Project management relies on effective communication, and one crucial aspect of successful communication in project management is taking quality meeting minutes. Regardless of which project management methodology you adopt, minutes are needed. Meeting minutes are the written record of a meeting that summarises the discussions, agreements, and decisions made during the meeting. However, great meeting minutes provide a clear and concise summary of the meeting, informing stakeholders and ensuring everyone is on the same page. In this article, we’ll discuss tips for writing better meeting minutes for project management, taking effective meeting minutes, and taking quality meeting notes.

Start with a clear template

Having a clear and consistent template is essential when writing meeting minutes. A meeting minute template should include the date and time of the meeting, the attendees, the agenda, and discussion points. A clear structure for meeting minutes helps keep notes organised and focused during meetings. Fluid Meetings allows you to add your own templates in, complete with your company branding, or choose from one of the many templates available. By using the same format each time, stakeholders can quickly find the information they need.

Listen actively and take concise notes

Active listening is a critical skill for taking effective meeting minutes. As a minute taker, it’s essential that you focus on the discussion and take concise notes. Avoid writing everything said during the meeting and focus on the essential points and decisions made. Abbreviations and symbols may help you take notes more efficiently. Taking your meeting minutes directly on Fluid saves you the hassle of writing notes and then typing them up later, at which point you may not clearly remember what each point was in connection to. Recording your minutes directly on Fluid clearly keeps the entire meeting minutes under the project as a good point of reference in the future.

Record actions and decisions

Meeting minutes are used to document the decisions made during the meeting. Recording the actions that need to be taken and who is responsible for each action is a very important expected outcome. This accountability ensures everyone knows what’s expected of them, and can refer back to the meeting minutes whenever you need to. When recording your meeting minutes on Fluid, you can directly tag people into their relevant actions and Fluid will even send them reminders as the due date nears, saving you time from chasing up actions later and helping to keep your project on schedule.  

Use clear and concise language

Using clear and concise language is essential when writing meeting minutes. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that may be unfamiliar to some stakeholders, if your audience doesn’t understand what a point means it’s unlikely that will be able to act on it – effective communication is a must! Bullet points and short sentences make the meeting minutes easy to read and digest. Having your template already in Fluid ensures the meeting minutes are laid out in the best possible way and clear to understand.  

Proofread and edit

After writing the meeting minutes, proofread and edit them. Check for any spelling or grammar errors and ensure the meeting minutes are clear and accurate. This process helps avoid confusion and ensures stakeholders have an accurate record of the meeting. If you’ve recorded your notes on Fluid during the meeting, you can save them and always go back and edit until you’re ready to distribute. This gives you time to double check any actions or decisions you’re unsure about with the relevant stakeholders.  

Distribute the minutes promptly

Finally, promptly distribute the meeting minutes to all stakeholders after the meeting. This step ensures everyone is on the same page and reduces confusion about decisions made during the meeting. Distributing meeting minutes promptly helps stakeholders to feel as though their time and input were valuable, remember effective stakeholder management helps a project’s success. Once all your edits are finalised, you can distribute the meeting minutes through Fluid and it automatically sends this to the relevant people. The reminders on completing actions after the meeting is also helpful to keep everyone on track.

Key Takeaways

Taking effective meeting minutes is an essential part of project management. By using a clear template, actively listening, documenting actions and decisions, using clear language, proofreading and editing, and promptly distributing the minutes, you can create quality meeting notes. These notes will help keep your project on track and stakeholders informed. Remember, taking quality meeting notes benefits everyone involved in meetings and project management. Fluid makes your working life that much easier with its all-in-one PPM software solution, designed to take the faff out of admin! Chat with the Fluid team today to start saving time.