“Let’s have a quick meeting to deal with that problem. Right now, in 5 minutes, all of you.” (c) Anyone whose meeting failed to be effective.
If your employees can’t remember most of the meeting details the next day, it’s not their fault. It’s just human nature. Some studies show that we forget up to 50% of the information we learned an hour ago. That’s why a meeting memorandum is one of the most ingenious business inventions, and it helps people recall key points and stay on the same page. Crafting a meeting memo is a rather tedious process, but we’ve created a guide to make it as easy as possible.
What Is a Meeting Memo?
A meeting memo is a document that summarizes the results of an online or live mandatory staff meeting. It’s a type of note that includes key points, decisions, and action items to take after the meeting. Depending on the intensity of the meeting, a memo is typically one to two pages long.
To clarify, a meeting memo is not a full transcript of the meeting, an audio or video recording, or a detailed history of the discussion, and it doesn’t include fragments of additional materials, like presentations.
What does a meeting memo contain?
- Date and time of the meeting;
- Topic and purpose of the meeting;
- List of attendees;
- Main topics discussed;
- Decisions made;
- Tasks, responsible parties, and deadlines;
- Links to important materials, such as presentations, reports, and attachments.
Your goal is to keep your memo clear and organized. You want the reader to be able to find each key point at a glance.
How to Write a Staff Meeting Memo in 3 Steps
Preparing a meeting memorandum starts at least a few days before the event.
Step 1. Prepare a meeting agenda
The first step is to create an agenda. Without it, the meeting can turn into a chaotic discussion with zero value. Here are the items the agenda should include:
- The purpose of the meeting. “Why are we here?”
- A list of key topics to be discussed. Don’t try to cram a bunch of tasks into one meeting. Our advice is to focus on 1-2 essential issues. Be specific:
❌ Discuss the problems with Project X.
✅ Identify the reasons for delays in project X and ways to speed up the work.
- Time to discuss each issue.
- Materials for review. Include reports, presentations, analyses — anything participants must review before the discussion.
- List of speakers. Outline the time allocated for their presentation.
Send the meeting announcement to participants at least 24–48 hours in advance.
It is a rough plan and may vary depending on your team’s needs. For example, a meeting agenda email might look like this:
Step 2. Prepare a meeting memo template
Here’s one of the millions of examples of meeting memo templates:
But let’s be clear: there is no one-size-fits-all sample template for a meeting memo. There are plenty of templates and guidelines out there that you can adapt to fit your company, work, or team dynamics. So, if your memo doesn’t look like some fancy template from Pinterest, that’s okay. The important thing is that it works for you.
In our opinion, there are several elements that every meeting memorandum should include:
- The purpose of the meeting. Be specific. Ideally, one meeting = one aim.
- Date and location. Include a link to the meeting.
- Key decisions and discussions. Again, clarity and precision are key. You are not transcribing the meeting; you are distilling its essence. The most convenient way to organize them is in tables for clarity.
- List of tasks and deadlines. Be sure to include everything, from the strategic to the tactical.
- It’s better to tag the person by email address, Slack nickname, etc., rather than just write a name
Tip
Before the online meeting, make sure everyone signs their real name, not a nickname like Captain Jack Sparrow.
- Include a link to anything that participants might need to continue their work. This could be a presentation from the meeting, reports, analysis documents, flow charts for completing certain tasks, a transcript or video of the meeting, etc.
You can also use AI tools to speed up memo crafting (we’ll discuss them later), but they usually don’t eliminate all the manual work.
Based on the agenda, consider what elements should be included in the template. For example, if you are going to brainstorm, you might need something like this:
Idea | Details | Assignee | Deadline |
Create a gift certificate | 3 pricing: $20, $50, $100 | Strategy — Conor
Design — Eva Copy — Max |
August 10 |
If you’re planning a project roadmap, a table like this could be useful:
Task | Assignee | Collaborators | Reporter | Prototype deadline | Final deadline |
Main page design | July | Max
Steven |
Alice | February, 15 | March, 1 |
Prepare any templates you need ahead of time, as you’ll likely need to work with several of them simultaneously. Below, we’ve provided 3 sample meeting templates you can customize to meet your needs.
Tip
Be sure to designate someone to take meeting notes. This person should not be directly involved in the discussion or organization of the meeting. If you’re using AI tools for memo creation (like summarizers or transcribers), the meeting facilitator could take on this role.
Step 3. Select a memo-writing tool
A meeting memorandum can be created manually or with the help of AI. Let’s take a look at some popular tools.
#1. Google docs: For free structured notes
Google Docs offers a solid option for meeting notes. It features handy tables, drop-down lists, and the ability to tag people by email address. You can find this functionality under Insert > Building Blocks.
To create a note template, you’ll have to tinker a bit to customize it for different types of meetings. You’ll also need to type everything in manually (or use Voice Typing in Tools > Voice Typing). But once you get the hang of it, your meetings will become much better. Here’s an example of how Google Docs memos may look like:
#2. Zoom AI: For Pro Zoom users
If you use Zoom exclusively for meetings, you may want to upgrade to the Pro level. This will give you access to Zoom AI Companion, which can summarize meetings. The host or co-host turns this feature on and sends the meeting summary to attendees at the end of the session. The summary is delivered via email and stored in a special group chat.
The summary will not look exactly like a meeting memorandum, but you can manually embed it in your template or use ChatGPT. Just send it the meeting details and your sample template and ask it to summarize the information.
https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0058013
#3. Spellar AI: For transcription and automated tasks
Spellar AI is a full-featured meeting tool. It doesn’t just create a transcript of the recording; it also edits it into readable text at your request. It creates meeting notes, but most importantly, Spellar AI identifies potential tasks that you can automatically send to Jira, Slack, or another app.
#4. Evernote: Audio + ready-made template
In our opinion, Evernote is a great tool for live meetings. It records and transcribes audio and offers ready-made meeting templates, including memos. Evernote doesn’t integrate with Zoom or Google Meet, so this may become an additional challenge for the moderator: they may have to juggle multiple apps. However, the samples look really appealing:
#5. Anchor AI (beta): All in one
Anchor AI focuses on several areas at once: recording, transcribing, creating automated notes and tasks, etc. It looks like a complete meeting note-taking tool with a great deal of potential. During our testing, however, we spotted some bugs in transcription and navigation, but since it’s still in beta, it’s worth keeping an eye on.
3 Meeting Memo Templates for Different Types of Meetings
AI apps make meeting memorandum creation easier but don’t eliminate all routine manual tasks. You’ll probably still need to have several templates on hand. We’ve created three examples that you can customize to suit your needs.
Template 1: Project kick-off meeting memo
Meeting Purpose: Initiate and outline the project
Date & Time: [Insert]
Location: [Location, virtual meeting link, recording link]
Attendees: [List]
Agenda: [Add]
Meeting Notes
- Project Objective: [State the main goal]
- Key Deliverables: [List deliverables]
- Milestones: [Outline them with deadlines]
Action Items
Task | Assigned To | Deadline | Notes |
———————— | ————————- | ———————- | ————————— |
Create project plan | [Name] | [Date] | Include stakeholder feedback |
Set up project tools | [Name] | [Date] | Tools: [e.g., Asana, Trello] |
Confirm team availability | [Name] | [Date] | Contact all team members |
Next Meeting | [Insert Date & Time] |
Template 2: Weekly status update meeting memorandum
Meeting Purpose: Review progress and address roadblocks
Date & Time: [Insert]
Location: [Location, virtual meeting link, recording link]
Attendees: [List]
Agenda: [Add]
Meeting Notes
- Project Status: [Brief summary]
- Achievements: [Key achievements since the last meeting]
- Roadblocks: [Challenges and possible solutions]
Action Items
Task | Assigned To | Deadline | Notes |
———————— | ————————- | ———————- | ————————— |
Resolve issue with X tool | [Name] | [Date] | Involve IT if needed |
Finalize report draft | [Name] | [Date] | Share draft with stakeholders |
Schedule team training | [Name] | [Date] | Focus on [specific area] |
Next Meeting | [Insert Date & Time] |
Template 3: Strategy planning meeting memo
Meeting Purpose: Develop and finalize strategic plans
Date & Time: [Insert]
Location: [Location, virtual meeting link, recording link]
Attendees: [List]
Agenda: [Add]
Meeting Notes
- Strategic goals: [Summarize main objectives]
- Market insights: [Highlight key trends discussed]
- Proposed initiatives: [List brainstormed ideas]
Action items
Task | Assigned To | Deadline | Notes |
———————— | ————————- | ———————- | ————————— |
Research competitor data | [Name] | [Date] | Prepare a report for the next meeting |
Draft strategy document | [Name] | [Date] | Ask for team feedback |
Develop implementation plan | [Name] | [Date] | Include resource requirements |
Next Meeting | [Insert Date & Time] |
Remember, you can adapt memos for yourself without following the conventional rules. The important thing is that they work for your team and reflect your processes. However, don’t hesitate to look online for inspiration, such as the Microsoft website, Sample Templates, or Canva.
FAQs
How to write a good meeting memo?
To write a good meeting memo, you need to keep it structured, clear, and detailed. Write down the main conclusions of the meeting, assigned tasks, people responsible for them, and deadlines.
Can ChatGPT write a memo?
Yes, ChatGPT can write a memo for you. Provide it with the meeting transcript and your memo template, and ask it to organize the information according to your template. If you don’t have a memo template, just provide a transcript and ask AI to craft it. Remember that AI can make mistakes, so check the results.
How do you write a perfect memo?
To write a perfect memo, write down the key points in a concise but detailed manner. Avoid redundant information. Notify assignees, preferably by email or messenger, so they receive notifications about the assigned tasks.
How to write effective meeting notes?
To write effective meeting notes, summarize the conclusions and key details of the meeting. Use subheadings and bullet points to organize the information. AI tools work well for summarizing meetings, including Zoom AI Companion, Spellar AI, and Anchor AI.
How do you make a memo look professional?
To make your memo look professional, use a clean template with well-organized and clear structure, consistent formatting, and special formatting tags (e.g., H2 or H3 for headings instead of the uppercase).
How to write detailed meeting minutes?
To write detailed minutes, start by including the date, time, attendees, and agenda in the doc. You need to follow a clear structure, such as topics discussed, suggestions, votes, and discussions. Unlike the meeting memorandum, minutes can be more detailed and include an expanded version of the discussion, motions, and quotes. Think of them as detailed notes, but still keep them concise.