How to Confirm What People Agreed to in a Meeting

Before people leave a decision meeting, say what you think the group agreed to and ask them to confirm or correct it. If the group needs more information before deciding, say what’s still open and agree on who’ll get that information and by when.

Be clear about what was approved

Give people a moment to correct your summary. Agreement to get a price is different from approval to buy. Agreement to test a change in one office gives that office permission to run the test. The other offices need to know whether they’re expected to do anything yet.

If the approval has a condition, say it out loud. The group may have approved a trial once the cost is confirmed. Include that condition in the recap so the person arranging the trial knows when to start.

Confirm who’ll take the first step

Name the first task and ask the person who’ll do it to confirm they can meet the deadline. Find out what they need to get started. If they’re waiting for a file, an approval, or help from someone else, agree on who’ll provide it and when.

If someone still needs to be assigned, agree on who’ll make that assignment and when the group will hear back.

Set a time to check progress while everyone is still together. Decide what you’ll look at then. If the first task is to get a price, the next meeting may need the quote and enough time for the group to decide whether to proceed.

Send a short record of the agreement

Write down the decision, who’s doing what, and the agreed dates. Include any open questions and when the group will check progress. Send the note to the people involved so they can refer back to what they agreed to.

Put the decision and the first task near the top. Someone reading the note should be able to find their assignment and deadline without going through the whole discussion. When you meet again, start by checking whether that first task happened. If it didn’t, ask what held it up and decide what needs to change.

Before your next decision meeting, use the Action and Follow-Through Planner to prepare what you’ll confirm before people leave.