a short recap within a day; the follow-up email guide has seven ready-made versions. Third, start the next meeting by reviewing the previous actions.
If you already have messy notes, you don't need to retype them into a template. Paste them into the free Action Item Extractor and it will pull out the tasks, dates, amounts and decisions for you. For a full walkthrough of what to capture, read how to take meeting minutes.