Stephen Turner
Akash Kumar
Jordan Lee
Taylor Scott
Design a recap template your team will actually read
Generic meeting notes give every meeting the same shape, so the one thing a reader needs is easy to miss. A recap template fixes that by asking for the sections a particular meeting actually produces. Here is how to design one, with three examples you can copy.
Why one recap shape doesn't fit every meeting
A sales call, a sprint planning session and a one-on-one produce different things. The sales call produces next steps for a deal. Planning produces a scope. A one-on-one produces support and follow-ups for one person.
A generic summary buries those outcomes in a paragraph. A template names them as sections, so the notes come out in the shape the reader looks for.
Five rules for a template people read
- Start from the reader. Write down who opens these notes and what they need from them in 30 seconds.
- Put decisions and action items first. Background goes last, or nowhere.
- Keep it to four to six sections. Every extra heading is one more place for an outcome to hide.
- Name sections after outcomes, not topics: "Decisions" and "Risks raised" beat "Discussion".
- Say what to leave out. For example: "Skip small talk and scheduling chatter."
Three templates to copy
Each template below lists its sections in order, with a one-line instruction for each. Adapt the wording to your team.
| Meeting | Sections, in order |
|---|---|
| Weekly team sync | Decisions made; action items with owner and date; blockers and who can unblock them; updates worth knowing (one line each) |
| Client call | What the client asked for; commitments we made, with dates; open questions on either side; risks to the account; next meeting |
| Candidate interview | Evidence for each competency in the scorecard; questions the candidate asked; concerns to check in the next round; no overall verdict |
Write instructions, not just headings
An AI recap fills a heading with whatever seems to fit. A short instruction under each heading makes the result predictable.
Compare "Action items" with "Action items: one line each, owner's name first, then the task and any due date." The second gives you a list you can paste straight into a tracker.
Set up a custom recap template in Bridge
Bridge's recap templates use the meeting transcript to reshape the structured notes. Presets include Key Takeaways and 1:1s, and you can add your own.
- Go to Account settings, then Preferences, then Recap Templates, to create, edit or delete a custom template.
- Or open a completed meeting and use the template dropdown next to Key Takeaways on the Notes tab.
- Try a new template on a few past meetings of that type, and fix any section that comes back empty or vague.
- Turn on Recap Auto-Sharing in Preferences if the same people should get every recap by email.
Check it after two weeks
Ask two people who read the recaps what they skip and what they still have to look up. Drop the sections nobody reads, and add the one thing they keep asking for.
A template is working when readers stop asking "so what did we decide?" after the meeting.