How to take notes for a 1:1 meeting
May 30, 2024
During a 1:1 meeting, the two individuals typically discuss goals, progress, challenges, and feedback in a private setting. Taking notes during the meeting can help both parties track action items, follow up on commitments, and refer back to important points discussed.
After the meeting, the notes taken can be used to create a summary of key takeaways, set future meeting agendas, and track progress over time. They may also be shared with other team members or used as a reference for performance evaluations or project updates.
Good 1:1 meeting notes should be concise, capturing key discussion points, action items, and decisions made during the meeting.
Best Practices for Taking 1:1 Meeting Notes
Understand the purpose of the meeting and what key topics or objectives need to be covered.
Have a clear structure for your notes, such as using headings for different discussion points or action items.
Be an active listener and focus on capturing key points, decisions, and action items rather than trying to transcribe everything that is said.
Use shorthand or abbreviations to quickly jot down important information and keep up with the conversation.
Follow up with the meeting participants to clarify any points or action items that may be unclear in your notes.
1:1 Meeting Notes: Key Items
Action items – Tasks that need to be completed by specific individuals before the next meeting. Documenting these ensures accountability and progress.
Decisions made – Clearly documenting any decisions helps avoid confusion or misunderstandings later on and keeps everyone aligned.
Follow-up items – Items requiring further discussion or action after the meeting should be noted to ensure they are addressed in a timely manner.
Key discussion points – Summarizing key points provides a clear record of what was discussed and agreed upon.
Deadlines – Any deadlines set during the meeting should be recorded to keep tasks on track.
Next steps – Outlining next steps clarifies what needs to be done and by whom, ensuring progress and accountability.
Common Mistakes in Taking 1:1 Meeting Notes (and How to Avoid Them)
Not capturing action items – Failing to document action items or next steps can result in forgotten or overlooked tasks.
Lack of organization – Poorly structured notes make it difficult to reference or follow up on key points.
Focusing on quantity over quality – Trying to capture every detail can lead to overwhelming, convoluted notes. Prioritize key takeaways.
Not summarizing key takeaways – A lack of a summary makes it harder to quickly grasp the meeting’s main insights and decisions.
Not attributing comments or decisions – Failing to indicate who said what can lead to miscommunication and lack of accountability.
Avoid these mistakes:
Automatically assign action items based on the discussion.
Integrate with Zapier to easily send meeting notes to all attendees.
Update HubSpot deals and contacts automatically with new information.
Send meeting notes, action items, or insights to a designated Slack channel.
Create Linear tasks automatically based on action items.
How do we make sure that follow ups for my 1:1 meeting actually happen?
After a 1:1 meeting, follow-ups might include sending a summary of key points, assigning action items to participants, and scheduling a follow-up meeting to check on progress.
Here are some examples of what you can use Circleback to automate:
Automatically send meeting notes and action items to the attendee’s email.
Integrate with Zapier to update CRM systems with new contacts or opportunities.
Send a meeting summary to a private Slack channel for team review and follow-ups.
Update a Notion page with key takeaways and action items.
Automatically create tasks in Monday boards for each action item discussed.