Template for a regular meeting
This template suits a team meeting, project meeting or works council meeting. Every agenda item has the same three parts: introduction, discussion and decision. At the bottom there is a decision list and an action list, so nobody has to read the whole text to know what needs to happen.
MINUTES [name of meeting] Date: [dd-mm-yyyy] Time: [from] to [to] Location: [room / Teams / Google Meet] Chair: [name] Minute taker: [name] Present: [names] Apologies: [names] 1. Opening and agenda [Who opens, changes to the agenda.] 2. Minutes of the previous meeting [Approved without changes / approved with these changes: ...] [Status of last time's action items: see action list.] 3. [Agenda item] Introduction: [Who raised it, what is the question.] Discussion: [Core of the discussion in a few sentences. Positions, not a literal record. Only name people when it matters.] Decision: [What was decided, as concretely as possible. Or: no decision, returns on (date).] 4. [Agenda item] Introduction: Discussion: Decision: 5. Any other business [Name]: [question or announcement, and the answer.] 6. Close [Closing time. Next meeting: date, time, location.] DECISION LIST D1. [date] [decision] D2. [date] [decision] ACTION LIST No. Action Who Deadline Status A1. [what needs to happen] [name] [date] open A2. [what needs to happen] [name] [date] open
The Word file is in Dutch and contains both templates from this page, with headings and tables you can fill in right away.
Short variant: decision list for a board or association
A board meeting, the general meeting of an association or a homeowners' association often only records what was decided. A decision list is shorter, quicker to approve and less prone to arguments about who said what. Record the vote with each decision if there was one, and track commitments separately. A municipal council also has fixed rules in that municipality's rules of procedure; follow those rules where they prescribe something different.
DECISION LIST [board / association / committee] Meeting of [dd-mm-yyyy], [location] Present: [names] Absent: [names] Chair: [name] Item Subject Decision Vote 1 Agenda Adopted - 2 Decision list [date] Adopted - 3 [subject] [decision, with amount or date] [unanimous / x for, y against] 4 [subject] [decision] [vote] Commitments C1. [name] commits to [what] by [date]. Noted - [document or announcement] Adopted at the meeting of [date]. [name of chair] [name of secretary]
How to write good minutes
Decisions and action items are two different things
A decision is a choice made by the group: "The budget for the summer drinks will be €400." An action item is work for one person with a date: "Sanne requests three quotes, before 1 June." An action item without a name is done by nobody. A decision without a date or amount leads to the same discussion at the next meeting.
Summarised, not literal
Minutes are almost always summarised: the core of the discussion in your own words. A literal record is only needed where every word counts, such as a council meeting, a hearing or a disciplinary case. Write in the past or present tense, but keep it consistent. Leave out opinions that did not contribute to the decision. Anyone who wants a remark recorded literally can ask for that.
Send within a few days
The sooner the minutes go out, the better people remember the conversation and the sooner action items are picked up. A rule of thumb many organisations use is within a week, and the action list preferably on the same day. Send a draft to the chair first if that is the custom.
Have them approved
At the next meeting the minutes are item 2 on the agenda: approve, possibly with changes. Only then are they final. Record the changes in the new minutes rather than quietly editing the old ones.
Faster minutes from a transcript
A minute taker does two things at once: take part and write along. With a recording that is no longer necessary. Murmel turns the meeting into a transcript with speakers, and you use it as your source. Murmel does not write the minutes itself and does not make summaries: the transcript is the raw material, the template above is the form.
- Capture the meetingOnline: let the note taker for Teams and Google Meet join. In a room: record with the Opnemen button in the Studio, on a laptop or phone in the middle of the table.
- Give the speakers their namesMurmel separates the speakers. Rename "Speaker 1" to the chair and so on, so you can see right away in your minutes who raised what.
- Find the decisions per agenda itemSearch the editor for words like "decide", "agreed" or "who will take". Click a sentence to replay that part of the audio if something is unclear.
- Fill in the templateWrite the discussion per item in a few sentences and copy decisions and actions literally where possible. Keep the transcript as an attachment or in a Murmel project, in case there is later disagreement about what was said.
An hour of meeting costs €1.45 incl. VAT with prepaid credits; Basic costs €10.89 per month incl. VAT for 12 hours. See pricing. More on the process at meeting minutes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between minutes and a decision list?
Minutes also describe the discussion per agenda item. A decision list only names the decisions, possibly with the vote and commitments. Boards and associations often choose a decision list because it is shorter and approved faster.
Should I name people in the minutes?
For action items always: otherwise nobody does them. In the discussion only when it matters, for example when someone submits a proposal or wants a dissenting view recorded.
Can I adapt the template?
Yes, it is free to use and adapt. Add your own logo, remove what you do not use.
Does Murmel make minutes automatically?
No. Murmel delivers an accurate transcript with speakers. You write the minutes yourself, with this template. That way you decide what goes in.