Office and committee · OC-01

Meeting Minutes Sheet

A free printable minutes form — present and apologies, one row per agenda item with the decision, then the actions with owners and dates.

Download Free · no sign-up

2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.

Print it and write on it

A4 57 kB US Letter 57 kB

Fill it in type and save

A4 156 kB US Letter 156 kB

The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.

What this sheet is for

Take minutes that stay useful, by giving most of the page to the two things anyone actually reads them for later: what was decided and who agreed to do what.

Who it is for

Committees, clubs, residents' associations, charities, school groups, small businesses and anyone who has been handed the minute book.

How to use it

Fill in the header before the meeting starts, including the finish time.
Write the decision as a sentence that would make sense to somebody absent.
Put every action in the actions table with a name and a date, even the small ones.
Read the actions back before people leave. That is when errors get caught.
Circulate within a few days — minutes agreed a month later are half-remembered.

What is on the sheet

2 pages, in this order:

Page 1

Printed under the title: Minutes for one meeting: who was there, what was decided, and who agreed to do what by when.

Decisions and actions, not a transcript. Minutes are a record of decisions and actions, not a transcript. The layout below gives most of the page to those two things because they are what anyone reads the minutes for six months later.

Write-on lines: Group or committee · Meeting · Date · Start · Finish · Place or link · Chair · Minutes taken by

Present and apologies

Table, 3 rows: Present · Apologies · In attendance

Items — one row per agenda item — the discussion in brief, then what was decided

Table, 5 rows: No. · Item · Discussion in brief · Decision

Page 2

Actions — every one of these needs a name and a date against it

Table, 17 rows: No. · Action agreed · Owner · By when · Done

Write-on lines: Date of next meeting · Place · Minutes approved on

Questions

How much of the discussion should I record?

Enough that the decision makes sense, and no more. Minutes are not a transcript, and a long minute is less likely to be read or approved.

Do minutes have to be kept in a particular form?

That depends on what kind of body you are and where you are. Registered charities, companies and public bodies often have specific duties about records and how long to keep them; a book club does not. Check what applies to you — this sheet takes no position on it.