Granola Core Workflow A: Meeting Preparation & Templates
Overview
Configure Granola templates (which structure the enhanced output) and recipes (repeatable Chat prompts) for consistent, high-quality meeting notes. Granola ships with 29 built-in templates and supports custom templates per workspace.
Prerequisites
- Granola installed and authenticated
- Calendar synced with upcoming meetings
- At least one meeting captured (to understand the enhancement flow)
Instructions
Step 1 — Choose a Built-in Template
Click the Change template icon at the bottom of your notes before or during a meeting:
| Template | Best For | Sections Generated |
|---|
| 1-on-1 | Manager/report check-ins | Check-in, Updates, Discussion, Action Items |
| Stand-up | Daily sync | Progress, Blockers, Priorities |
| Discovery Call | Sales prospecting | Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline (BANT) |
| Sprint Planning | Agile ceremonies | Sprint Goals, Velocity, Backlog, Risks |
| Weekly Team | Status meetings | Updates, Decisions, Action Items |
| Interview Debrief | Hiring loops | Candidate Assessment, Strengths, Concerns |
| Project Kick-Off | New initiatives | Goals, Scope, Timeline, RACI |
| Pipeline Review | Sales forecast | Deal Status, Next Steps, Risks |
| Design Crit | Creative review | Feedback, Changes Requested, Approvals |
Templates tell the AI how to structure the enhanced output — a sales call produces different sections than a standup.
Step 2 — Create a Custom Template
- Open Granola Settings > Templates
- Click Create New Template
- Define the structure using section headers:
## Customer Feedback Session
### Context
[Brief on the customer and their product usage]
### Key Feedback Themes
[Grouped by category: UX, Performance, Features, Support]
### Verbatim Quotes
[Direct customer quotes with timestamps]
### Severity Assessment
[Critical / High / Medium / Low for each issue]
### Action Items
[Owner, task, due date]
### Follow-Up Commitment
[What we promised the customer and by when]
- Name it and optionally set auto-trigger conditions:
- Calendar event title contains specific keywords (e.g., "feedback", "customer")
- Attendee email domains (e.g.,
@customer.com)
Step 3 — Create Recipes for Granola Chat
Recipes are saved prompts invoked with / in Granola Chat:
| Recipe | Prompt | Use Case |
|---|
/follow-up | "Draft a professional follow-up email summarizing decisions and next steps" | Post-meeting email |
/standup | "Extract blockers, progress updates, and priorities per person" | Standup summary |
/bant | "Analyze this call using BANT framework (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)" | Sales qualification |
/prd | "Write a PRD based on the product requirements discussed in this meeting" | Product spec |
/coaching | "Based on this 1:1, suggest coaching points and development areas" | Manager prep |
/decision-log | "List all decisions made, who made them, and the reasoning" | Governance |
Create custom recipes at Settings > Recipes or directly in Chat.
Step 4 — Pre-Meeting Preparation
Before important meetings, type context into the Granola notepad before the call starts:
## Pre-Meeting Context
- Last meeting: discussed Series A timeline, concerns about runway
- Open items: term sheet review, board seat allocation
- My goals today: confirm valuation range, discuss liquidation preference
- Questions to ask: timeline for closing, co-investor status
When you click Enhance Notes after the meeting, Granola combines:
- Your pre-meeting context
- Your live notes during the meeting
- The full audio transcript
This produces output that is aware of your goals and prior context.
Step 5 — Set Template Defaults per Workspace
For team deployments, set default templates per shared folder:
| Folder | Default Template | Auto-Apply |
|---|
#sales-calls | Discovery Call | Events with external attendees |
#engineering | Sprint Planning | Events titled "sprint" or "planning" |
#leadership | Weekly Team | Events with >5 attendees |
#interviews | Interview Debrief | Events titled "interview" |
Output
- Templates configured for each meeting type
- Custom recipes created for post-meeting workflows
- Pre-meeting context workflow established
- Consistent structured output across team meetings
Error Handling
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|
| Wrong template applied | Auto-trigger matched incorrectly | Narrow trigger conditions (more specific keywords) |
| Template sections empty | Meeting lacked relevant discussion | Remove irrelevant sections from template |
| Recipe not appearing | Not saved to workspace | Save recipe in Settings > Recipes |
| Pre-meeting notes lost | Typed in wrong app | Ensure you type in the Granola notepad, not a separate editor |
Template Design Best Practices
- Use clear section headers — Granola's AI parses headers to organize content
- Include bracketed hints —
[Owner, task, due date] guides the AI output format
- Keep templates under 10 sections — too many sections dilute content
- Add a "Verbatim Quotes" section for customer-facing meetings — captures exact language
- End with "Action Items" and "Next Steps" — the AI reliably fills these
Resources
Next Steps
Proceed to granola-core-workflow-b for post-meeting processing and sharing workflows.
