Guide

Meeting Minutes vs. Notes: What's the Difference?

They sound interchangeable, but they're different tools for different jobs. Here's how to know which one you need — and how AI is changing the workflow for both.

The short answer

Minutes

Official record

A formal, third-person record of what happened in a meeting. Approved by attendees and kept as organizational history. Required for boards, committees, and regulated meetings.

Notes

Working memory

An informal capture of what was discussed, decided, and committed to. Used by the team to follow up and stay aligned. No approval required.

What minutes must include

  • • Date, time, and location (or platform) of the meeting
  • • Names of attendees and absentees
  • • Approval of the previous minutes
  • • Motions made, who made them, and the vote result
  • • Resolutions and formal decisions, recorded verbatim where required
  • • Time of adjournment, and signature of the recorder

What notes should include

  • • A short summary of the conversation
  • • Key decisions, in plain language
  • • Action items with owners and due dates
  • • Open questions and parked topics
  • • Links to relevant docs, designs, or tickets

How AI changes both

For notes, AI is a clear win — it captures decisions and action items faster than any human can type, and produces a clean recap in seconds.

For minutes, AI is a strong drafting tool but not a replacement for a human recorder. Most governance rules still require a named secretary and human review before minutes are approved. Use AI to draft, then have your recorder verify and sign.

Related reading