How to Write a Meeting Summary Email (Examples and Templates)

The importance of a well-written meeting summary email cannot be overstated. Knowing how to summarize a meeting helps in keeping a clear record of key takeaways, action items, and important decisions made during a meeting. Furthermore, meeting attendance is not always guaranteed, making it essential to have a solid recap for those who missed it.

A well-crafted meeting summary email ensures everyone is aligned and aware of their responsibilities. In this blog, we'll explore effective strategies for capturing essential information and presenting it concisely and professionally.

5 Key Points for Writing a Comprehensive Meeting Summary

Creating a comprehensive meeting summary involves several essential steps to ensure all key information is accurately captured and effectively communicated.

Here are some critical points to consider:

(1) Start with Clear and Concise Notes

Focus on capturing main points, decisions, and action items.
Use bullet points or numbered lists to organize meeting notes.
Utilize note-taking tools for consistency and efficiency (e.g., Wudpecker).

Using tools like Wudpecker can help streamline the process, ensuring your notes are well-organized and easily accessible.

(2) Review and Highlight Key Takeaways

After the meeting, review detailed meeting notes to identify key takeaways and action items.
Highlight important decisions.
Ensure each action item is assigned to a responsible party with a deadline.

(3) Capture Agenda Changes

Review agenda items and note any decisions made and outcomes achieved.
Capture any changes to the agenda, such as postponed or added items.

(4) Include Meeting Moments

Note any noteworthy quotes or anecdotes that illustrate key points or decisions.
Include significant statements or insights shared by participants to engage the reader.

(5) Use Clear and Concise Language

Write the recap in clear and concise language.
Maintain a neutral tone.
Avoid jargon or overly technical terms to ensure accessibility.

Best Practice for Meeting Summary and Email Communication

Your audience will thank you for a summary that's easy on the eyes and light on jargon. That way they'll be more likely to fully read it.

Let's dive into a quick example to illustrate this.

Example of a Summary with Bad Readability

‍"Utilizing our proclivity for intricate methodologies, our team conducted an extensive exploration into the viability of project X.

We've collected an abundance of pertinent data, analyzed via an array of multifaceted algorithms, which have, subsequently, elucidated the paramount trajectories we ought to pursue moving forward."

Example of a Summary with Good Readability

‍"Our team researched the feasibility of project X. We gathered important data and, after thorough analysis, identified the best directions to take in the future."

Opt for clear, concise sentences, and with short paragraphs.

And a word to the wise?

Technical language might showcase expertise, but it can alienate some readers. Finally, never underestimate the power of editing and proofreading.

How to Write a Meeting Summary Email After a Meeting

Perfecting the technique of crafting a follow up email after a meeting is essential to guarantee alignment and clarity of duties.

Below is a comprehensive six-step guide to help you craft a compelling meeting follow up email.

(1) Craft a Clear Subject Line

Ensure your follow up email stands out in the recipient's inbox with a clear and specific subject line. Avoid being vague and make what the email is about obvious.

Examples:

[Project Name] Next Steps - Deadline [Date]
What's Next for [Project Name/Team Name]
Presentation and Resources from Today's Meeting

(2) Thank People for Their Time and Effort

Start your email by expressing gratitude for your colleagues' time and effort. Acknowledging their contribution sets a positive tone and shows professionalism.

Example: "Thank you all for taking the time to discuss [meeting topic] today. I appreciate your insights and contributions."

(3) Summarize Key Points Covered During the Meeting

Keep your summary concise and to the point. Tailor the length and detail of your summary to the nature of the meeting.

Example: "Here are the key points we discussed:

[Key Point #1]
[Key Point #2]
[Key Point #3]"

(4) Outline Action Items, Deadlines, and Next Steps

Highlight the tasks that need to be completed, who is responsible, and the deadlines. Use a bulleted list to increase clarity and ensure everyone understands their responsibilities.

Example: "Action Items:

[Task #1] - [Owner] to complete by [Date]
[Task #2] - [Owner] to complete by [Date]
[Task #3] - [Owner] to complete by [Date]"

(5) Attach or Link to Relevant Resources and Documents

Include any important documents, presentations, or videos mentioned during the meeting. Ensure that these resources are easily accessible for future reference.

Example: "For reference, please see the attached documents:

Document #1: [Brief Description]
Document #2: [Brief Description]"

(6) Invite People to Ask Questions or Reconvene

Encourage your colleagues to ask questions or schedule another meeting if needed. This ensures continuous communication and addresses any uncertainties.

Example: "Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. We'll plan to meet again in [timeframe], but please don't hesitate to contact me in the meantime."

Automate Meeting Summary Emails With Wudpecker

While developing muscle memory for writing meeting summaries is a beneficial practice, why not save time by automating this task? Wudpecker does just that.

It lets you fully focus on the conversation and building connections.

Here's how to streamline sending out meeting summary emails with Wudpecker.

First of all, use it to record your meetings. Here's how:

Step 1: Open the call you want to summarize on your Wudpecker account.

Step 2: Ask Wudpecker to write the email according to your own template or the example templates in this blog. You can start the prompt with a sentence such as "Write a summary email based on this call. Fill in information in this template." After that, simply paste the template of your choice.

How to use Ask Wudpecker Feature to Write the Email

Step 3: Press the Copy button

Press the Copy Button to Use the Generated Email

Step 4: Go to your email and paste the summary there. Double check the draft, and if necessary, tweak some text manually.

Step 5 (optional): In the email draft, add a link of the full Wudpecker notes. It also comes with an audio file and transcript. You can copy the link directly from your browser's URL bar or on Wudpecker, by first clicking Share at the top and then the copy link (🔗) button.

Meeting Summary Email Templates

Here are the three meeting summary templates tailored to different situations. These templates provide a structured format for summarizing key discussions, decisions, and action items from a meeting.

Feel free to customize these templates to fit specific meeting needs.

Meeting Summary Template 1: Action Items

Subject: Action Items: Meeting Summary - [Meeting Title] Held on [Date]

Dear Team,

Following our productive meeting on [Date] to discuss [Meeting Topic], I'd like to share a concise summary to ensure clear communication and alignment.

Meeting Objective: [State the primary goal of the meeting in a clear and concise sentence.]

Key Discussions & Decisions: [Bullet points outlining the most important points covered and any decisions made]

Action Items: To ensure continued progress, please note the following action items:

[@Team Member Name]: Complete [Action Item/items] by [Due Date]. This will [Explain the impact of completing one/multiple tasks by this team member mentioning the exact due dates for each task].

Resources (Optional): For further reference, you can access the meeting transcript [link] and any shared documents [link].

Thank you for your valuable participation and contributions during the meeting. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or require further clarification on your assigned tasks.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

Meeting Summary Template 2: Meeting Minutes

Meeting Date: [Date]

Meeting Duration: [Duration]

Meeting Purpose: [Purpose]

Attendees: [Name 1][Name 2][Name 3]...

Summary:

Agenda Review:

We started the meeting by reviewing the agenda, which included discussing [Topic 1], [Topic 2], and [Topic 3].

Main Discussion Points:

[Topic 1]: We discussed…

[Topic 2]: We discussed….

[Topic 3]: We discussed…

Decisions Made:

We decided to…

Action Items:

[NAME] needs to complete [TASK] by [DATE]
[NAME] needs to complete [TASK] by [DATE]
[NAME] needs to complete [TASK] by [DATE]

Attachments:

[Attach relevant files or documents here]

Next Meeting: Our next meeting is scheduled for [DATE] at [TIME]. Please review the action items and come prepared to discuss progress.

Conclusion

Creating an effective meeting summary email is essential for clear communication and project alignment. Use clear subject lines, express gratitude, summarize key points, highlight action items with deadlines, and include relevant resources. Tailor your email to fit the context and audience.

Wudpecker simplifies this process by automating the email composition with the help of its Ask Wudpecker feature, allowing you to focus on the conversation and building connections. Simply follow the mentioned steps: ask Wudpecker to draft the email, copy the response, finish it in your email, and share it with the necessary participants.

Perfecting meeting summaries ensures accountability, drives future actions, and keeps everyone informed, enhancing productivity and supporting project success.

FAQs

What Is the Difference Between a Meeting Recap and Meeting Minutes?

While both meeting recaps and meeting minutes document what occurred during a meeting, they differ in detail, purpose, and format.

Meeting Recap: A meeting recap concisely summarizes key points, decisions, and action items. It aims to ensure all participants are aligned and understand their responsibilities.

Typically, a recap includes an overview of the meeting's purpose, a summary of main discussions, and a list of action items with assigned responsibilities and deadlines. It is usually written in a narrative style or bullet points and is best for informal meetings or quick updates.

Meeting Minutes: Meeting minutes provide a detailed and official record of the entire meeting. They document discussions, decisions, and actions comprehensively for formal reference so that everyone remains in the same page.

Minutes include a detailed agenda, a list of meeting participants, a record of discussions, specific decisions, and detailed action items. They are written in a structured, chronological format and are best for formal meetings requiring detailed documentation.

Who Typically Sends Recap Emails?

Recap emails are usually sent by the meeting organizer, team leader, project manager, designated note-taker, or administrative assistant. These individuals ensure that all key points, decisions, and action items are clearly communicated to attendees.

Increasingly, AI tools are also used to automate this task, providing accurate and timely summaries.