Meetings, notes and following up

How to prepare, what to write down, how to speak up when you are new, and the follow-up email that makes you look organised.

When you are new, meetings can feel like something that happens to you. A little preparation and one good habit afterwards change that. The habit is the follow-up, and it is the easiest way to be known as reliable.

Before the meeting

Two minutes of preparation

Reply to the invite
Accept or decline. An unanswered invite leaves the organiser guessing.
Know why you are there
To give an update, to learn, to make a decision? If you cannot tell, it is fine to ask the organiser.
Read anything that was sent round
Even a quick skim means you can follow the conversation.
Have your update ready
If you might be asked how something is going, have a two-sentence answer: where it is, and what happens next.
Be on time
For a video call, join a minute early and check your microphone.

What to write down

You do not need to record everything that was said. Capture three things, and you have everything that matters:

Decisions

What was agreed.
"We are going with supplier B."

Actions

Who is doing what, by when.
"Aisha to send the contract by Friday."

Open questions

What nobody could answer yet, and who is finding out.
"Does the budget cover delivery? Tom to check."

Speaking up when you are new

Asking a question is contributing. "Can I check I have understood: we are sending this on Monday, not Friday?" helps everyone.
If you do not know an abbreviation or a name, ask once, early. It only gets harder to ask later.
If you are given a task and are not sure what is wanted, ask before the meeting ends: what does 'done' look like, and when is it needed?
If you disagree, ask about it rather than announce it: "Have we thought about what happens if the client says no?"

The follow-up

Within a day, send a short email to the people who were there. It stops two people leaving the same meeting with different ideas of what was agreed, and it gives everyone something to check against later.

A follow-up email that takes three minutes

SubjectNotes and actions: website launch meeting, 12 March

DecidedLaunch moves to 14 April. Supplier B for hosting.

ActionsAisha: send contract by Friday. Tom: confirm delivery budget by Wednesday. Me: update the project plan today.

Still openWhether we need the extra testing week. Tom to check with the client.

Next meetingTuesday 19 March, 10am.

If someone more senior normally sends the notes, offer: "Would it help if I sent round the actions?" The answer is almost always yes.