Best Way to Take Meeting Notes Electronically (+ 7 Tips)

Let’s say you take meeting notes electronically through Google Docs but constantly need to jump between that tab and your video call. What if you could use note-taking software that appears right in your video meetings? That might be the best way to take meeting notes electronically. Learn more below, including some note-taking app suggestions. 

• Best way to take meeting notes electronically: 7 tips 
• Note-taking apps to consider 

Best way to take meeting notes electronically: 7 tips 

How you take notes during a meeting can shape how much you remember after the meeting ends. For example, paper notes are an indisputable classic, but your ideas can quickly become cluttered on the page. Taking meeting notes electronically can better organize your thoughts. Here are seven tips on the best way to take meeting notes electronically. 

• Use a note-taking software
• Start with a meeting agenda template
• Add meeting action items
• Add bullets for context
• Embed images and media
• Leave questions, comments, and reactions directly on the notes
• Store notes in an organized place

1Use a note-taking software

To run a more organized and effective meeting, you’ll need meeting notes software you can use right from your online meetings. For example, Fellow is a meeting management platform that connects directly to your meeting calendar. This way, you can take meeting notes during your online meetings without clicking in and out of your call.

2Start with a meeting agenda template

With a meeting agenda template, you can collaboratively create a meeting agenda and leave space for you and your team to write notes. This can save time since you’ll know exactly where to write things down during your calls. After adding your template, you can create talking points and assign them to team members so you remember to discuss everything.

3Add meeting action items

As your meeting goes along, you should add meeting action items to your notes. Action items are what you and your team must do next to reach your goal. You can assign these action items to one or more team members. Your action items should be clear on who’s handling them, the timeline, and the due date.

4Add bullets for context

Use bullets if you have any additional information or context you want to add to your template. This additional context can be anything from details about an upcoming work event to a team member you want to shout out. (It’s always a good thing to celebrate wins with the team!)

5Embed images and media

Your meetings may go better if you add images, audio recordings, or videos to your notes. For example, if you’re comparing last month’s sales to this month’s, a chart may be helpful so your team can visualize your organization’s progress. Or maybe your organization just switched to a new software platform. In that case, embedding a video could help your team learn how to use the new platform.

6Leave questions, comments, and reactions directly on the notes

With note-taking software, you can leave comments, questions, and reactions on your notes without disrupting the meeting. For example, let’s say you have a question on a topic that was already discussed. You can write it as a comment on the notes so you can ask about it at the end of the meeting. This way, you’ll remember your question later, and you won’t need to interrupt the meeting.

7Store notes in an organized place

For recurring meetings and one-on-one meetings, you might want to go over past notes to get up to speed. With the best meeting management platforms, you can just scroll down your meeting page to see previous notes. This way, if you missed a meeting or you’re hazy on something important, you can just scroll down to remember everything.

Note-taking apps to consider 

To take the best electronic notes, you’ll need a note-taking app you can use to write, organize, and share your ideas. Here are a few of the best note-taking apps you can use for your team meetings. 

• Fellow
• Microsoft OneNote
• Evernote
• Apple Notes

1Fellow

Fellow is a meeting management software you can use to get the most out of your team meetings. You can use Fellow to create meeting agenda templates before each meeting. This way, you save time planning your meetings while keeping your ideas more organized and running a structured meeting. Fellow also features spaces to add meeting minutes, images and videos, and additional context so you can cover everything during your meetings. 

Once you create your agenda, you can share it with all your team members so they can follow along and add ideas and questions. Plus, for any recurring meetings or one-on-ones, all you need to do is scroll down on your meeting page to find your previous notes. 

Key features:

• Seamlessly scroll through previous notes before a recurring meeting or one-on-one
• Share your meeting agenda with your team for collaboration before and during the meeting
• Add action items, images, videos, checklists and more to your notes 

Price: Fellow offers a free introductory plan for teams of up to 10 people. Paid plans start at $6 per user per month.

2Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote automatically syncs and saves your notes as you write. With OneNote, you can type information in your notebook, take handwritten notes, and draw your thoughts with a stylus or your finger. You’ll also get a highlighting tool, and you can embed online videos, add files, and record audio notes. OneNote can also share your notebooks with team members. Fellow fully integrates with Microsoft365, which includes OneNote, to set everyone up for success. 

Key features: 

• Share notes with team members for easy collaboration
• Type, take notes by hand, or draw your thoughts
• Embed or record media in your notes 

Price: Microsoft OneNote is available as part of Microsoft 365. Business plans for Microsoft 365 start at $6 per user per month.

3Evernote

Evernote is a notes app that combines your notes, tasks, and schedule all under one platform. You can integrate Evernotes with your Google Calendar to link your notes to your meetings. Evernote syncs automatically to all your devices, so you can add text, audio, images, PDFs, and documents from anywhere. 

Key features:

• Keep your schedule, notes, and tasks organized in one platform
• Add text, images, PDFs, and documents to your meeting notes
• Sync with Google Calendar to pair your notes and meetings

Price: EverNote offers a free introductory plan, and paid plans start at $7.99 per month.  

4Apple Notes

Apple Notes is a note-taking tool that comes with your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. With Notes, you can write out your thoughts, create checklists, sketch ideas, add attachments, and scan and sign documents. You can also create different folders to keep your work meetings more organized. 

Additionally, Fellow integrates fully with iCloud, which is home to Apple Notes. This way, you can view all your meeting history from any synced device for easier meeting preparation. 

Key features:

• Type, draw, add attachments, sign documents, and create checklists 
• Organize your meeting notes in folders
• Integrate Notes with Fellow for smoother, more effective meetings

Price: Apple Notes is free to any iOS or macOS user.

Take the best electronic meeting notes with Fellow

Taking electronic meeting notes can lead to more productive, effective meetings. To run more successful meetings, you’ll need a digital notes platform where you can write notes and assign action items as a team. With Fellow, you can do all that while syncing your calendar and meeting agenda with your video app to take notes right in your meeting. It just might be the best way to take meeting notes electronically.