preparing-for-a-meeting

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:

1. What changed about the staff role hold?
2. Of the 2 candidates in pipeline, which would you push to onsite this week?
3. ...