TutorialsThe Groundwork: Minutes Are Not a Record
Four core ideas (record vs minutes, decisions / to-dos / open questions, the action list, the recording-to-minutes chain), eight common meeting types, and the course formula: role + task + context + format + constraints.
The most common mistake is trying to write down everything that was said. But a record is for you; minutes are for everyone — completely different purposes.
This lesson sets the target first: you do not want a record, you want decisions, to-dos and open questions.
Four ideas, explained once
Record vs minutes
A record captures every word; minutes keep only the key points plus who does what. You always want the latter — a 60-minute meeting deserves one page of minutes, no more.
Decisions / to-dos / open questions
What was decided, who does what next, and where things are stuck. These three are the pillars of any minutes document — remove one and it collapses.
The action list
It turns 'we should look into it' into 'Zhang delivers the plan by next Friday'. This is the soul of the document — without it, minutes are just reading material.
From recording to minutes, made smooth
Before: hand notes, replaying audio, manually picking out action items — one to two hours. Now: automatic transcription → hand it to AI → minutes in 10 minutes.
Unpacked one by one
Eight common meeting types
"It is just meeting minutes" — but different meetings need completely different emphasis. Match yours:
| Scenario | What the work is | How AI helps |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly / standup | Progress reported person by person | Merges it into "progress + needs coordination" |
| Project review | Tracking schedule, milestones, blockers | Flags delay risks, blockers and next steps |
| Retrospective | Root causes, lessons learned | Separates "resolved" from "needs ongoing attention" |
| Business / analysis | Reading data, finding gaps | Pulls key metrics, highlights missed targets |
| Cross-team coordination | Division of labour and handovers | Clarifies owner / supporting team / deadline |
| Client / business | Negotiating, recording commitments | Captures our commitments + their asks + to-dos |
| Brainstorm | Divergent ideas | Groups them into themes without losing ideas |
| Top-down briefing | Receiving tasks and directives | Extracts key requirements and actions |
Lesson three gives a prompt template for each of these eight types, so no need to memorise them now — just remember: decide which kind of meeting it is before it starts, and AI's output gets noticeably better.
The course formula: role + task + context + format + constraints
This course teaches exactly one formula, used throughout. Get all five parts right and AI's first draft is usable:
| Role | Task | Context | Format | Constraints |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior meeting minutes assistant | Turn the transcript into usable minutes | Product launch weekly meeting, ~60 min, 8 attendees | Summary + topic blocks + action table | Only what is in the transcript; mark unclear items [?check] |
The single most valuable advanced tip
Add one line at the end of the prompt:
Before you start, ask me three questions and wait for my answers.This follow-up question is the most overlooked and the most valuable step in the whole course.
AI will ask: who is this for? Is the attendee list correct? Which statements in the transcript are still tentative? — questions you usually need to think before answering.
Wherever you cannot answer is usually where the minutes are most likely to go wrong. Let it ask first; it is far cheaper than fixing the minutes three times afterwards.
Key takeaways from this lesson
| Remember this | Because |
|---|---|
| You want minutes, not a record | A record preserves; minutes push work forward |
| Write decisions / to-dos / open questions separately | Blended together, readers cannot tell settled items from open ones |
| Every action needs who / what / when | Miss one and nobody claims the item |
| Five parts: role, task, context, format, constraints | Each missing part is one more degree of freedom for AI |
| The closing "ask me three questions" line | It surfaces exactly what you are most likely to get wrong |
| Identify the meeting type first | Weekly and retrospective minutes look completely different |
Turning Meetings into Minutes with AI
One formula, three hands-on runs and six scenario templates — turn a messy meeting into key minutes, an action list and trackable to-dos in 10 minutes.
Hands-On: Transcript → Minutes → Action Items → Briefing
Using a product launch weekly meeting as the main case, three prompts in relay turn a raw transcript into structured minutes, an assignable action list and a one-page briefing — each with its full text and what to check.