Taking clear, concise meeting notes is an essential skill in any professional setting. However, jotting everything down by hand can be cumbersome, especially if the meeting starts to run long. That’s where online notepads all the difference in capturing meeting minutes accurately and keeping them well organized for future reference.

1. Easy to search and organize notes

With an online notepad, all your notes are typed and stored in the cloud. This makes it much easier to go back and search later when you need to find a specific detail from a past meeting. Simply search for a keyword or name and find the relevant note instantly.

2. Share and collaborate on meeting minutes

Rather than having to photocopy handwritten notes and pass them around, online notepads let you share a link so that relevant team members can access the live notes document. This enables real-time collaboration as everyone can add comments or additional details right in the shared note.

3. Access your notes anywhere, any time

Since notes are in the cloud, you can log in to your online notepad from any device and access your meeting minutes on the go. With mobile apps for most notepad tools, your notes sync across devices automatically check here for online More about the author.

4. Template library for structured notes

Many online notepads come equipped with templates and outlines for meeting minutes, status reports, project plans, and more. Using these templates as a starting point ensures your notes are structured logically for future use.

Steps for effective minute-taking in meetings

Once you’ve signed up for your preferred online notepad tool, what’s the best method for capturing clear, usable meeting minutes? Follow these best practices:

Before the meeting

1. Review agenda and previous meeting minutes (if available)
2. Set up a template or structure for notes in your online notepad
3. Include key details like meeting name, date, location at the top

During the meeting

• Designate one consistent minute-taker rather than rotating
• Record all key discussion points, decisions, task assignments
• Attribute comments to specific people/roles
• Mark action items and next steps clearly
• Leave blanks to fill in later if you miss a detail

After the meeting

1. Group and label discussion topics and decisions
2. Fill in any missing pieces immediately before your memory fades
3. Proofread, edit minor typos
4. Share final minutes with leadership for review
5. Distribute to all attendees and stakeholders

5 tips for flawless minutes every time

Taking excellent minutes may seem like an effortless task for the most administrative-minded among us. For others, it can feel overwhelming trying to juggle capturing so many rapid details.

If you struggle to keep up or produce clear notes, these pro tips will upgrade your skills:

• Use abbreviations and shorthand – Develop quick shorthand codes for common words and phrases
• Paraphrase discussions – Summarize key points instead of attempting to transcript full sentences
• Highlight action items – Use markers like asterisks, bold text, or highlights for critical assignments
• Proofread ASAP – Double check accuracy and fill gaps in memory shortly after each meeting
• Organize and share – Structure minutes with titles, lists, and labels before publishing

Meetings often generate valuable insights and critical tasks for moving a project forward. But all that strategic discussion gets lost if scattered handwritten notes are stuffed in a drawer and never looked at again.