Simple Notes for Effective Meetings

The Cornell Notes for Meetings template is a structured digital note-taking system based on the proven Cornell method, designed to make meeting documentation more effective and actionable. The template is divided into three distinct sections, each serving a specific purpose in the note-taking process.

The layout consists of a main notes section on the right, a left column for keywords and questions, and a bottom section for summaries. During meetings, users take their primary notes in the right section using concise point-form notation and short sentences. The left section serves as a space to highlight emerging keywords, questions, and key ideas that arise from the main notes, making future reference and information retrieval more efficient.
What sets this template apart is its bottom summary section, where users can distill the meeting's essential takeaways, learnings, and action items. This summary, typically completed at the meeting's end, helps crystallize the most important points and next steps.
The template is particularly valuable for:

Creating intentional, revision-ready meeting notes
Promoting critical thinking during and after meetings
Reducing the time needed to summarize and locate important information later
Organizing thoughts and action items in a structured format

Implementation is straightforward - users simply duplicate the template topic for each new meeting, ensuring consistent note-taking across all their meetings while maintaining the benefits of the Cornell method's organized approach.