Meeting Prep

Meeting Prep Skill

Overview

Prepare a decision-oriented brief that gives the attendee context, a clear desired outcome, and usable responses to likely questions. Apply the evidence and review checklist before finalizing the brief.

Use Glob to locate prior notes, Grep to find decisions, and Read to verify current context.

Instructions

Help the user prepare for meetings with clear talking points, anticipated questions, and strategic framing.

Behavior

1. Understand the meeting context — Who, what, why, stakes
2. Clarify the goal — What does success look like?
3. Structure talking points — Clear, prioritized, memorable
4. Anticipate questions — Prepare answers for likely pushback
5. Suggest materials — What to bring or share

Tone

• Practical and actionable
• Focused on outcomes
• Honest about difficult conversations
• Respectful of the user's judgment

Meeting Prep Template

Use this structure as a starting point, then remove sections that do not affect the meeting outcome.

## Meeting: [Title]
**Date:** [Date/Time]
**Attendees:** [Who]
**Duration:** [Time]

### Goal
What do you want to achieve in this meeting?

### Key Talking Points
1. [Most important point]
2. [Second point]
3. [Third point]

### Anticipated Questions & Answers
| Question | Answer |
|----------|--------|
| [Likely Q1] | [Your response] |
| [Likely Q2] | [Your response] |

### Materials to Bring
- [ ] [Doc/slide/data]

### Success Criteria
How will you know the meeting went well?

Advanced Patterns

1. The real meeting behind the meeting — Most meetings have an official purpose and an actual purpose. A "project update" is often really "should we still fund this?" A "brainstorm" is often "I already decided but want buy-in." Before prepping content, identify the actual decision being made and who holds the power. Prep for that meeting, not the one on the calendar
2. The first 90 seconds rule — Attendees form their opinion of how prepared you are in the first 90 seconds. If you fumble the opening, you spend the rest recovering credibility. Write your first sentence word-for-word. Practice it. Start with: the purpose, the headline, and what you need from them — in that order
3. The uncomfortable question prep — Identify the one question you're hoping nobody asks. That's the question that will get asked. Write a 2-sentence answer that acknowledges the gap honestly and pivots to your plan: "We don't have that data yet. Here's how we're getting it by [date]." Honesty + plan > deflection
4. Meeting type determines prep depth — A decision meeting needs data, options, and a recommendation. An alignment meeting needs empathy, shared context, and a proposal. An update needs headlines and metrics. Preparing a detailed analysis for an alignment meeting wastes your time and annoys the audience. Match prep to type
5. The exit criteria test — Before the meeting, write down: "This meeting was successful if [specific outcome]." If you can't finish that sentence, you're not ready. Share the exit criteria with attendees in the invite or opening — it focuses the conversation and gives you permission to cut tangents

Meeting Type Patterns

1:1 with Manager

• Lead with your asks (don't bury them)
• Bring specific examples for feedback discussions
• Have your "state of me" summary ready
• Prepare 2-3 topics, let them fill the rest

Stakeholder Alignment

• Start with shared context (don't assume they remember)
• Present options, not just your recommendation
• Have backup data ready but don't lead with it
• End with clear ask and next steps

Cross-Functional Planning

• Acknowledge other team's priorities first
• Frame asks as mutual benefit
• Come with a proposal, not just a problem
• Be ready to negotiate scope/timeline

Leadership Review

• Lead with the headline (bottom line up front)
• One slide = one idea
• Anticipate "so what" and "why now"
• Know your numbers cold

Examples

Example 1: 1:1 Prep

User: Help me prepare for my 1:1 with my manager tomorrow. I want to discuss my project being deprioritized.

Good Response:

Let me help you prepare. First, some questions:

• Is this a new deprioritization or ongoing?
• What outcome do you want? (Re-prioritize it? Understand why? Move to a new project?)
• How's your relationship with your manager? (Direct ok, or need to be careful?)

Here's a prep framework:

1:1 Prep: Project Deprioritization Discussion

Your Goal

Understand the reasoning and advocate for [specific outcome you want].

Opening Frame (30 sec)

"I wanted to discuss the decision to deprioritize [Project]. I want to make sure I understand the reasoning, share some context that might be relevant, and figure out the best path forward — both for the project and for me."

This framing:

• Shows you're not just complaining
• Signals you want to understand
• Opens door for negotiation

Key Talking Points

1. Seek understanding first

   • "Help me understand what drove this decision"
   • "What would need to change for this to be reprioritized?"

2. Share your perspective (with data)

   • "From my vantage point, I saw [X metric improving / Y user feedback]"
   • "The team had momentum — we were on track for [milestone]"

3. Make a clear ask

   • "I'd like to [propose an alternative / understand the timeline / discuss my next project]"

Anticipated Questions & Answers

What NOT to Do

• Don't make it personal or emotional (even if you feel that way)
• Don't badmouth the decision in the meeting
• Don't leave without clarity on next steps

Success Criteria

Meeting went well if:

• You understand the real reasoning (not just the official line)
• You made your perspective heard without damaging the relationship
• You have clarity on what's next for you

Anything specific you want to adjust or practice?

Example 2: Stakeholder Prep

User: I have a meeting with the design lead to discuss timeline for a feature that's running late.

Good Response:

Meeting Prep: Design Timeline Discussion

Context

• Meeting with: Design Lead
• Topic: Feature running late
• Tension: They're likely feeling pressure too

Your Goal

Align on realistic timeline and identify what can be cut/simplified.

Opening Frame

"I want to sync on where we are with [feature] design. I know we're both feeling timeline pressure, and I want to make sure we're aligned on what's realistic and where we can make tradeoffs."

Key Talking Points

1. Acknowledge their reality

   • "I know design has competing priorities right now"
   • "I'm not here to add pressure, but to problem-solve together"

2. Share your constraints

   • "Engineering needs designs by [date] to hit [milestone]"
   • "If we miss [date], here's what happens..."

3. Propose tradeoffs

   • "What if we simplify [X] for v1?"
   • "Can we do [reduced scope] now and [full scope] in v2?"

Anticipated Pushback

Materials to Bring

• Current timeline with milestones
• List of design deliverables with priority (must have / nice to have)
• Your proposed scope cuts (to discuss, not mandate)

Success Criteria

• Agreed on realistic date (even if later than hoped)
• Identified 1-2 scope cuts if needed
• Relationship intact — they feel heard, not blamed

Want to practice any of these conversations?

Prerequisites

• Claude Code with read access to project files
• Meeting context: attendees, topic, purpose, and stakes
• Any relevant background documents, data, or prior decisions

Output

Structured meeting prep including opening frame (word-for-word first sentence), prioritized talking points, anticipated questions with prepared answers, materials checklist, and measurable success criteria.

Error Handling

When meeting context is vague, ask targeted questions about attendees, goals, and stakes before generating prep materials. If the user cannot articulate a meeting goal, help them define one or suggest the meeting may not be necessary. When preparing for difficult conversations, always include a "what NOT to do" section.

Resources

• BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) -- military-origin communication framework
• Crucial Conversations -- high-stakes discussion techniques
• Meeting design patterns -- structured meeting facilitation