Meeting Notes: Best Practices

Meeting notes are essential for keeping track of discussions, decisions, and action items during meetings. They help ensure that everyone is on the same page and that important information is documented for future reference. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of collecting effective meeting notes.

Step 1: Prepare in Advance

Set Up Your Note-Taking Tools

Before the meeting starts, make sure you have the necessary tools ready:

A notebook and pen, if you prefer handwritten notes.

A laptop or tablet opened to your project's meeting in Privv.

Access to the meeting agenda, if available.

All you need to do to take notes in Privv is to navigate to the meeting tool, click the Plus sign to add a new meeting and enter the date and title. From there you will be able to create a new meeting and add people, documents, new tasks and notes!

Familiarize Yourself with the Agenda

Review the meeting agenda or any pre-meeting documents. Understanding the purpose and topics of the meeting will help you anticipate what information to capture.

Listen Actively

During the meeting, pay close attention to what's being discussed. Actively listening allows you to identify key points, decisions, and action items that need to be documented.

Note-Taking Techniques

Employ effective note-taking techniques:

Use bullet points or numbered lists for organized information.

Highlight important points or decisions.

Distinguish between action items, questions, and general discussion points.

If a new task is mentioned in the meeting, you can create it right in Privv and assign it to the relevant participants

Document Essential Information

Capture the following details:

Meeting date, time, and location (if applicable).

List of attendees, including their names and roles.

Meeting objectives and agenda items.

Key discussion points.

Decisions made during the meeting.

Action items with assigned responsibilities and deadlines.

Clarify If Necessary

Don't hesitate to ask for clarification during the meeting if something is unclear. Accurate notes require a clear understanding of the discussed topics.

Structure Your Notes

After the meeting, organize your notes logically. You can do this by:

Grouping information by agenda item.

Using headers or subheadings for different sections.

Adding labels or tags for easy retrieval.

Structuring your notes in Privv is easy and once you have the formatting correct, you can use it as a template for all of your meeting notes

Review and Edit

Take a moment to review your notes for accuracy and completeness. Make any necessary edits or additions while the meeting is still fresh in your mind.

Editing is 

Distribute Meeting Notes

Share the meeting notes with relevant participants as soon as possible. This ensures everyone has access to the information and can refer back to it.

Sharing is easy in Privv. Just click on the "People" icon at the top right of the meeting screen and add relevant participants.

Store Your Notes

Privv keeps your meetings organized for you in the upcoming and Past folders as an organized archive of meeting notes for future reference. 

Seek Feedback

Periodically ask meeting participants for feedback on the quality and usefulness of the meeting notes. Use this feedback to make improvements.

Adapt and Evolve

Be flexible and willing to adapt your note-taking methods based on the needs and preferences of your team. Experiment with different tools and formats to find what works best.

Collecting meeting notes is a valuable skill that contributes to effective communication and collaboration within your organization. By following these steps and continuously improving your approach, you can become a proficient meeting note-taker.