Writing Meeting Minutes: 3 Ideas to Help

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3 Language tips on writing meeting minutes

Writing meeting minutes can be tricky if you are not used to it. Every company has their own style or tips and tricks, but here are three language tips which could help you, or your team assistant, in the future:

When reporting what was said usually we use past tenses, but in writing meeting minutes it pays to at least start with the present simple. This should keep the grammar simpler in the rest of the topic (for the writer and the reader) and gives the impression that the minutes are up-to-date. Compare:

• “Kevin discusses an overall overview of impacted headcounts by country. One of the German members was offered a new role and re-employed.”
• “Kevin discussed an overall overview of impacted headcounts by country. One of the German members had been offered a new role and re-employed.”
• “The spokesperson says that there were no questions from the countries in question.”
• “The spokesperson said that there had been no questions from the countries in question”.

Vary the different verbs you use by finding synonyms for ‘says’ and ‘asks’.

Here are a few:

• explains
• questions
• queries
• requests
• reports
• challenges
• states
• raises (a question / point)
• responds
• replies
• mentions
• contradicts

(Try not to forget to add the ‘s’ / third person singular!)

Demonstrate and link conversations that were made by using some of the following expressions:

• “In reference / Referring to this point, John states….”
• “In reaction / Reacting to Mr. Miller’s point, John requests…”
• “In follow up to / Following up Mr. Jack’s comments, John explains…”
• “Continuing his topic of XYZ, Frank reports….”

Click here for more information on how to improve writing meeting minutes. If you have any comments or tips to add, please write them in the comments area below.