How to Write Effective Meeting Action Items

We've all been there: a 60-minute meeting ends, everyone nods, and two weeks later... nothing has happened.

The problem isn't the meeting. It's the Action Items.

The Problem with "Notes"

Most people take "meeting notes". They write down what was said.

• "Discussed the Q3 roadmap"
• "Alex thinks we should change pricing"
• "Need to look into the API issue"

These are observations, not actions.

The 3-Part Formula for Action Items

Effective action items must have three components:

1. Verb: What exactly needs to happen?
2. Owner: Who is responsible? (One person only)
3. Deadline: When is it due?

Bad Example

"Look into pricing"

Good Example

"Alex to draft 3 new pricing tiers (Basic, Pro, Enterprise) by Friday EOD."

How ActionAfter.ai Helps

We built ActionAfter.ai to automate this process. You can upload your meeting recording, and our AI will:

• Extract every commitment
• Identify the owner (even if implied)
• Suggest a concrete next step

Try it for free here.