How Do You Write a Summary of a Meeting?

30/06/2025

A meeting summary is vital to ensure all teammates stay informed and accountable. A quality summary covers the main points of the discussion, decisions, and duties allocated, but is never a copy of everyone’s speech. 

This guide focuses on practical ways to write a summary of a meeting.

Guidelines for Crafting an Effective Meeting Summary

Crafting the summary of your meeting is often not an easy task when it was a lengthy one. For any kind of meeting, you can write a proper and well-structured summary using this method.

Get ready for the meeting in advance

A good summary depends on your being well prepared. Look at the meeting agenda ahead of time so that you know the main topics and purpose of the meeting. 

If you are in charge of writing the summary, try using a notebook or a digital tool while taking notes. I suggest marking important ideas using bullet points to write down notes more quickly.

Pay attention to what is most important

While you are in the meeting, try to record these aspects:

Appointing the date and time for the meeting, and who will be attending

Important points to focus on

Decisions made

Specific things to do and the due dates

Assigned responsibilities

Do not document any stray conversations or quick chats. The purpose is to highlight the main findings in a form that users who need a fast summary can find helpful.

Don’t wait too long to write your summary.

Write the summary of the meeting as soon as it closes so you don’t forget the important points. 

As a result, the risk of errors or missed opportunities is reduced. Write as if you are in a corporate environment, using formal language and trying to avoid taking sides.

Organize the summary in an orderly way

Although there are several templates to summarize a meeting, choose what suits your style. Here is the outline you can use:

Summary of the Meeting

Date & Time: [In this section, write the date and time of the event]

Attendees: [Put in all the attendees’ names here]

Give a summary of what was part of the agenda.

Essential Items to Talk About

These texts bring forward the following essential points:

[Topic 2 – summary of the discussion]

Decisions Made:

[Decision 1]

[Decision 2]

Action Items:

[Task 1] belongs to [Name] – it should be completed by [Date]

[Task 2] Has been handed to [Name] and is due on [Date]

With this format, it is very simple to look back at your summary in the future.

Aim to keep everything pointed and free from personal bias

Don’t include your personal views or show emotions in your document. The main job of a meeting summary is to keep readers informed and give them advice, not try to persuade them. Every section should be brief, and you can use bullets or numbers when fitting.

Ensure you talk to the right individuals.

After preparing the summary, give it to all participants and the critical stakeholders. In this way, both people agree on the crucial points and are responsible for the future process. 

Options for sharing it are your company’s project management software, email, or the company’s system for document management.

Count on AI tools to save you time and be reliable

On specific content management platforms, AI summarizers allow you to prepare outlines or clean up your notes often. An AI summary solution will help you gather notes from a long talk.