Meetings and writing at work
Minutes, action items and the papers a meeting runs on, from the rules that govern them.
Minutes are a record someone may rely on years later: a company’s board, a charity’s trustees, a school’s governors and a council committee each keep them under rules of their own. These guides take those rules from the statute, the regulator or the governance body that sets them, say which country they apply in, and say when the honest answer is to ask the company secretary, the clerk or a lawyer.
They also cover the writing around a meeting: the agenda, the action log, the board paper and the report that cites its evidence. Templates here are ours and say so, and no meeting in an example is presented as real.
40 guides
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
AGM minutes: what to record at a general meeting, with a template
How do you write AGM minutes, and what must annual general meeting minutes record?
How to write AGM and general meeting minutes: the usual business, elections, proxies and resolutions, UK and California law, and our own template and example.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 14 min read
AI note-takers in meetings: consent, accuracy and policy
Is it legal to use an AI note-taker in a meeting, and can its summary be used as the minutes?
What AI note-takers in Teams, Meet and Zoom produce, the consent law by country and state, why a summary is not the minutes, and published policies.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 14 min read
Approving and correcting minutes: who signs, what can change
How are meeting minutes approved, and how do you correct minutes that are wrong?
Approve and correct meeting minutes properly: who signs, what may change, disputes, approval by email, and what signed minutes prove, from UK and US sources.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Board meeting minutes in the UK: what the Companies Act requires
What does UK company law require of board meeting minutes, and what should directors' minutes record?
What UK company law asks of board minutes: sections 248 and 249, the model articles, conflicts under sections 175 and 177, section 172, and who keeps and sees them.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Board meeting minutes in the US: state law and good practice
What does US law require of corporate board meeting minutes, and who can see them?
What US state law asks of corporate board minutes, from Delaware's written consents and section 220 inspections to executive sessions, privilege and SEC disclosure.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Charity trustee meeting minutes in England and Wales
What must charity trustee meeting minutes record in England and Wales, and how long must they be kept?
What charity trustee minutes in England and Wales must record, from Charity Commission guidance and the law, with Scotland, Northern Ireland and an example.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Committee and working group minutes, and terms of reference
How do I write committee meeting minutes or working group minutes, and what do the terms of reference change?
Minute a committee or working group: terms of reference, delegated authority, a recommendation versus a decision, reporting up to the board, and our template.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Confidential minutes, privilege and closed sessions
How do you minute a confidential or closed part of a meeting, and what must the minutes still record?
How to minute a closed session or confidential item: UK exempt information, US executive sessions, legal privilege, personal data, and a worked example.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
House style guide: AP style, Economist, GOV.UK and Guardian
What is a house style guide, and how do AP style, The Economist, GOV.UK and the Guardian differ?
What a house style guide is, how AP style, The Economist, GOV.UK, the Guardian and Oxford differ on a dozen points, and a template for your company.
EveryoneUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to cite sources in a business report: APA and Harvard
How do I cite annual reports, 10-K filings, market research, Statista and government statistics in a business report?
Cite annual reports, 10-K filings, market research, Statista, ONS, Census, World Bank and OECD figures in APA 7 and Harvard, with real examples we checked.
UndergraduateEveryone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to take meeting minutes: before, during and after
How do I take minutes of a meeting, and what does the law say about them?
Take meeting minutes step by step: preparing, what to write down, votes and interests, approval, and what the law says for boards, charities and councils.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a board paper: template, cover sheet and example
How do I write a board paper that a board can decide on?
How to write a board paper: the cover sheet, the purpose line, the recommendation first, each section and its length, what directors need, and our template.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to write a briefing note: template, format and example
How do I write a briefing note for a minister, senior official or board?
How to write a briefing note for a minister, official or board: its parts, its length, decision or information, how governments teach it, and our template.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a business case, with the five case model
How do I write a business case, and what goes in each part of the five case model?
Write a business case with HM Treasury's five case model: what each case answers, the three stages, options appraisal, our invented outline and citing evidence.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a business report: structure, format and sources
How do I write a business report, what is the format, and how do I cite the sources in it?
Write a business report part by part, number its headings and tables, word the recommendations, and cite annual reports, statistics and journals in Harvard or APA.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a headline: rules for news, features and the web
How do I write a good headline?
How to write a headline that is read and trusted: newsroom rules, length, capitals, standfirsts, web headlines, what studies of clicks found, and essay titles.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to write a meeting agenda: items, papers and notice
How do I write a meeting agenda, and what should it include?
Write a meeting agenda that works: the standard items, decision or information, timings, papers and notice, with UK and US rules and our own template.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to write a memo: format, examples and templates
How do I write a memo, and what format should it follow?
How to write a memo in the right format: the To, From, Date and Subject heading, purpose first, business, policy and legal memos, lengths and our templates.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a policy brief: format, template and example
How do I write a policy brief for a university course, and how should it be laid out?
How to write a policy brief for a course: the sections universities ask for, their lengths, how evidence is cited, a real rubric, and our template and example.
Postgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a policy or standard operating procedure (SOP)
How do I write a policy or a standard operating procedure (SOP)?
Write a policy or an SOP that people can follow: policy vs procedure vs work instruction, the parts of each, what regulators ask, and our template and example.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a press release: format, template and example
How do I write a press release?
Write a press release that gets read: the parts in order, embargoes, research releases that do not exaggerate, how to cite the study, and our own template.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a professional email: structure, tone, templates
How do I write a professional email to a professor, tutor or colleague?
How to write a professional email: subject lines, greetings, sign-offs, tone, follow-ups, reply all and attachments, with universities' advice and our templates.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 14 min read
How to write a proposal or tender response to an ITT or RFP
How do I write a tender response or a proposal to an RFP?
Write a tender response or RFP proposal: read the invitation, build a compliance matrix, answer each question with evidence, and know the UK, US and EU rules.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a white paper: format, structure and example
How do I write a white paper, and what format and structure should it follow?
What a white paper is in government and in business, the format and structure to follow, an outline to copy, and how to cite the evidence in a reference list.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to write action items that get done
How do I write action items from a meeting that people actually complete?
Write meeting action items people finish: a verb, one owner, a date and a definition of done, with our weak and strong examples and what research says.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write an annual report and a sustainability report
How do I write an annual report or a sustainability report, and what must it contain?
What an annual or sustainability report must contain in the UK, the US and the EU, the GRI, ISSB and ESRS frameworks from their own pages, and a structure to copy.
EveryoneUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to write an executive summary, with an example
How do I write an executive summary for a report, business plan or proposal?
Write an executive summary for a report, business plan, grant or government paper: its parts, lengths set at source, our invented example and common faults.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Is it legal to record a meeting? Consent law by country and state
Is it legal to record a meeting, and whose consent do I need?
Whose consent you need to record a meeting in US states, the UK, Canada and Australia, from the statutes, plus council meetings, lectures and our announcement.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Meeting minutes template: board, charity, school and club
Is there a meeting minutes template I can copy for a board, a charity, a school or a club?
Copy our own meeting minutes templates for any meeting, a company board, charity trustees, a school governing board or a club, with an invented worked example.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Minutes for remote and hybrid meetings: quorum, votes and chat
How do you take minutes for a remote or hybrid meeting, and do people joining online count towards the quorum?
Minutes for remote and hybrid meetings: attendance, quorum, dropped connections, online votes and chat, under UK company, council, charity and US rules.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Minutes under Robert's Rules of Order: the 12th edition's format
How do you write meeting minutes under Robert's Rules of Order?
Write minutes under Robert's Rules of Order, 12th edition: the first paragraph, motions and votes, who is named, approval, corrections and executive session.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Minutes, notes or an action log: which does a meeting need?
Does my meeting need formal minutes, a note of the meeting, or just an action log?
Choose the right record for a meeting: formal minutes, a note of meeting, an action or decision log, or a transcript, with the rules and our own templates.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Nonprofit board minutes in the US: what Form 990 asks
What must US nonprofit board minutes record to satisfy Form 990 and state law?
What Form 990, the IRS excess benefit rules and New York and California law ask of a US nonprofit's board minutes, with a table and our example pay minute.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 14 min read
Parish and town council minutes in England and Wales
What must parish and town council minutes record, and when must they be signed and published?
What parish and town council minutes must record under the 1972 Act, the Localism Act and the Transparency Code, with Wales and an example minute of our own.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
PhD supervision meeting records: the rules and a template
How should I record my PhD supervision meetings, and what does my university require?
What eight universities require of PhD supervision meeting records, what a good record holds, how records feed progress reviews, and our own template.
Postgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
Plain English at work: the rules, the Plain Writing Act, examples
How do I write in plain English at work, and what do the official plain language guidelines say?
Plain English at work from its sources: GOV.UK, the US Plain Writing Act, Australia's Style Manual and ISO 24495-1, with their rules, rewrites and a table.
EveryoneUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
School governor meeting minutes in England: the rules
What must school governor meeting minutes record in England, who signs them and who can see them?
What school governor meeting minutes in England must record, who signs them, who may see them and how long to keep them, for maintained schools and academies.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
Student society meeting minutes: a secretary's guide
How do I take minutes as a student society or club secretary, and what does the students' union need from us?
Take minutes as a student society or club secretary: committee and general meetings, quorum, votes, the AGM records unions ask for, members' data, and a template.
Undergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
What to include in meeting minutes, and who requires it
What should meeting minutes include?
Every element meeting minutes should contain, from attendance and quorum to decisions and actions, with the UK and US law or guidance that asks for each one.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Who can see meeting minutes? FOI, SARs and members' rights
Who has the right to see a meeting's minutes, and how do I ask for them?
Who may see minutes in the UK and US: FOI requests, draft minutes, subject access, shareholders, charity members and councils, with our request template.
Everyone