| name | preparing-for-a-meeting |
| description | Use when prepping for any work meeting (1:1, customer call, interview, review) - 60-second-readable brief |
| kind | workflow |
| audience | knowledge-worker |
| ai-tools | any |
| complexity | simple |
| time | 5-15 min |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| source | bundled |
Preparing for a Meeting
What this does
Generates a 60-second-readable brief you scan before the meeting starts. Three things you must know, two things to mention, three questions you could ask.
When to use
- Any meeting where you need to walk in able to talk substance
- 1:1s where you want to follow up on prior threads
- Customer calls where the client's recent context matters
- Interviews (yours or theirs)
What you bring (Inputs)
- Meeting topic or attendees
- Meeting purpose (intro / sale / interview / review / decision / other)
- Time available to prep (5-30 min)
What you get (Output)
A one-screen brief with: TLDR, Key facts, Things to mention, Questions to ask.
How it works (Steps)
This is a simple workflow.
Stages
Stage 1: Identify the must-know facts
Three things you'd be embarrassed not to know in this meeting. Examples: their company's recent news, their last interaction with you, the current state of the project being discussed.
Stage 2: Find each fact (with source)
For each must-know, find the answer and note the source so you could verify mid-meeting if asked.
Stage 3: Pick 2 things to mention
Specific things from prior interactions or recent context that the other party would notice and appreciate. Avoids generic "great chat last time" filler.
Stage 4: Generate 3 questions
Open-ended questions you could ask. Specific to the context, not generic ("what are your priorities?").
Stage 5: Format
TLDR (1 sentence) / Key facts (3 bullets with sources) / Things to mention (2 bullets) / Questions to ask (3 bullets).
Checkpoints
- After Stage 1: 3 must-knows identified
- After Stage 2: every must-know has an answer with a source
- After Stage 3: things-to-mention reference recent / specific / non-obvious info
- After Stage 4: questions are open-ended and specific
- After Stage 5: brief fits on one screen
Loop-back conditions
Return to Stage 1 if research reveals a must-know you missed.
Quality bar
- Brief is one screen (under 250 words)
- Every fact has a source
- Things-to-mention are non-obvious (not "saw your post on LinkedIn")
- Questions are not yes/no
Variations
- 1:1 prep: replace "things to mention" with "open threads from last 1:1"
- Customer call prep: add "their likely objections" section
- Interview prep: add "stated values + how I match" section
- Quick prep (5 min): skip Stage 3; do 2 must-knows, 2 questions
Example
Input: Hiring sync with Eng Manager Pat, 30 min, discussing two open roles.
Output:
TLDR: Pat needs help unblocking their senior backend role; their staff role is on hold.
Key facts:
- Senior backend role open since Jan; 2 candidates in pipeline (Greenhouse link)
- Staff role on hold since March (per Pat's last update)
- Pat's team shipped the new auth system last week (slack #eng)
Things to mention:
- Auth ship — congrats; ask about retro
- The new sourcing tool we trialed; results from last week
Questions to ask:
- What changed about the staff role hold?
- Of the 2 candidates in pipeline, which would you push to onsite this week?
- ...
