Hire Us

→ Save Your Spot! Our Free Webinar: Reduce org-wide meeting time and increase your productivity. Sign Up now ←

How To Write An Effective Meeting Summary (Step-by-Step & Examples)

An effective meeting summary should succinctly capture the key points discussed, decisions made, action items assigned, and follow-ups needed, in a clear, organized, and easy-to-understand manner.

Jannik Lindner
Jannik Lindner
  • Last Updated: February 28, 2024

A Meeting Summary is a documented overview of a meeting, encompassing key points, decisions made, assignments distributed, and the main thoughts and ideas expressed during the meeting. It serves as a valuable record for those who attended, and provides an insightful snapshot of the meeting’s discussions to those who were unable to attend.

A thorough meeting summary ensures that no significant points are missed and supports follow-ups and implementation of decisions. It contributes to better organization, increased productivity, and enhanced communication among team members.

How To Write An Effective Meeting Summary (Step-by-Step & Examples): Step-By-Step

1

Step 1: Preparation

In this step, the meeting’s goal should be clear, determining its overall purpose or objective. Craft a meeting agenda that aligns with this purpose, selecting topics relevant to the participants. Identify and invite the right individuals necessary for the discussions.

Determine the practical logistical details such as the venue or platform, date, time, and any resources or materials required. Finally, compile all these details into a comprehensive invite and distribute it to the chosen attendees.

Read more about Meeting Preparation.

Next Step
2

Step 2: Kick-Off

Initiating a meeting requires specific steps to ensure productivity and efficiency throughout. Begin by welcoming all attendees to foster a warm environment.

Next, present the agenda and clearly outline the necessary guidelines for the meeting, such as ensuring mobile phones are turned off and advocating respect for speaking turns. Lastly, communicate the desired outcome or objective of the gathering, which gives attendees a clear purpose and goal to work towards during the discussion.

Next Step
3

Step 3: Discussion

This phase is about discussing primary agenda items, exploring fresh ideas, arguing over various viewpoints, and reaching constructive solutions. It is crucial to provoke inclusive discussions, ensuring every participant has the opportunity to express their opinions, fostering openness and mutual respect within the meeting.

Recommendation
Advertisement

Want to run a better meeting? Try ZipDo, our Meeting Note Software.

  • Connect your Google Calendar
  • Automatically create a note for every meeting
  • Organize your meetings and meeting notes in a channel like Slack
Try ZipDo free
Next Step
4

Step 4: Decision-Making

Upon thorough discussion of all agenda topics and proposals, decisions should ideally be made either through a majority vote or via a unanimity of opinion.

Following these decisive moments, further implementation of the decisions often necessitates action items to be carried out post-meeting. These after-meeting tasks streamline the execution of the agreed measures, enabling effective and smooth progression of the team’s objectives and goals.

Next Step
5

Step 5: Closing

In this stage, all crucial decisions and associated action steps are concisely recorded, alongside the responsible individuals. It’s essential to ensure everyone understands their tasks. If needed, arrange a future meeting by setting a specific time and date.

Conclusion

Developing a comprehensive meeting summary is an integral part of effective communication and collaboration in a business environment. An efficient summary helps to keep attendees on the same page, reminds all relevant parties of their tasks and responsibilities, and acts as a safety net for crucial data and decisions made during meetings. It essentially becomes a documented guide towards the accomplishment of set objectives. Mastering the art of documentation is not immediate, but with practice, the right structure, and focusing on key aspects – objective, attendees, key points, decisions, and action items – anyone can create a meeting summary that truly enhances productivity and progress.

Jannik Lindner

I'm Jannik and I write on MeetingFever about the experiences from my career as a founder and team lead.

If you have any questions, please contact me via LinkedIn.

Linkedin

Popular Questions

What is a Meeting Summary?

A Meeting Summary is a document that outlines the key points discussed, decisions made, tasks assigned, and action items determined during a meeting. It serves as an official record of the meeting for participants and non-participants alike.

Why is a Meeting Summary important?

A Meeting Summary is critical because it keeps all attendees and relevant parties on the same page regarding what was discussed. They can refer to it as a reminder of tasks assigned and deadlines determined. Also, it serves as a document of records for future reference.

Who should prepare the Meeting Summary?

Typically, the person who is responsible for preparing the Meeting Summary is the one who served as the meeting’s note-taker. This could either be an assigned individual, such as a secretary or an assistant, or it could be the meeting’s facilitator or leader.

When should the Meeting Summary be shared with participants?

Ideally, the Meeting Summary should be shared with participants as soon as possible after the meeting concludes. This provides attendees with an immediate reference point and allows them to start on assigned tasks promptly.

What should a Meeting Summary include?

A Meeting Summary should include the date and time of the meeting, the list of attendees, key points discussed, decisions made, tasks assigned, and action items. It may also include the meeting’s purpose and objectives, as well as follow up procedures and deadlines.

Get free access to our meeting webinar

By submitting the form you are subscribing to our newsletter. Our newsletter contains information about new blog articles, other offers, tips and promotions from MeetingFever. You can unsubscribe at any time. Information on data protection, revocation, performance measurement and logging can be found in our privacy policy.

Take Test