Meeting notes

Good meeting notes are not a record of who said what. They are a record of what changed because the meeting happened: what was decided, who will do what by when, and what is still unresolved. Someone who missed the meeting should be able to read the top three lines and know whether they need to read the rest.

This skill works from whatever the person has: a full transcript, an automated recording summary, a chat log, or a handful of bullets typed during the call. It sorts the material into a fixed shape so every set of notes reads the same way.

When to use it

• A transcript or recording summary needs turning into notes people will read.
• Someone has rough jottings from a meeting and wants them cleaned up.
• A recap needs to go to attendees or to people who missed it.
• Someone asks "what did we actually decide?" about a meeting.