Assuming that meeting participants will work on all the tasks assigned to them in a meeting is simply not responsible. Following up is critical. By sending out a meeting summary, or meeting notes, after your session will ensure that people stay organized and take accountability for their tasks.
This article will outline how to take post-meeting notes and which tool can help you do this more efficiently!

What are Post Meeting Notes and Minutes

Have you ever been in a situation where you try to look back on your meeting notes from a while ago and struggle to try to understand them? If the answer is yes, that means you need to spend more time on post-meeting notes and summaries!
Post-meeting notes are essentially a recap of everything that was discussed at a meeting, intended to be used as a reference for action points and decisions made. After all, the effectiveness of a meeting is usually determined by the results that come from decisions made during the session.
The more time you spend summarizing, storing, and following up on action points after a meeting, the less time you’ll waste later trying to sort through information that no longer makes sense.

Which Information Should be in Notes and Minutes

If you know Notiv, you know that we always talk about the importance of having a meeting agenda. Not only will it help you stay organized and on track during your call, but it can also serve as an outline for what to include in your post-meeting summary.
When you get into the rhythm of doing this for all your meetings, your meeting notes, and post-meeting notes will all be formatted the same way, making it easier for your colleagues to know what to expect when you share meeting notes with them. It’s a win-win for everyone.
For almost all types of meetings, there are certain bits of information that you should always include. Here are the most important ones:

1. Time and date of the meeting
Though this point seems obvious, writing down the meeting’s time and date can be helpful later when you review your notes to see what choices were taken and what steps you need to take as a result of the meeting.

2. Names of attendees
Make a list of attendees so that you can easily recall who was involved in the decisions and ideas discussed at the meeting. The best way to do this is to keep track of names as you send out (or receive) meeting invitations. Instead of hastily writing down names as participants enter the meeting room, you can prepare a list of names ahead of time and check them off as they come.

3. Topics discussed and decisions made
One of the most essential elements of your post-meeting notes is this section. Take notes on any significant discussions, roadblocks, or action plans that come up. Write them down when they’re being discussed rather than after the meeting so that you can recall them better.

4. Important questions and answers
Writing down any questions asked and answers offered during the meeting will help put the notes in context and better understand the expected outcomes, allowing you to collaborate more effectively with your team to achieve common goals.

5. Action items
Finally, list the actions that need to be taken, who is responsible for them, and when they are due. Unfortunately, we often only jot down action items that have been assigned to us, and as a result, we lose sight of the big picture and the overarching goals that we are attempting to reach with our teammates.
As a result of adding these things to your meeting notes and summary, you will have easy access to the most critical information from the meeting, right at your fingertips.

Things to Do After Meeting

After the meeting ends, you should write and distribute the meeting summary within 24 hours, if not sooner. With each passing hour, your capacity to remember and capture the details of each discussion point deteriorates.
Here are the steps you should take after your meeting comes to an end:

1. Consolidate your meeting notes
Often meeting notes are taken using different methods. For example, some people prefer pen and paper, while others record their meetings (more on this later!). Combining these different kinds of meeting notes is a difficult task since participants have varying styles of taking notes and the issue of repetitive data. By using a meeting recording tool, you can rely on a consistent notes style. Additionally, using a tool like Notiv will ensure that notes are taken in a clear format and are taken down in the correct order, based on the agenda.

2. Create the Meeting Notes/Minutes Document
Creating a document for your notes or meeting minutes is usually tedious. Unless you have a template already, it is long and laborious to do it from scratch.
Notiv, on the other hand, is a pro at this. By automating meeting notes and minutes, you can save yourself time and resources on more important tasks. Notiv provides a formatted and detailed summary of everything that went on in your meeting in just a few clicks.

3. Distribute the meeting notes
As we mentioned above, you should not waste time when it comes to sending out meeting notes in your follow-up email. If you do not send your meeting summary out promptly, people will lose accountability, and there may be delays with deadlines, causing a domino effect of unproductivity for everyone.
A meeting tool like Notiv allows you to send a summary to attendees immediately after the meeting ends. You’re also able to share Notiv’s recording and transcript with those who were unable to attend or people who need to be aware of the discussions and decisions made.
Notiv reduces the time between the end of the meeting and the distribution of the minutes/notes to the attendees, allowing for progress to be made faster.

4. Archive meeting minutes (if applicable)
This point only applies to meeting minutes, not notes!
Making meeting minutes available to staff is an important aspect of meeting management. Companies are required to establish accessibility procedures to ensure that only staff with access rights can view past meeting minutes due to security concerns. This requires uploading and organizing the minutes on a shared access drive in a logical manner.
With Notiv, users can easily search through past meetings for subjects, tasks, notes, or decisions linked to a specific search phrase and then combine the results into a single consolidated document if needed.

5. Focus on action items and tasks
Tasks are the foundation of progress, and many tasks are frequently addressed and assigned during a meeting. Unfortunately, because there are so many task tracking systems out there, duties assigned during meetings are often not adequately enforced and fall through the cracks.
Notiv helps you stay on track by sending you a summary of your meeting, which includes highlights and action points, so no information ever gets missed again.

6. Provide resources that were referenced
When sending out your meeting summary, be sure to include documents and other relevant information that was discussed but not distributed during the meeting. Doing this promptly will maintain interest and commitment to the agreed-upon goals.

Automation Tool for Meeting Notes & Minutes

As we’ve outlined in this article, Notiv is an excellent solution for all of your meeting management needs. Let us summarize.
Notiv records, transcribes, and summarizes your meetings with highlights and action points so that you can put your pen down and focus on having productive conversations.
Notiv connects to your Google or Office calendar, quietly slides into your meetings, and does all the note-taking for you in real-time. Then, with the help of speaker ID, Notiv builds up a speaker profile of attendees and helps you remember the details of your meeting word-for-word as they are being said.
After your meeting ends, Notiv sends you the recording, transcript, and summary to share with meeting participants or other people who need to be aware of what happened. Sending post-meeting summaries has never been easier!

To find out more about how Notiv works, click here.

Conclusion

To sum up, agreeing on action points and responsibilities during a meeting and expecting perfect results is just not enough. Following up is key to making sure deadlines are met.
Often, people need to be reminded of their responsibilities and tasks. Not following up with them may send the message that not much action is expected. So, take time after your meeting to properly format and send out the meeting summary.

Click here to find out more about how Notiv can help you with your team meetings.