Meeting Prep Kit

Meeting Prep Kit

Personal prep tool for meetings where *you* are driving an outcome. Not a meeting note-taker. Not a generic agenda builder. The output is for you, the person walking into the room.

Design choices (why this skill is opinionated)

• For you, not the team. Output assumes you already know the context. No "as you know" preambles.
• Outcome-first. Every section ladders back to one thing: what you want when you walk out.
• Top 3, not all 12. Talking points capped at 3. Objections capped at 3. If you can't pick 3, you don't know your ask yet.
• Speakable, not slidable. Talking points are how you'd actually say it out loud — not bullet-point soup.

Inputs the skill needs (interview if missing)

• Who's in the room? Names + roles. Power dynamics matter.
• Meeting length (15 / 30 / 60 min)
• Topic (one sentence)
• The outcome you want. Specific. "Get Sarah to approve $50K budget" — not "discuss budget."
• What they care about (their KPIs, recent context, stated priorities)
• What you have (data, alternatives, asks already discussed offline)

If any of these are missing, ask before drafting. Vague inputs = generic output.

Output format

Pre-read (3 bullets, ≤30 words each)

The minimum context anyone in the room needs before you open your mouth. Three things, no more.

Time-boxed agenda

| Time | Section | Owner |

|------|---------|-------|

| 0:00 | What this is + the outcome we need | You |

| 0:03 | Context (data, ≤2 min) | You |

| ... | ... | ... |

| Final 5 min | Decision + next steps | You |

Total adds up to meeting length. Decision time is always reserved at the end.

Your talking points (top 3, in order)

• Lead with the strongest — the one fact or framing they can't argue with.
• Address the elephant — name the obvious objection yourself, before they do.
• Make the ask — the one specific yes/no thing you want.

Each in plain spoken language. No corporate-speak, no buzzwords.

Anticipated objections (top 3, with rebuttals)

| Objection | Who'd raise it | Your rebuttal (1 line) |

|-----------|----------------|------------------------|

| "We tried this in 2023 and it didn't work" | Sarah | "Different context — Q1 data shows X is now true" |

| ... | ... | ... |

Process

• Confirm inputs (interview if anything's missing).
• Reverse-engineer from the outcome. What would have to be true for them to say yes?
• Draft pre-read → agenda → talking points in that order.
• Brainstorm objections by role. What would each person in the room push back on?
• Cut everything that doesn't ladder to the outcome. If a bullet doesn't serve the ask, drop it.

Worked example

Input

• Who: Mark (VP Eng), Priya (PM lead)
• Length: 30 min
• Topic: Pushing v2 launch from 5/15 to 6/1
• Outcome: Both approve the slip by end of meeting
• They care about: Mark = team burnout, Priya = GTM commits to design partners
• I have: 400-hr capacity gap, 2 design partners' rescheduling status, Q1 burnout survey (4/10 NPS)

Output

Pre-read

• v2 scope = 1,800 hrs estimated; team capacity = 1,400 hrs (400-hr gap).
• Cutting AI-tagging closes the gap but breaks the GTM commit to 4 design partners.
• Slip to 6/1 = 17 days, keeps full scope, gives the team room (NPS hit 4/10 in Q1).

Agenda

| Time | Section | Owner |

|------|---------|-------|

| 0:00 | Why we're here + the ask | You |

| 0:03 | The capacity gap (data) | You |

| 0:08 | Two paths: cut vs. slip | You |

| 0:15 | Discussion | Mark, Priya |

| 0:25 | Decision + next steps | All |

Talking points

• We're 400 hrs over and the team's already at 4/10 NPS. If we ship 5/15, we either cut quality or burn the team for two more weeks. That's the actual choice.
• I know GTM committed 5/15 — I've already drafted the design-partner email and confirmed they can absorb a 17-day slip without losing the pilot.
• I'm asking for the slip to 6/1, full scope intact. Yes/no by EOD so I can lock the comms.

Objections

| Objection | Who | Rebuttal |

|-----------|-----|----------|

| "Why didn't you flag this 2 weeks ago?" | Mark | I underestimated the AI-tagging integration. Baking better estimation into the next planning cycle. |

| "Can't we just cut AI-tagging?" | Priya | We could — but it's the #1 ask from 3 of 4 design partners. Slipping costs less than cutting. |

| "What does this do to Q3?" | Mark | Q3 plan already assumed 6/1 — buffer was built in. No downstream slip. |

When to use

• Exec reviews where you're presenting
• Stakeholder pitches that need a yes
• Scope or timeline negotiations
• 1:1s with your manager where you're making an ask (raise, role change, project shift)
• Vendor calls where you're closing or evaluating

When NOT to use

• Status updates (no outcome to drive)
• Brainstorms (no ask)
• 1:1 catchups (no agenda needed)
• Recurring standups

Pairs well with

• Decision Memo Builder — if the meeting is to approve a memo, draft the memo first, prep the meeting around it
• McKinsey Critic — run your talking points through the critic before walking in