Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT: video walkthrough

Intro: what you'll build

0:00 A messy meeting in, clear next steps out. The Monday team meeting at Harbor Street Bakery. You'll paste the whole transcript into ChatGPT. Get every action item with an owner and a date and turn it into a follow-up email for the team. Let's build it.

Copy the transcript

0:14 Here's the transcript from Monday's team meeting at Harbor Street Bakery. Google Meet saved it as a Google Doc: four people, lots of back and forth, and a few ums. Let's copy the whole thing. Click Edit in the menu bar.

0:26 Click Select all. On a keyboard, that's Control A.

0:29 The whole transcript is highlighted. Open the Edit menu again.

0:33 Click Copy. That's Control C. The transcript is now on your clipboard.

Ask for a summary

0:37 Now switch over to ChatGPT. Click the ChatGPT tab at the top.

0:40 Before you paste the transcript, tell ChatGPT what you want out of it. Otherwise you'll just get a vague recap. Click the message box.

0:48 Here's the request. It asks for four things: a three sentence summary, the decisions, a table of action items with an owner and a due date, and any open questions. The last line matters most: only use what's in the transcript, and write not stated when something is missing. That stops ChatGPT from guessing. Click Paste request.

1:06 Now paste the transcript right underneath. In real ChatGPT, press Shift and Enter to start a new line first, because Enter on its own sends the message. Then Control V to paste. Click Paste transcript.

1:18 Request on top, transcript below. Click Send.

Check the details

1:20 A rambling meeting, boiled down to a summary, three decisions, four action items and two open questions. Now check it before you send it anywhere. Look at the action items table. Two due dates say not stated. That's right: nobody said when the library quote or the oven call would happen. Click the table.

1:38 You were in the meeting, so you can fill in the gaps. Click the message box.

1:42 Tell it the missing dates: the library quote is due Wednesday, and Luis will call about the oven today. Type it, or click Paste dates.

1:49 Click Send, and ChatGPT updates the table.

Write the follow-up

1:52 Now every task has an owner and a date. Because ChatGPT still has the whole meeting in this chat, you don't need to paste anything again. Just ask for the next thing. Click the message box.

2:02 Ask for a short, friendly follow-up email to the team, with the decisions and the action items. Click Paste request.

2:08 Click Send.

2:09 There's your recap email: the decisions, who's doing what and by when, and what's still open. Read it once, change anything that doesn't sound like you, then click the copy button under it and paste it into your email.

Or upload the file

2:20 Sometimes the transcript comes as a file instead, like a Word document someone emailed you. You don't have to open it and copy it. Start a new chat.

2:27 Click the plus button on the left side of the message box.

2:31 Click Add photos and files.

2:33 Your file browser opens. Click the meeting transcript.

2:36 Click Open. The file attaches to the message box. You can also just drag a file onto the chat.

2:41 Now the same request as before, in one line. Click Paste request.

2:45 Click Send, and you'll get the same kind of answer without any copying and pasting. Either way, always check the owners and dates before you send the recap.

2:53 Simple as that. We show you and you do it. Sign up below to learn AI automation for free.