Skill: Meeting Preparation
Overview
This skill enables Perplexity AI to conduct comprehensive pre-meeting research and generate structured briefing documents, helping professionals walk into every meeting fully informed and ready to add value.
Skill Metadata
- Skill ID: meeting-prep
- Category: Productivity & Communication
- Complexity: Intermediate
- Estimated Time: 5-20 minutes per meeting
- Output Format: Meeting Briefing Document (Markdown)
Capabilities
1. Participant Research
- Professional background and career history
- Current role, responsibilities, and tenure
- Published articles, interviews, and public statements
- LinkedIn activity, interests, and expertise areas
- Mutual connections and shared experiences
2. Company Intelligence
- Company overview, size, funding stage, and industry
- Recent news, press releases, and announcements
- Products, services, and business model
- Key challenges and strategic priorities
- Competitors and market position
3. Agenda & Context Preparation
- Meeting objective clarification
- Relevant background context for discussion topics
- Prior meeting notes and action item follow-ups
- Industry trends relevant to meeting topics
- Potential pain points and opportunities to address
4. Question & Talking Point Generation
- Thoughtful questions to ask participants
- Key points to communicate or advocate for
- Potential objections and responses
- Success criteria for the meeting
5. Post-Meeting Setup
- Template for meeting notes
- Follow-up action item tracker
- Next steps document structure
Input Requirements
required_inputs:
- meeting_type: "sales|interview|partnership|team|board|vendor|networking"
- participants: "Names and companies of key participants"
- meeting_objective: "What you want to achieve"
optional_inputs:
- agenda_items: "Specific topics to be discussed"
- prior_context: "Previous interactions or relevant history"
- your_role: "Your position and what you're representing"
- meeting_duration: "Length of the meeting"
- prep_depth: "quick|standard|deep"
Step-by-Step Workflow
Phase 1: Participant Intelligence (5-10 min)
Step 1: Individual Research
For each key participant, research:
- Current title and company
- Career background (last 3-5 years)
- Educational background
- Published content or notable quotes
- Recent activity (posts, articles, speaking engagements)
- Any awards or recognition
Step 2: Identify Conversation Hooks
Look for:
- Shared connections or alma maters
- Common interests or expertise areas
- Recent milestones (promotions, company news)
- Their stated priorities or challenges
- Projects they are publicly excited about
Phase 2: Company & Context Research (5-10 min)
Step 3: Company Deep-Dive
Research areas:
- Founding story and mission
- Current product/service offerings
- Business model and revenue approach
- Recent funding, M&A, or major announcements
- Key customers and use cases
- Technology stack (if relevant)
- Culture and values signals
Step 4: Industry Context
Gather:
- Current trends affecting their business
- Regulatory or market changes
- Competitor landscape overview
- Analyst reports or expert opinions
- Macroeconomic factors relevant to their sector
Phase 3: Meeting Strategy (2-5 min)
Step 5: Objective Alignment
- Clarify primary goal (inform, persuade, explore, decide)
- Identify secondary goals
- Define success criteria
- Anticipate their objectives and expectations
Step 6: Question Preparation
| Question Type | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Understand their situation | "What is your biggest challenge with X?" |
| Qualifying | Assess fit/readiness | "How are you currently handling Y?" |
| Vision | Explore future state | "Where do you want to be in 12 months?" |
| Validation | Confirm understanding | "Did I capture that correctly?" |
| Next Steps | Drive action | "What would need to happen for us to move forward?" |
Output Template
# Meeting Brief: [Meeting Title]
**Date & Time:** [Date] at [Time]
**Duration:** [X] minutes
**Location/Platform:** [In-person/Zoom/Teams]
**Prepared by:** [Your Name]
**Objective:** [One sentence goal]
---
## Participants
### [Participant Name] - [Title] at [Company]
- **Background:** [2-3 sentences on career history]
- **Current Focus:** [What they are working on now]
- **Notable:** [Interesting fact, recent achievement, or connection point]
- **LinkedIn:** [URL]
---
## Company Overview: [Company Name]
- **Founded:** [Year] | **Size:** [Employees] | **Stage:** [Startup/Growth/Enterprise]
- **What they do:** [One sentence description]
- **Recent news:** [Key recent development]
- **Key challenge:** [Known pain point or strategic priority]
---
## Agenda & Talking Points
### Topic 1: [Agenda Item]
- Background context: [Relevant info]
- Your key message: [What to communicate]
- Questions to ask: [2-3 questions]
### Topic 2: [Agenda Item]
- Background context: [Relevant info]
- Your key message: [What to communicate]
- Questions to ask: [2-3 questions]
---
## My Key Messages
1. [Most important point to communicate]
2. [Second key message]
3. [Third key message]
## Questions to Ask
1. [High-priority question]
2. [Discovery question]
3. [Future-state question]
4. [Follow-up based on research]
## Potential Objections & Responses
| They might say... | I will respond with... |
|------------------|----------------------|
| [Objection 1] | [Response] |
| [Objection 2] | [Response] |
## Success Criteria
- [ ] [Primary outcome to achieve]
- [ ] [Secondary outcome]
- [ ] [Relationship goal]
---
## Notes Template
_Use during meeting:_
**Key points discussed:**
-
**Decisions made:**
-
**Action items:**
| Action | Owner | Due Date |
|--------|-------|----------|
| | | |
**Next meeting:** [Date/Topic]
Meeting Type Variations
Sales Meeting Prep
- Research prospect's tech stack and tools
- Identify budget signals and buying process
- Find champion vs. economic buyer
- Review similar customer case studies
- Prepare ROI talking points
Job Interview Prep
- Study job description deeply
- Research interviewer's background
- Prepare STAR method stories
- Research company culture and values
- Prepare thoughtful questions about the role
Partnership/BD Meeting
- Map complementary capabilities
- Identify overlap and white space
- Research their existing partner ecosystem
- Prepare mutual value proposition
- Understand their integration/partnership process
Board/Executive Presentation
- Know the audience's priorities and concerns
- Prepare data-driven supporting materials
- Anticipate tough questions
- Have backup slides for deep dives
- Practice concise executive summaries
Perplexity-Specific Tips
- Search "[Person Name] [Company]" for quick professional overview
- Use Focus: News for recent company announcements
- Search "[Company] challenges 2024" for pain point intelligence
- Use Spaces to save meeting preps for recurring meetings
- Enable Pro Search for deeper LinkedIn and web coverage
- Export briefing document before the meeting
Time-Based Prep Guides
5-Minute Quick Prep
- Google participant name + company
- Check company LinkedIn page
- Write 2 questions to ask
- Review your talking points
15-Minute Standard Prep
- Research all participants (3 min each)
- Company overview and recent news
- Prepare 5 questions
- Write key messages
- Set success criteria
30-Minute Deep Prep
- Full participant research with hooks
- Company deep-dive including competitors
- Industry context gathering
- Prepare full briefing document
- Practice key talking points
- Prepare for likely objections
Success Metrics
- Meeting objective achievement rate
- Time saved vs. manual research (target: 60% reduction)
- Quality of questions asked (self-rated)
- Follow-up conversion rate (for sales meetings)
- Participant feedback on meeting value