Meeting notes tips: How to take notes & track actions

Meetings are an important part of projects, serving as the space where decisions are made and team members connect. While meetings are a key step to making good decisions, where do those ideas go? If it's not clear whose responsibility it is to take notes, ideas, and action items can get lost.

The best way to ensure crucial information and context are documented is through meeting notes and meeting minutes. In this article, we'll cover the difference between notes and minutes, explore proven note-taking methods, and share practical tips to help you capture the information your team needs to move forward.

What are meeting notes?

Meeting notes are written records of the key points, decisions, and action items discussed during a meeting. Unlike formal meeting minutes, meeting notes have no set structure; you can adapt your format and note-taking technique to fit your role and preferences

What are meeting minutes?

Meeting minutes are a formal note-taking format used as official documents in auditors' reports or legal proceedings. They follow a set structure that includes:

• Date and time of the meeting, plus when it started and ended.

• Names of meeting participants and individuals who were invited but unable to attend.

• Topics discussed during the meeting.

• Key decisions made, including motions accepted or rejected.

• Action items and the date of the next meeting.

The term "meeting minutes" comes from the Latin minuta scriptura ("small notes"); it refers to condensed notes, not minute-by-minute transcription.

Meeting notes vs meeting minutes

For most project managers, informal meeting notes work well for day-to-day discussions. Formal meeting minutes are better suited for official proceedings that require documentation

Benefits of taking good meeting notes

Good meeting notes create accountability, improve team alignment, and ensure decisions don't get lost. Here's why they matter:

Document decisions

Written records help team members reference decisions made at a specific point in time. Meeting notes maintain accountability and serve as a resource you can revisit throughout a project.

Store all meeting notes in a designated space as a central source of truth. This helps team members catch up quickly if they miss a meeting or need context on past discussions.

Offer asynchronous participation

When team members can't attend a meeting, shared notes help them catch up and contribute to the decision-making process on their own time. This is especially valuable for distributed teams working across time zones.

Improve recall

German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted some of the first experiments on memory and recall in 1895. In this study, he developed the forgetting curve, which shows how information is quickly lost over time without effort to retain it.

Effective note-taking can help you recall information faster, and applying proven memorization techniques ensures that information is retained over time. The more you interact with notes, like reading over meeting notes a day later, the more likely you are to remember the decisions made.

What to include in your meeting notes format

Effective meeting notes capture the information your team needs to move forward. Include these key elements:

• Agenda items and discussion points: List each topic covered and summarize the main points discussed under each one.

• Action items and next steps: Note the task, the person responsible, and the due date. A project management tool like Asana helps you assign and track these items.

• Key decisions: Document what was decided and any context that led to the decision.

• Ideas and takeaways: Capture insights, questions, or breakthroughs worth revisiting later.

How to take meeting notes

Taking effective meeting notes requires preparation, active listening, and organized documentation. Follow these steps to take good meeting notes:

Step 1: Prepare before the meeting

Review the meeting agenda beforehand and familiarize yourself with the topics to be discussed. This will help you focus on key points during the meeting. Set up your note-taking tools, whether it's a physical notebook, a Google Doc, or a specialized app like Asana.

Step 2: Record key information during the meeting

As the meeting progresses, jot down important details, decisions, and action items. Don't try to write word-for-word; instead, focus on capturing the essence of the discussion. If you're using a digital tool, you can use features like transcription or AI meeting assistance to accurately record the conversation.

Step 3: Organize and format meeting notes

After the meeting, take a few minutes to review and summarize your notes. Use headings, bullet points, and formatting to make the information easy to read and navigate. If you're using a collaborative note tool, make sure to structure the notes in a way that's clear and accessible to all team members.

Step 4: Review and distribute your meeting notes

Before sharing your notes, double-check for accuracy and clarity. Add any missing details or context that may be helpful for meeting participants. Once finalized, share the notes with all relevant stakeholders, using tools like Asana, Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet to distribute them efficiently.

9 proven tips for taking better meeting notes

Great meeting notes can help you stay on top of actionable tasks and key deliverables. Any important discussions that happen will be documented in your meeting notes, so your team members can refer back to them later.

1. Choose a note-taking method that works for you

Find a method that fits your role and learning style. Common approaches include:

• Cornell method: Divide your page into two columns; key points on the left, details on the right.

• Outline method: Use the meeting agenda as your structure and take notes under each agenda item.

• Quadrant method: Split your page into four sections: general notes, your action items, others'action items, and questions.

• Slide method: Get the presentation deck in advance and add notes directly to each slide.

2. Ditch the laptop, use pen and paper instead

Research shows that taking notes by hand is better for long-term retention of conceptual information. When taking meeting notes, you're more likely to focus on key takeaways since it's almost impossible to write everything word-for-word. Not having your laptop also prevents multitasking during the team meeting.

3. Don't transcribe everything verbatim

Trying to capture every word wastes time and energy. Focus on key points, decisions, and next steps; not every part of the conversation needs to be documented.

If handwriting, use shorthand, symbols, or abbreviations to capture ideas quickly. Create a legend so you can decode your notes later.

4. Use a meeting notes template

Whether you're using a meeting note template or a meeting minute template, using a pre-built template can help expedite your note-taking. Regardless of who is taking notes, all of your meeting notes will follow a consistent structure, and everyone on the team will know what information to expect.

5. Assign a specific note-taker for the meeting

If you're leading a meeting, it can be challenging to take notes and facilitate the discussion at the same time. Ask a team member to take notes for you if you're leading an important meeting. For recurring meetings, rotate the designated note-taker so everyone has a chance to join the conversation.

6. Transcribe conversations with recording software

With many teams working remotely, it can be easier to record a video instead of writing meeting notes. Use integrations like the Zoom + Asana integration to transcribe the conversation so team members can read it later.

Alert everybody that they will be recorded and what the recording will be used for before starting. Share both the recording and transcript in a central location accessible to the whole team.

7. Highlight important points of contact

If someone brings up something that may require follow-up later, make sure to write their name at that point. This way, if you have questions or need to sync up with them later, you know exactly who to talk to about this specific topic.

This technique is also helpful if two stakeholders disagree on a topic. By documenting both of their opinions, you can use those arguments as the groundwork for the decision you ultimately decide to make.

8. Share your screen so that everyone can see your notes

If you work on a distributed team or work remotely, you're likely to be in a lot of video conferences. Sharing your screen while taking notes can be helpful for your team members. If you miss anything, your team can help jump in and suggest points to add in real time.

9. Share your meeting notes with all attendees

Following up after a meeting is a good way to ensure that all stakeholders have clarity on the decisions made. If anyone misses the meeting, they can catch up asynchronously by reading your meeting notes. Plus, if any points were missed, your team can add them to the follow-up notes.

When you follow up with stakeholders after the meeting, ensure that the document is easily shareable and accessible. Work with your team to create a communication plan, so everyone knows exactly where this information is stored and how to access it later.

Taking meeting notes manually vs. with AI tools

Choosing the right approach depends on your meeting type, team size, and how you plan to use the notes afterward.

Many teams use a hybrid approach: AI handles transcription while a designated person captures strategic insights. Always review AI-generated notes for accuracy before sharing.

When evaluating AI meeting tools, consider:

• Integration: Does it connect with your existing workflow and project management tools?

• Accuracy: How reliable is the transcription for your team's terminology?

• Action item conversion: Can you turn notes into tasks without extra steps?

How to turn meeting notes into action items

Productive meetings, whether virtual or in-person, result in clear action items and a solid action plan for next steps. To streamline the process of converting your meeting notes into actionable tasks:

1. Ensure your meeting notes format includes a dedicated section for action items.

2. Review your notes after the meeting and extract all action items. Be specific about what needs to be done, who is responsible, and any due dates.

3. Communicate the action items to all meeting participants via email or your team's collaboration platform.

Example: After a board meeting, review your meeting note-taking and identify action items such as "John to prepare Q2 financial report by June 15th" or "Mary to present new marketing strategy at next board meeting."

Use meeting notes to build a knowledge base

Your meeting notes contain insights that benefit your team long after the meeting ends. Building a knowledge base from your notes helps you:

• Capture decisions, discussions, and lessons learned in one place

• Create a searchable repository your team can reference anytime

• Help team members learn from past experiences and avoid repeating mistakes

• Foster a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous improvement

AI meeting tools and automated transcription services can streamline this process, making it easier to build your knowledge base over time.

Example: If your team holds regular virtual meetings to discuss project updates, you can use an AI-powered tool to transcribe the conversation and automatically recap and store the notes in your knowledge base. This saves time on manual meeting note-taking and ensures that valuable information is captured and accessible to all team members.

Centralize actionable meeting notes

The best way to keep meeting notes organized is to store them in the same place as your tasks and projects. A work management tool helps you connect decisions to work, track action items, and maintain accountability, all without switching between tools.

Ready to bring your team's work together in one shared space? Get started with Asana to centralize your meeting notes and keep projects moving forward.

Frequently asked questions about meeting notes