How to AI an Internal Meeting
The 6-Step System for Meetings That Actually Get Things Done
Word of the Day: QUORUM (noun) The minimum number of members required to conduct business. Usually the exact number of people who didn’t show up.
How to AI an Internal Meeting
(And Finally Escape Meeting Hell)
Here’s the truth: Most internal meetings are where productivity goes to die.
You sit for an hour. People talk in circles. Someone says “let’s take this offline.” You leave with vague next steps that everyone interprets differently.
Then next week? Same meeting. Same conversation. Same nothing getting done.
Not anymore.
I’m going to show you how to use AI before, during, and after every internal meeting, turning those painful hour-long sessions into focused conversations with clear outcomes.
Let’s fix your meetings…
STEP 1: Pre-Meeting Clarity (Know What You Actually Need)
Before any internal meeting, you need to answer three questions:
What decisions need to be made?
What information needs to be shared?
What should be different after this meeting ends?
Most people skip this. They show up, wing it, and wonder why nothing changes.
Open ChatGPT and paste this in (when in doubt, remove it or say “I don’t know”):
PROMPT: Internal Meeting Prep
You are an expert meeting facilitator who helps leaders run focused, productive meetings. Your job is to turn vague meeting purposes into clear, actionable agendas.
I have an internal meeting coming up and need help preparing.
MEETING BASICS:
Meeting type: [Team standup / Strategy session / Project review / Brainstorm / Decision meeting / Other]
Topic or purpose: [What the meeting is supposed to be about]
Attendees: [Names and roles of who will be there]
Time allocated: [30 min, 1 hour, etc.]
Is this recurring?: [Yes/No - if yes, how often]
CURRENT SITUATION:
What prompted this meeting: [Why is this happening now?]
Background context: [What do people need to know coming in?]
Any recent developments: [Updates since last discussion]
Known tensions or disagreements: [Any conflicting viewpoints to navigate?]
DESIRED OUTCOMES:
Decisions needed: [What choices need to be made?]
Information to share: [What do people need to learn?]
Actions to assign: [What tasks should come out of this?]
Success looks like: [How will you know the meeting worked?]
Based on this, create:
Meeting Purpose Statement - One sentence that defines why we’re meeting
Suggested Agenda - Time-boxed sections that lead to the outcomes I need
Key Questions to Ask - The specific questions that will drive the right discussions
Potential Roadblocks - Where might this meeting get derailed, and how do I keep it on track?
Pre-Work for Attendees - Should anyone come prepared with something? If so, what?
Parking Lot Topics - What related topics should I explicitly NOT discuss in this meeting?
Keep this practical. I want to run a tight meeting, not create bureaucracy.
Pro tip: If this is a recurring meeting that always runs long or goes nowhere, tell ChatGPT that in the prompt. It’ll help you restructure the format entirely.
Save this chat. You’ll use it again in Step 2.
STEP 2: Get Your Head Right (Optional But Powerful)
Sometimes internal meetings are harder than sales meetings.
You’re navigating office politics. Personalities. That one person who derails every conversation. The executive who talks for 20 minutes without saying anything.
If you need to prepare mentally, use ChatGPT voice mode on your way to the meeting.
In that same chat, paste this:
PROMPT: Meeting Mindset Coach
I’m heading into this internal meeting. I want to talk through my approach while I travel.
Take on the role of an executive coach who helps leaders navigate internal dynamics and run effective meetings.
Help me with:
Walk through the agenda - Quiz me on what we’re trying to accomplish in each section
Anticipate personalities - Based on who’s attending, what dynamics should I be ready for?
Practice redirects - If the conversation goes off track, give me language to bring it back
Clarify my position - If there are decisions to make, help me articulate where I stand and why
Prepare for pushback - What objections might come up, and how should I respond?
Keep responses short and conversational. We’re talking out loud.
Start by asking me what I’m most concerned about for this meeting.
How to use ChatGPT voice mode:
Open the ChatGPT app on your phone
Tap the headphone icon (bottom right)
Start talking
Five minutes of this and you’ll walk in calm and focused instead of reactive.
STEP 3: Record the Meeting (Your Memory Just Got Perfect)
This is the game-changer: Record every internal meeting.
I know what you’re thinking. “That’s weird for internal meetings.”
It’s not. Here’s what you say:
“I’m going to record this so I can send everyone accurate notes after. That way nobody has to scribble while we talk.”
People love this. It means they can actually pay attention instead of taking notes.
Your options:
Zoom/Teams/Google Meet - Hit record. Transcripts usually included.
Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, or Fathom - These join automatically and create transcripts.
Your phone - Voice memo app works for in-person meetings (or virtual). Just set it on the table visibly and hit record. Don’t forget to turn it off after the meeting.
Plaud Note or Limitless Pendant - Wearable recorders for in-person meetings.
The magic isn’t the recording. It’s what you do with it next.
STEP 4: Extract the Gold (AI Does the Hard Part)
Meeting’s over. Now watch this.
While everyone else is trying to remember what was decided, you’re about to send a recap that makes you look like the most organized person in the company.
Get your transcript and bring it to Claude.
For ongoing projects or recurring meetings, create a Claude Project. Name it something like “Q1 Marketing Planning” or “Weekly Product Standups.” Upload transcripts from each meeting and Claude maintains context across all of them.
Paste this prompt:
PROMPT: Meeting Summary Generator
You are an expert at extracting clear, actionable information from meeting transcripts. Your summaries are known for being concise, accurate, and impossible to misinterpret.
I’ve uploaded a transcript from an internal meeting. Please create a meeting summary that includes:
1. Meeting Overview One paragraph summary of what was discussed and the overall outcome.
2. Decisions Made List every decision that was reached, stated clearly. If something was left undecided, note that too.
3. Action Items For each action item, include:
What needs to be done
Who is responsible
Deadline (if mentioned, or flag as “needs deadline”)
4. Key Discussion Points Brief summary of important topics discussed, especially any disagreements or concerns raised.
5. Open Questions Anything that came up but wasn’t resolved. These might need follow-up.
6. Next Meeting If discussed, when and what should be covered.
Format this cleanly. It will be sent to all attendees.
Important: Only include what was actually said in the meeting. Don’t add assumptions or recommendations unless I ask.
Read through it. Make sure it’s accurate. Then send it.
STEP 5: Send It Fast (Accountability in Their Inbox)
Here’s what happens when you send a clear meeting recap within an hour:
Decisions are locked in before anyone can “remember it differently”
Action items have names attached - no hiding
You become the person who makes meetings productive
People actually prepare for the next one because they know there’s a record
In your Claude chat, paste this:
PROMPT: Recap Email
Based on the meeting summary you just created, write a short email to send to all attendees.
The email should:
Thank everyone for their time (briefly)
State the key outcome in one sentence
Mention that the full summary is below
Call out the most important action items with owners
End with the next meeting date or next step
Keep it under 100 words before the summary. Professional but not stiff.
Send this within one hour of the meeting ending. Same day, always.
STEP 6: Build Your Meeting Intelligence System
Here’s where it gets powerful.
Create a Claude Project for each major ongoing initiative or recurring meeting. Upload every transcript and summary.
Now when you’re prepping for the next meeting, Claude knows:
What was decided previously
What action items are still open
What topics keep coming up
Where disagreements exist
Before your next meeting, ask Claude:
PROMPT: Meeting Prep from History
Based on our previous meeting transcripts and summaries, help me prepare for our next session.
What action items from last time should I follow up on?
What topics were left unresolved?
Are there any patterns or recurring issues I should address?
What should the agenda focus on to move us forward?
You just built institutional memory that most companies pay consultants thousands of dollars to create.
Your Meetings Are Fixed
Let’s recap:
You walk into every meeting with a clear agenda and desired outcomes.
You know how to navigate personalities and keep things on track.
You capture everything so nothing gets lost or “misremembered.”
You send a professional recap within an hour with clear accountability.
You build context over time so every meeting builds on the last.
Your coworkers are still saying “wait, what did we decide?”
You’ve already moved on to actual work.
That’s a wrap for today.
Pick one internal meeting this week and run it through this system. Just one. You’ll never go back to the old way.
Reply and tell me how it went. I read every single one.
Coming Next: I built an automated content and social media post generator that my clients are LOVING (and paying for) and I can’t wait to show it to you…
— Scott
P.S. - The best meetings aren’t the ones where everyone talks. They’re the ones where something actually changes afterward. This system makes that happen.
SmartOwner is published (almost) daily by Scott McIntosh at DigitalTreehouse. Want AI consulting or automation for your business? Reply to this email.