How to write meeting notes with ChatGPT: 25 prompts

Step by step

1. 1

   Get a transcript

   Record the meeting and export the transcript with speaker names. Without names, ChatGPT can't tell you who owns what.

2. 2

   Check what you're allowed to paste

   Follow your company's AI policy, and remove anything you shouldn't share, such as client names or health details.

3. 3

   Paste the transcript and one prompt

   Start with a summary prompt, then ask follow-up prompts in the same chat. Split very long transcripts into parts.

4. 4

   Ask for a fixed format

   Headings for summary, decisions and action items, with Owner and Due for every action, make the notes easy to scan and copy.

5. 5

   Check the notes against the transcript

   Ask ChatGPT to quote the line each decision comes from, and fix anything it got wrong or guessed.

6. 6

   Share and track

   Send the notes the same day and put action items where your team tracks work.

Prompts for summaries

• Summarise this meeting transcript in 5 bullet points for someone who missed it.
• Write a one-paragraph summary of this meeting, then list the three most important points.
• Summarise this transcript by agenda item. Use the agenda below as headings: [paste agenda].
• Write a summary of this meeting for an executive: the outcome, the risks and what's needed from them.
• List the questions raised in this meeting that weren't answered.

Prompts for decisions and action items

• List every decision made in this meeting. For each one, quote the line from the transcript it comes from.
• List the action items as a table with Task, Owner and Due date. Write 'not stated' if the owner or date wasn't said.
• Which action items have no owner or no due date? Suggest who should own each, based on the discussion.
• List anything someone promised to do, even if it was said in passing, with who said it.
• Compare these action items with last week's list below and tell me which are done, still open or new: [paste list].

Prompts for follow-up emails and updates

• Write a short follow-up email to the attendees with the decisions and action items. Friendly tone.
• Write a formal recap email to the client with the agreed next steps and dates.
• Write a Slack update for the team in under 100 words, with blockers first.
• Write a status update for stakeholders who weren't in the meeting: what changed, what's at risk, what's next.
• Turn the action items into Jira-style tickets with a title, description and acceptance criteria.

Prompts for specific meetings

• This is a sales discovery call. Pull out the customer's pain points, budget, decision process and next steps.
• This is a one-on-one. List what the team member raised, the feedback given and the agreed actions.
• This is a sprint retrospective. Group the points into went well, didn't go well and what we'll change.
• This is a job interview. Summarise the candidate's answers against these criteria: [paste criteria]. Quote evidence.
• These are board meeting notes. Write formal minutes with motions, who moved and seconded them, and the votes.

Prompts to check the notes

• Check your summary against the transcript and list anything you stated that the transcript doesn't support.
• Which parts of the transcript were unclear or inaudible? List them so I can check with the attendees.
• Did anyone disagree with a decision? Quote them.
• What did the meeting discuss that isn't in your summary?
• Rewrite the notes in plain English for someone outside the team, without changing any facts.

Common mistakes

• Asking ChatGPT to write notes from memory or a few rough bullets; it fills the gaps with guesses.
• Sharing AI notes without checking owners, dates and numbers against the transcript.
• Pasting confidential meetings into a tool your company hasn't approved.

Questions