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

yaml
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

markdown
# 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

1. Google participant name + company
2. Check company LinkedIn page
3. Write 2 questions to ask
4. Review your talking points

15-Minute Standard Prep

1. Research all participants (3 min each)
2. Company overview and recent news
3. Prepare 5 questions
4. Write key messages
5. Set success criteria

30-Minute Deep Prep

1. Full participant research with hooks
2. Company deep-dive including competitors
3. Industry context gathering
4. Prepare full briefing document
5. Practice key talking points
6. 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