TutorialsHands-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.
Main case: the weekly meeting for the 慧办公 3.0 launch — about 60 minutes, 8 attendees.
The material is a real-sounding transcript — with interruptions, people cutting in, and a back-and-forth about whether the load-test threshold should be three seconds. The opening lines read like this:
Li Jun: Let's start, everyone's here — Director Wang hasn't joined yet? Let's not wait, I'll fill him in later. Today there's really just one item: can 慧办公 3.0 ship next week...
Zhang Qian: Li Jun, let me cut in first — the payment item has to come first, otherwise nothing I say afterwards holds up.
We can both follow a transcript like this, but it is not usable as it stands. The three prompts below turn it into three documents you can send out directly.
How the three runs relate
Run A: transcript → structured minutes
Turn a wall of spoken text into "summary + topic blocks + action table". This run only builds the structure.
Run B: minutes → action list
Extract every to-do into a task list you can assign directly. This run decides whether the minutes actually push work forward.
Run C: minutes → upward briefing
Compress the same minutes into one page for your manager. This run decides whether the meeting's outcomes reach upward.
The order matters. B takes A's output as input, and so does C. Skip A and ask B, and AI has no minutes to extract from — it just breaks the transcript down again, usually into scattered points.
Run A: transcript → structured minutes
When to use it: right after the meeting, when all you have is a transcript — or when you are not sure what the meeting actually decided.
You are a senior meeting minutes assistant. Turn the following meeting transcript into structured meeting minutes.
[Context] I am Li Jun, the overall project owner. This is the weekly meeting for the "慧办公 3.0" product launch, about 60 minutes with 8 attendees. The minutes go to all attendees the same day and are archived.
[Requirements]
1. First give me a core summary under 150 characters (what was decided, who does what, where it is stuck)
2. Then organise by topic, tagging each item [decision]/[to-do]/[open]
3. Finally compile an "action item list" table (no./item/owner/deadline)
[Constraints] Only use the transcript, do not invent; mark [?check] if numbers, dates or names are unclear.
[Transcript] [paste your meeting transcript]
Before you start, ask me three questions and wait for my answers.What to watch in this run
Note the three tags in the format: [decision] / [to-do] / [open].
In this transcript, "the launch window is Tuesday 2–4 a.m." is a decision; "Zhou gives the traffic data Monday morning" is a to-do; and "which budget covers the renewal — ops or R&D" was explicitly deferred with "confirm after the meeting" — it is an open question and must be listed separately.
AI tends to swallow vague phrases like "confirm after the meeting" and treat them as settled. When that happens, make the rule harder: anything said with "after the meeting", "revisit" or "to be determined" goes into [open].
After Run A you get three things
| Output | Shape | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Core summary | Under 150 characters, three facts | Can you state what was decided, who does what, where it is stuck? |
| Topic blocks | Several blocks, each tagged [decision] / [to-do] / [open] | Did any "confirm after the meeting" item become a settled decision? |
| Action table | No. / item / owner / deadline | Can every row fill all four columns? |
Run B: minutes → action list
When to use it: the minutes are readable, but you need a list to post in the group and tag people on.
You are an action-item specialist in project management. Do exactly one thing: extract every "to-do / action item" from the meeting minutes below into a task list that can be assigned directly.
[Context] I am Li Jun, the overall project owner. These are the minutes of the "慧办公 3.0" launch weekly meeting. The list goes into the project group, tagging each owner, as the basis for next week's follow-up.
[Format] Each column: no. | task description | owner | deadline | acceptance criteria
[Requirements] Write tasks as "do what + achieve what"; owner is a name only; deadline is a specific date; unclear items go in a separate "to confirm" list; at most 15 items, one sentence each.
[Minutes] [paste the minutes generated above]
Before you start, ask me three questions and wait for my answers.Four things that decide whether the list can be sent as-is
| Check | Failing | Passing |
|---|---|---|
| Task description | "Follow up on the load test" | "Complete the core-interface load test and produce the report" |
| Owner | "relevant colleagues", "the R&D team" | An actual name |
| Deadline | "as soon as possible", "this week" | A specific date |
| Acceptance criteria | Empty | "Report includes timeout rate and error rate" |
The "to confirm" column is the essence of this list. For things the meeting did not settle (like who pays for the certificate renewal), do not force a name in — list it separately. Asking one question after the meeting is much safer than guessing a name in the room.
Also keep the list under 15 items: more than 15 means you have not separated to-dos from background information.
Run C: minutes → upward briefing
When to use it: the minutes are complete, but your manager has one minute and needs one page.
You are an upward-reporting assistant. Compress the meeting minutes below into a one-page briefing for a manager.
[Context] I am Li Jun, the overall project owner. These are the minutes of the "慧办公 3.0" launch weekly meeting. The briefing is for me to report this week's progress and next week's plan to Deputy GM Wang Jianguo, sent to him on WeChat after the meeting.
[Format] 1. What was done this week (max 3 items) 2. Two core conclusions 3. The one thing that needs the manager's decision or coordination 4. Next week's priorities (3 items with owner and deadline)
[Requirements] Write plainly, no corporate jargon; mark missing information as [to fill].
[Minutes] [paste the minutes]
Before you start, ask me three questions (who your manager is, what the report should emphasise, what your manager cares about most) and wait for my answers.The four sections, and the problem each one solves
| Section | What it solves |
|---|---|
| What was done this week (max 3) | The first thing a manager wants is "is there progress", not the process |
| Two core conclusions | Pulls decisions to the top so they do not have to dig through the minutes |
| The one thing needing a decision / coordination | Only one — three items means none gets approved |
| Next week's priorities (3, with owner and deadline) | Shows the manager the rhythm and where they can intervene |
Do not delete the line "write plainly, no corporate jargon". Without it, AI defaults to "under the correct leadership of the company, this week's work achieved phased progress" — a sentence a manager scans past without learning anything.
Also note that Run C's follow-up changes to three specific questions (who your manager is, what to emphasise, what they care about most). Change the follow-up questions to fit the purpose — that is the advanced tip in action.
What the three runs give you
| Run | Input | Output | Audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Transcript | Core summary + topic blocks + action table | All attendees, archival |
| B | Minutes from A | Task list with owner, deadline, acceptance criteria | Project group, tagged per owner |
| C | Minutes from A | One-page briefing | Your manager |
In-class reminder: anonymise before practising on real meetings — replace client names, amounts and people's names with placeholders. Meeting structure is not sensitive, but what you send out cannot be taken back.
Key takeaways from this lesson
| Remember this | Because |
|---|---|
| The three runs are a relay, not a menu | Without A's structure, B just breaks the transcript down again |
| The three tags are the most valuable format requirement | With [decision] / [to-do] / [open], AI cannot blend them together |
| "Confirm after the meeting" must go under open questions | The class AI most often swallows, and the most likely to cause disputes later |
| Action items need task / owner / deadline / acceptance | Miss one and the list does not move |
| The briefing raises only one item for decision | Three items means none gets decided |
| Change the three follow-up questions by purpose | Minutes for everyone and a briefing for your manager need different checks |
The 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.
Take-Home Practice: Six Scenario Templates and the Red Lines
Six prompt templates sorted by meeting type, a universal blank minutes table, recording and transcription tools with the skill experience, and the four red lines you must hold.