What meeting minutes are: the formal record
Meeting minutes are the official, approved record of a meeting. Not a summary for people who missed it, and not your personal notes: a structured account of who was in the room, what was decided, which motions were carried, and who agreed to do what by when.
That formality is the point. For boards, committees, member organisations and any business that needs a paper trail, the approved minutes are what everyone later relies on. Three things separate useful minutes from a transcript nobody reads:
- They record outcomes, not conversation. The decision and the vote, not the twenty minutes of debate before it.
- Every action has an owner and a date. Minutes without owners are a story; minutes with owners are a plan.
- They get approved. Circulated within a couple of days, corrected while memories are fresh, and signed off at the next meeting.
What to include in meeting minutes
| Section | What it records | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting details | Date, time, location, meeting type | Include how people attended (in person, video) |
| Attendees & apologies | Who was there, who sent apologies | Note the chair and the minute-taker |
| Approval of previous minutes | Accepted as accurate, or corrections | First item in most formal meetings |
| Agenda items | A short summary per item | Outcomes, not the debate |
| Motions & votes | Proposed by, seconded by, result | The heart of the legal record |
| Decisions | What was agreed, plainly stated | One line each; no ambiguity |
| Action items | Task, owner, due date | The section everyone checks next time |
| Adjournment | Close time, next meeting date | Plus who will chair, if it rotates |
Free meeting minutes template (plain text, Google Docs, Notion)
Three ways to finished minutes, from most hands-on to fully done for you. Copy the plain text straight into Google Docs or Notion if that’s where your minutes live.
The plain-text template
The formal structure, ready to fill in yourself.
MEETING MINUTES · [Organisation] · [Meeting type]
Date: [date] · Time: [start]–[end] · Location: [place / video]
Chair: [name] · Minutes: [name]
1. ATTENDANCE
Present: …
Apologies: …
2. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
[Approved as circulated / approved with corrections: …]
3. AGENDA ITEMS
3.1 [Item]: summary of the outcome
Decision: …
4. MOTIONS
Motion: [wording]
Proposed: [name] · Seconded: [name] · Result: [carried / defeated]
5. ACTION ITEMS
[Action] → [owner] → [due date]
6. ADJOURNMENT
Meeting closed at [time]. Next meeting: [date].
Approved by: ______________ Date: ______
The AI prompt
Prefer to use your own AI? Copy this into Claude or ChatGPT with your transcript, and it writes the minutes.
--- title: Meeting Minutes Generator description: A prompt that turns a meeting transcript or rough notes into formal, approval-ready meeting minutes. author: readywhen source: https://readywhen.ai/meeting-minutes-template homepage: https://readywhen.ai license: CC BY 4.0 (free to use and share with attribution to readywhen) version: 1.0 updated: 2026-07-10 keywords: [meeting minutes, meeting minutes template, formal minutes, board minutes, minute taking] --- # Meeting Minutes Generator _By readywhen, the senior AI employee for small-business owners. Full guide + free template: https://readywhen.ai/meeting-minutes-template_ You are turning a meeting transcript (or rough notes) into formal meeting minutes: the official record, ready to circulate for approval. ## Principles - Record outcomes, not conversation. Decisions, motions and actions, never the debate. - Name every motion: proposed by, seconded by, result. - Every action gets an owner and a due date. Chase down both if the transcript is vague. - Neutral, past tense, third person. No opinions, no colour. - Keep it to 1 to 3 pages. ## Structure 1. Meeting details: date, time, location, chair, minute-taker. 2. Attendance: present, apologies. 3. Approval of previous minutes. 4. Agenda items: one short outcome summary each. 5. Motions: wording, proposer, seconder, result. 6. Action items: action, owner, due date. 7. Adjournment: close time, next meeting. ## What I need from you The transcript or your notes · the attendee list (or I will extract it) · the organisation and meeting type · anything decided off-record that should be minuted. Ask me for anything missing before you write. --- _Made by readywhen. readywhen drafts your minutes from your own transcript automatically, so you just approve. https://readywhen.ai/meeting-minutes-template_
Let readywhen do itRecommended
The template and the prompt still leave you finding the transcript, listing the attendees and typing it all up. readywhen already knows the meeting, so it drafts the minutes the moment it ends. You just approve and circulate.
Because readywhen already knows who was in the room and what was said, it drafts your minutes in ~45 seconds, not the hour you’d spend replaying the recording and typing up who agreed to what.
Formal vs simple minutes, and meeting minutes vs notes
Not every meeting needs the full formal treatment. A board or committee meeting needs motions, votes and an approval trail. A weekly management meeting usually needs the simple version: decisions, actions, owners, done. The template above collapses cleanly: delete the motions section and it becomes simple minutes.
And if nobody ever needs to approve the record, you don’t need minutes at all: you need meeting notes, the informal, everyday takeaways. We’re publishing a free meeting notes template as its own page soon; until then, the action items section of this template does the everyday job.
Let readywhen draft minutes from your transcript
Your notetaker already captured the meeting. readywhen reads that transcript, checks the attendee list against your calendar, pulls last meeting’s minutes for the approvals item, and hands you a formal draft to approve, not a blank template to fill. Notetakers like Otter and Granola are connectors it reads, never tools it replaces.
Works with your existing tools
How to write meeting minutes in 5 steps
Doing it by hand, or with the AI prompt above? This is the method.
- Set up from the agenda. Copy the agenda into your template before the meeting, with attendees pre-filled.
- Record decisions, not dialogue. Capture what was decided, moved and voted, not who said what along the way.
- Name every motion. Who proposed, who seconded, and the result. This is what makes minutes the official record.
- Give every action an owner and a date. An action without both is a suggestion.
- Circulate for approval within 48 hours. Fresh minutes get corrected; stale ones get disputed.
Meeting minutes FAQs
What are meeting minutes?
The formal, approved record of a meeting: who attended, what was decided, the motions and votes, and the actions agreed. Unlike informal notes, minutes are circulated and approved as the official record.
What should be included in meeting minutes?
Date, time and location, attendees and apologies, approval of the previous minutes, a summary of each agenda item, motions and votes, decisions, action items with owners, and the time of adjournment.
How do you write minutes for a formal meeting?
Follow the agenda, record decisions and motions rather than every word, name who proposed and seconded each motion, list actions with owners and dates, and circulate the draft for approval while the meeting is fresh.
What is the difference between meeting minutes and meeting notes?
Minutes are the formal, approved record with a set structure. Notes are informal takeaways for everyday meetings. If nobody needs to approve the record, you probably want notes.
How long should meeting minutes be?
As short as the meeting allows. Record what was decided and who does what next, not the whole conversation. One to three pages covers most meetings.
Is there a meeting minutes template for Google Docs or Notion?
Yes. Copy the plain-text template on this page into Google Docs or Notion, or download it as a file. All formats are free.
Can't I just use ChatGPT or Claude to write my minutes?
Yes. Paste the transcript and a good prompt into either and you get a solid draft. readywhen is the version you do not have to direct: it already knows the meeting, the attendees and last time's minutes, so the draft is ready before you ask.
More templates for meetings and follow-ups
Meeting notes
The informal, everyday takeaways: decisions, actions, done.
Decision log
A running record of what was decided, and why.
Action items & recap
Who owes what by when, sent right after the meeting.
Stop typing up minutes. Approve them instead.
Draft your minutes free with readywhen
About the author and editorial standards
About the author. Sançar Şahin is co-founder and CMO of readywhen. readywhen catches everything you say you’ll do and helps you move it forward: drafted, chased or flagged, ready when you are. He builds readywhen in public on LinkedIn.
Editorial standards. No paid placements. Conventions on minute-taking (record outcomes and motions, circulate promptly for approval) reflect common governance practice rather than a single authority. How this page was made: Sançar built the multi-agent research and drafting system behind it, checks its work at several phases, and approves the final page himself. To flag an error, email hello@readywhen.ai.
Last updated: 19 July 2026.