After every meeting, there’s one thing that keeps teams aligned – a clear recap.
But most people either forget to send one or waste time writing a wall of text no one reads. I’ve been there.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to write a meeting recap that’s short, clear, and useful, with templates, real examples, and how to automate the whole thing using AI.
What Is a Meeting Recap?A meeting recap is a post-meeting summary that captures the key takeaways, decisions made, action items, and any open questions or next steps. Unlike raw meeting notes or a full transcript, it’s not about recording everything said, just the stuff that matters.
It typically includes:
Meeting details (date, time, attendees)Topics discussedKey decisionsAssigned action items with deadlinesFollow-up tasks or unresolved issuesThink of it as a simple, clear reference point for anyone who was in the meeting, or missed it.
Why Do You Need Meeting Recaps?Skipping the recap might se you 10 minutes now, but it costs far more in the long run. Here's why every team, remote or in-office, should treat recaps as essential:
1. Improves clarity and alignment: Even if everyone was present, people walk away with different interpretations. A written recap confirms what was actually agreed upon.
2. Drives accountability: When tasks are listed clearly with names and deadlines, there’s no ambiguity about who’s doing what.
3. Reduces repeat discussions: How many times he you had to revisit the same topic because no one remembered what was decided last time? A recap eliminates that loop.
4. Ses time and increases productivity: You cut down on follow-up emails, reminders, and status-checks. People know exactly what to do next, without chasing anyone.
How to Write a Recap of a Meeting?Writing a solid recap isn’t complicated, but there’s a structure that makes it 10x more effective.
1. Start with the Meeting ContextDon’t assume everyone remembers what the meeting was for. Set the stage with:
Meeting title or purposeDate and timeAttendeesA quick note on the goal of the meetingThis gives future readers (or even your future self) a clear reference.
2. Summarize What Was Discussed, But BrieflyYou don’t need a play-by-play. Just include the key topics and takeaways for each agenda point.
For example:
“We reviewed the performance of the Q2 content campaigns. Organic traffic was down 8% month-over-month. Identified gaps in keyword targeting and discussed revisiting the SEO roadmap.”
Stick to facts and outcomes. Avoid including back-and-forth chatter unless it’s critical.
3. List Clear Decisions MadeHighlight any major decisions using bullets or bold formatting so they stand out.
For example:
Switch blog focus to long-form “how-to” guidesMove product launch to July 15 instead of July 1Discontinue Twitter Ads starting next weekIf there weren’t any decisions, say so. That’s still valuable context.
4. Define Action Items with Owners and DeadlinesThis is where many recaps fall flat. Don’t just say “update the website, ”say who will do it and by when.
Follow this structure:
[Person] – [Task] – [Deadline]Example:
Arjun – Audit blog keyword rankings and share report – Due by June 10Mira – Draft outline for new onboarding emails – Due by June 12If no deadline was discussed, assign a tentative one or say “TBD.”
5. Add Follow-Ups and Open QuestionsCapture anything that needs further input, approval, or future discussion.
Example:
Still waiting on feedback from the legal team for the Terms of Service updateNeed clarification from Finance on revised budget capsThese prevent things from falling into a black hole.
Copy-and-Paste Meeting Recap TemplateHere’s a quick template you can adapt for any kind of meeting:
Meeting Recap – [Meeting Name]
Date: [Date]
Attendees: [Names]
Agenda: [Short summary of topics]
Summary: [Brief overview of the meeting outcomes in 2–4 sentences]
Decisions Made:
[Decision 1][Decision 2][Decision 3]Action Items:
[Name] – [Task] – (Due: [Date])[Name] – [Task] – (Due: [Date])Follow-Ups / Open Questions:
[Unresolved item or dependency][Pending input from other teams]5 Real-World Meeting Recap ExamplesHere’s what a solid, actionable meeting recap looks like:
1. Meeting Recap – June 5, 2025 | Weekly Marketing SyncAttendees: Priya, Alex, Nina, Sam
Agenda: Review May campaign performance, discuss blog strategy, align on next steps
Summary:
We reviewed May's performance metrics. Blog traffic dipped 10%, but conversion rates improved. Team agreed to shift focus to SEO and long-form content. Discussed newsletter redesign and agreed to delay until Q4.
Decisions Made:
Focus upcoming content on long-form SEO articlesPush newsletter redesign sprint to Q4Pause Twitter Ads for JuneAction Items:
Nina – Build revised content calendar for June (Due: June 7)Sam – Draft 2 long-form article outlines (Due: June 10)Alex – Pause newsletter sprint and notify product teamPriya – Coordinate with SEO vendor for new topic researchFollow-Ups:
Awaiting CMS performance fix from DevOpsNeed keyword gap analysis from SEO team by next week2. Meeting Recap – May 28, 2025 | Product Sprint PlanningAttendees: Riya, Jason, Tanvi, Diego
Agenda: Finalize sprint backlog, review pending bugs, plan QA timeline
Summary:
Reviewed unresolved issues from last sprint. Decided to prioritize bug fixes before new features. Agreed to allocate additional time for QA and shift the release by 3 days.
Decisions Made:
Freeze new feature development until critical bugs are fixedMove release date to June 10Add daily 15-min QA huddlesAction Items:
Tanvi – Prepare updated sprint board (Due: May 29)Jason – Assign bug tickets and track progress (Due: May 30)Diego – Coordinate daily QA sync (Starting May 29)Riya – Notify stakeholders about timeline shiftsFollow-Ups:
Need UI review from design team for Feature BWaiting on security clearance for deployment scripts3. Meeting Recap – June 3, 2025 | Client Check-In – Acme CorpAttendees: Neha, Alex, Amanda (Acme)
Agenda: Review onboarding progress, campaign performance, and Q3 planning
Summary:
Acme is happy with onboarding so far, but raised concerns about email open rates. We suggested new subject line testing and agreed to run an A/B experiment. Also discussed Q3 priorities and next deliverables.
Decisions Made:
Run A/B tests on email subject linesShare new content ideas by June 7Schedule Q3 planning call for June 14Action Items:
Alex – Set up A/B tests in Mailchimp (Due: June 5)Neha – Share blog topic shortlist for Q3 (Due: June 7)Amanda – Provide feedback on last campaign report (Due: June 6)Follow-Ups:
Waiting on Acme’s approval for landing page redesignNeed access to CRM reporting dashboard4. Meeting Recap – May 30, 2025 | Sales Pipeline ReviewAttendees: Arjun, Claire, Marcus
Agenda: Review current deals, identify blockers, align on priorities for week
Summary:
Reviewed pipeline by stage. Noted drop in conversion from demo to proposal. Agreed to update pitch deck and revisit outreach strategy. Assigned leads for high-priority accounts.
Decisions Made:
Revamp sales deck by next weekPause outreach to low-quality MQLsPrioritize top 5 enterprise accountsAction Items:
Claire – Update deck with latest product features (Due: June 2)Arjun – Reassign outreach list (Due: May 31)Marcus – Follow up with IBM and HDFC leads (Due: June 1)Follow-Ups:
Need feedback from product team on new integrationsWaiting for pricing flexibility approval from leadership5. Meeting Recap – June 1, 2025 | Customer Support OperationsAttendees: Zoya, Michael, Deepa
Agenda: Analyze ticket backlog, discuss escalation flow, plan for holiday staffing
Summary:
Ticket backlog reduced by 15% last week, but response times remain high. Decided to test auto-response for low-priority tickets and draft new escalation SOP. Agreed to finalize weekend staffing plan.
Decisions Made:
Enable auto-responses for Tier 3 ticketsDraft new escalation protocol by FridayHire 2 part-time agents for weekend shiftsAction Items:
Michael – Configure auto-response rules (Due: June 3)Zoya – Draft escalation SOP and circulate for review (Due: June 6)Deepa – Post part-time job listing (Due: June 4)Follow-Ups:
Confirm tool access for new hiresReview agent CSAT trends in next meeting
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How to Automate Meeting Recaps (Using AI)If you’re still writing recaps by hand, you’re wasting time.
You can fully automate the process, from recording and transcribing to summarizing and sharing, using AI tools built for meetings.
Here’s how to do it step-by-step:
Step 1: Let an AI Tool Join and Record Your MeetingsChoose a tool that can automatically join your meetings and start recording without you needing to hit “record.”
For example, you can use Lindy to auto-join Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams meetings
Lindy silently sits in your meeting, listens in, and starts capturing everything from the moment it begins.
Step 2: Get The Conversation Transcribed in Real TimeOnce the call starts, the tool should transcribe the entire conversation, including speaker labels and timestamps.
Some excellent AI tools can effectively transcribe your meeting in real time:
Lindy and Otter.ai offer live transcription with speaker separationFireflies.ai transcribes and stores the transcript in your dashboard for reviewThis way, you won’t need to take notes manually, just focus on the conversation.
Step 3: Let the AI Summarize the Meeting AutomaticallyAfter the meeting ends, AI should generate a clean summary. This should include:
Key discussion pointsDecisions madeAction items with owners and deadlinesFollow-ups or open tasksLindy creates structured summaries broken into sections like "Action Items," "Decisions," and "Next Steps."
Avoma generates conversation insights, including deal risks and topic timelines. Fireflies.ai uses AI to generate a recap email instantly
Step 4: Send Recaps to Your Team AutomaticallySkip copy-pasting. Set up automatic delivery of the recap via email, Slack, or Notion.
Lindy can push recaps to your Slack workspace or email them directlyOtter.ai offers auto-sync with Dropbox, email, or shared linksAvoma integrates with collaboration tools to send summaries right after the meeting endsStep 5: Sync Action Items with Project ToolsInstead of rewriting tasks in Asana or ClickUp, let your AI assistant push them there.
Lindy auto-creates tasks and syncs them to tools like Notion, Trello, ClickUp, and AsanaFireflies.ai can send action items to your CRM or task managerAvoma integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, and task platformsThis improves accountability without any manual transfer.
Remember: Most tools let you edit the recap if you want to fine-tune phrasing or add notes. But in most cases, they’re good to go out of the box.
Best Practices for Writing (or Automating) Meeting RecapsSend the recap within 1 hour of the meeting, strike while the info is freshUse consistent formatting so your team knows where to find decisions vs. tasksBold deadlines and names to draw attention to ownershipDon’t overstuff, recaps should be clear, not overwhelmingAutomate if you’re writing more than 3 per week
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Want to Skip the Manual Note-Taking and Still Send Perfect Recaps After Every Meeting?Let Lindy handle it for you.
Here’s what Lindy does to automate and improve your meeting recaps:
Joins your meetingsTranscribes the conversation in real-timeIdentifies key decisions and action itemsDelivers a structured recap to your team automatically.Even syncs tasks to your project tools like Notion, ClickUp, or Asana.No formatting. No forgetting. Just clean, reliable meeting recaps, on autopilot.
Try Lindy for FREE today!
Frequently Asked Questions1. How to create a sales meeting recap (GPT)?Use GPT to summarize the key points from your sales meeting transcript or notes. Input the full conversation and prompt it to extract: client goals, objections, decisions made, next steps, and assigned follow-ups. You can use tools like Lindy or ChatGPT to generate structured summaries in minutes.
2. How to write a meeting recap (tips)?Here’s how to write a meeting recap:
Start with the meeting’s purpose, date, and attendees.Summarize key topics discussed in 2–3 bullet points per agenda item.Clearly list all decisions made.Add action items with owners and deadlines.Include unresolved issues or follow-ups.Keep it short, factual, and easy to scan.3. How to start a recap email?Begin with a quick thank you and a summary sentence. For example:
“Thanks for joining today’s meeting. Here’s a quick recap of what we discussed and the action items going forward.”
4. What are the key elements to include in a meeting recap?These are the key elements of a meeting recap:
Meeting date and attendeesSummary of key discussionsDecisions madeAction items (with owners and deadlines)Follow-ups or pending questionsNext meeting date (if scheduled)5. Does the summary provide new insights or just a recap?A recap summarizes what was discussed, it doesn’t add new insights. However, it can highlight previously unspoken clarity by organizing key decisions and takeaways clearly. If you want insights, pair the recap with your own observations or analysis.
6. How to recap a phone conversation in an email?Open with context: who you spoke with, when, and why. Then briefly summarize what was discussed, any decisions made, and what’s expected next. Example:
“Hi [Name], just recapping our call today about the Q3 campaign. You mentioned adjusting the budget by 15% and reviewing creatives by Friday. I’ll follow up with updated mockups by Thursday.”
7. How soon should you send a meeting recap?Ideally, send the recap within 1 hour of the meeting ending. This ensures everything is still fresh, prevents confusion, and keeps momentum high. If that’s not possible, make it a rule to send it the same day.
8. What’s the difference between meeting notes and a recap?Meeting notes capture everything that was said, often in raw or rough form. A recap is a clean, organized summary that focuses only on what matters: decisions, action items, and next steps. It’s structured for clarity, not documentation.
9. Should I include meeting recordings or transcripts with the recap?Only if necessary. If your team needs to reference detailed discussions, you can link to the full transcript or recording. Otherwise, keep the recap clean and focused. Tools like Lindy can attach transcripts automatically when needed.
10. How do I recap a recurring meeting without repeating everything?Focus on what’s new or changed since the last meeting. Summarize only fresh discussions, updated decisions, and new action items. You can also include a quick "progress since last time" section at the top.
11. What tools integrate well with meeting recap automation?Top integrations include:
Project management: Notion, ClickUp, Asana, TrelloCommunication: Slack, Gmail, OutlookCRMs: HubSpot, SalesforceLindy supports all of these and can auto-sync action items or send summaries directly to the right platform.
12. What’s the best way to format a recap for different teams?Tailor it slightly to match the team's workflow:
Executives: High-level summary, clear decisions, deadlinesMarketing/Product: Bullet points, action items with ownersClients: Polished, professional tone, with clear takeaways and next stepsUse the same base template, but adjust tone and detail as needed.13. Can I automate recaps for one-on-one meetings too?Yes. 1:1s benefit greatly from structured follow-ups. Lindy can join private meetings, transcribe, and summarize just like with group calls. It’s useful for keeping track of goals, performance updates, or check-ins.
14. What if sensitive information is discussed in a meeting?Most recap tools offer privacy settings. With Lindy, you can choose whether to share the full transcript, redact sensitive details, or limit visibility of specific sections. Always review before sending if confidentiality is a concern.