Guide · Updated September 15, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Write Meeting Minutes (Template + AI Shortcut)
Meeting minutes exist so nobody has to remember what was agreed. Yet writing them is the job everyone avoids: someone scribbles during the meeting, cleans it up hours later, and half the action items lose their owner on the way. Here is what good minutes contain, a template you can copy, and how to get the first draft from AI.
TL;DR
Meeting minutes are a short record of a meeting: who attended, what was decided, and who does what by when. Use a fixed template — meeting details, attendees, agenda, key points, decisions, action items with owners and deadlines, next meeting. To save time, record the meeting in an app like Soliqo, which returns decisions and action items with names, then paste them into the template and send the minutes within 24 hours.
What are meeting minutes?
Minutes are the official record of a meeting — the decisions made and the tasks assigned. They are not a transcript: good minutes fit on one page even for an hour-long meeting.
What should meeting minutes include?
Every set of minutes needs the same core blocks, in the same order, so readers know where to look.
- Meeting details — name, date, time, place or link
- Attendees — who was present, who sent apologies, who took the minutes
- Agenda — the topics, in order
- Key points — one or two lines per topic, not the whole discussion
- Decisions — what was agreed, stated plainly
- Action items — who does what, by when (for example: Jana — send the offer — Friday)
- Next meeting — the date and any open questions to carry over
How do you write meeting minutes step by step?
Prepare the template from the agenda, capture decisions and owners during the meeting, write it up the same day, and send it for confirmation.
- 1
Prepare before the meeting
Copy the template and fill in the details and the agenda, so during the meeting you only add what changes.
- 2
Capture decisions, not speeches
During the meeting note what is decided and who owns each task. Skip the back-and-forth.
- 3
Write it up within 24 hours
Turn your notes into the final minutes while the meeting is still fresh. Keep each point to one or two lines.
- 4
Send and confirm
Share the minutes with everyone who attended and ask them to flag corrections by a set date.
Can AI write meeting minutes for you?
AI can write the first draft. Record the meeting, and an app like Soliqo returns key points, decisions, and action items with names — which map directly onto the minutes template.
You still own the final version. Read the draft, add anything the recording missed, and confirm owners and deadlines before you send it — especially for decisions with money or legal consequences. The transcript stays available if someone asks what exactly was said.
Do you need consent to record a meeting for the minutes?
Tell participants that you are recording, and why. In Czechia, § 86 of the Civil Code protects people against sound recordings of their private life made without consent; § 88 lists exceptions.
Announcing the recording at the start is the simplest way to stay on the safe side — and it tends to make the meeting more focused, not less. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Who should take the minutes?
Anyone except the person chairing the meeting — running a discussion and recording it at the same time is hard. With a recording app, whoever sends the minutes simply reviews the AI draft.
How long should minutes be?
Usually one page. If they run longer, you are probably recording the discussion instead of the decisions.
Are minutes the same as a transcript?
No. A transcript is every word; minutes are the decisions and the tasks. Soliqo gives you both, so the minutes can stay short while the details remain available.