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Field Guide · level 5 · Office work, by task

How do you get notes and actions from a meeting with AI?

Get the notes fast. Check every action against what was said, and tell people.

5 min · try it 10 min · as of Oct 2026
Bring this to your team · Workflow automationMap your team's meeting routine, from notes to a checked action list. Get in touch
01

Notes that look finished

AI meeting notes look finished. They're a first draft.

02

Get the words first

Get the words: a note taker in the call, a recording, or your own notes. Ask for decisions, actions and open questions.

03

Two errors, one line

Made up: “I can probably look at it” became “Ops lead: done by Friday”. Nobody said Friday, and “probably” isn't a promise.

04

Find each action in the transcript

Not there? Strike it. Check owners, dates and names. Then owners confirm their own lines.

05

Say the notes are on

Say it at the start, guests included. An icon on screen isn't enough. Not legal advice: your organisation's rules come first.

06

Fireflies: set the recap first

My pick: Fireflies. It joins Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and Webex. Its recap goes to everyone on the invite by default.

07

AI writes. People confirm.

Say it's on. Pause for anything confidential. Check, let owners confirm, then send it yourself.

Try it · 10 minutes · on your own work

Sort a made-up meeting

Use this made-up transcript, so nothing real is pasted.

  1. Paste it in; ask for decisions, actions and open questions.2 min
  2. Check each line: right, wrong or invented.5 min
  3. Count the misses and guesses.2 min
  4. Fix the list.1 min

The made-up transcript

Tuesday 13 Oct 2026, made up for this lesson.
Analyst: I'll send the survey summary by Thursday.
Lead: Launch moves to 2 November. Objections? No. Agreed.
Designer: Redo the banner? Lead: Maybe later.
Ops lead: I can probably tell the supplier this week.
Analyst: I still think 2 November is tight.

Good looks likeOne decision (note the analyst's concern), two actions (the supplier one tentative), one open question (the banner).

In your assistant · as of Oct 2026 · Fireflies, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini

Set up your note taker

Menus move often. Missing something? A rollout, your plan, country or admin may be why.

My pickMy pick for meeting notes: Fireflies first. It isn't tied to one meeting app: it joins Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex, with transcripts on its Free plan. Meeting only in Google Meet? Gemini's “Take notes for me” is easier. For a write-up from a transcript, my usual order holds, Claude first: at least Sonnet 5.5 at High or Extra high, or Opus 5.5 at High.

Use the tool your company approves for company data. That rule comes before mine.

Fireflies

Joins your calls as the Fireflies.ai Notetaker.

Add
Google or Outlook calendar

Connect your calendar first.

Use
SettingsthenAuto-join calendar meetingsthenOnly meetings that I own

So it joins only the calls you run.

Brake
Send email recap tothenOnly me

The default is everyone on the invite, outsiders included.

Free gives transcripts and limited summaries; Pro and above, unlimited. Its desktop app can work with no bot in the call: tell people yourself.

Claude

Its pages name no meeting recorder. Bring it the transcript or notes.

Add
+thenAdd files or photos

Attach the transcript or notes.

Use
Decisions, actions, open questions

Ask for all three.

Brake
You send it

Check it, then send the follow-up yourself.

Sonnet 5.5 on every plan; Opus 5.5 on Pro and above.

ChatGPT

Live notes come from the Meetings plugin, on a Mac.

Add
PluginsthenMeetings

From Plugins in the sidebar. No bot joins: tell people. Notes land in ChatGPT Space.

Use
Attach audio

For a recording, attach the file and ask for a transcript.

Brake
Check speakers

OpenAI warns “speaker identification may be unreliable”.

Meetings plugin in beta on Pro and Business; audio uploads not on Free.

Gemini

In Google Meet it's “Take notes for me”.

Add
Take notes for me

At the top right of the call.

Brake
Send notes tothenHosts and co-hosts only

As host, so you check first.

Use
Drive

Everyone sees a pencil icon; Google still asks you to tell people. Notes land in the organiser's Drive, with decisions and action items.

Work: Business Standard or Plus, Enterprise Standard or Plus, Frontline Plus. Personal: Google AI Pro or Ultra.

Quick check · three questions

Did it stick?

  1. 1“I can probably look at it this week” became “by Friday”. What do you do?

    The answer: B Nobody said Friday, and “probably” is no promise.

  2. 2Meet shows a pencil icon. Do you still say notes are on?

    The answer: A The icon helps; saying it is your job.

  3. 3Who gets Fireflies' recap email by default?

    The answer: C Set it to “Only me” first.
0 of 3 answered
Three words, in plain EnglishSide note
Transcript: every word said, and who said it. Action: what, who (the owner) and by when. Note taker: a tool that listens and writes the notes.
Recordings and the lawSide note
Not legal advice. Some places have laws on recording conversations, and your organisation's rules come first. Keep recordings only as your rules allow.
Fireflies with Claude or ChatGPTSide note
Fireflies connects to Claude and ChatGPT through its MCP server, so you can ask them about your meetings.
Sources, checked 16 Oct 2026Source

Product details as of Oct 2026, each line checked on the vendor's own page on 16 Oct 2026. Recheck by 16 Nov 2026. The meeting, its transcript and its people are made up for this lesson.

Free skillMeeting notes to actionsBring this to your teamWorkflow automation · Get in touchBack to level 5, Office work, by task

Get the notes fast. Check every action against what was said, and tell people.

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