How I Prepare Minutes of Meeting Using ChatGPT, Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai
Have you ever finished a long meeting and then realised that you still need to prepare the Minutes of Meeting (MOM)? You need to remember what everyone discussed, identify the decisions, list the action items and make sure nothing important is missed.
Preparing meeting minutes manually can take time, especially when several people are involved or the discussion covers multiple topics. Listening to the recording again and again just to find one important point can make the task even more difficult.
AI tools can help make this process easier. Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai can help with meeting transcription and notes, while ChatGPT can help organise the information into a clear and professional document.
In this article, I will explain how you can use these tools to prepare MOM, share a reusable ChatGPT prompt and walk you through a simple process you can follow after your next meeting.
1. What Are Minutes of Meeting (MOM)?
Minutes of Meeting, commonly called MOM or MoM, are written notes that capture the important information discussed during a meeting.
A professional MOM helps participants understand what happened, what was decided, who needs to do what and what remains pending.
A good MOM generally includes:
- Meeting details: Meeting title, date, time and participants, wherever available.
- Discussion points: The main topics discussed during the meeting.
- Decisions taken: Confirmed decisions, agreements and conclusions.
- Action items: Tasks that need to be completed.
- Owners and deadlines: The responsible person or team and the deadline, if specified.
- Key updates and dependencies: Important updates, risks, challenges and blockers.
- Open points: Questions or matters that still need clarification.
The purpose is not to write every sentence spoken during the meeting. It is to capture the important information in a structured format that is easy to read and useful for follow-up.
2. Why Use AI to Prepare MOM?
When a meeting is long, manually organising every discussion point can be challenging. AI can help you prepare a first draft instead of starting from a blank page.
- Saves time: Organise lengthy discussions without manually formatting every point.
- Improves readability: Convert rough notes into clear, professional language.
- Separates decisions from discussions: Keep confirmed decisions distinct from ideas and suggestions.
- Organises action items: Put tasks, owners and deadlines into a table.
- Highlights pending matters: Identify dependencies, blockers and open questions.
- Maintains consistency: Reuse the same MOM structure for different meetings.
However, AI should be treated as an assistant, not as the final authority. The original recording or verified transcript should remain the source of truth.
3. Tools You Can Use
Otter.ai: For Meeting Transcription
Otter.ai is an AI meeting assistant that can transcribe supported recordings and help organise meeting notes.
You can use it to:
- Convert supported meeting recordings into text.
- Review the meeting discussion in transcript form.
- Find important statements and discussion points.
- Copy or export available transcript content for further processing.
Available features depend on the plan and how the recording is captured. Check the current recording, import and export options before using it.
Fireflies.ai: For Meeting Notes and Summaries
Fireflies.ai is another AI meeting assistant that can help transcribe supported meetings and generate summaries and action items.
You can use it to:
- Capture and transcribe supported meetings.
- Review generated meeting summaries.
- Identify potential action items from discussions.
- Access available transcript content for preparing the final MOM.
Integrations, recording methods and export options can vary depending on the plan and configuration.
ChatGPT: For Structuring the Final MOM
ChatGPT can help convert a transcript or rough notes into a structured MOM with headings, bullet points, decisions, action items and open questions.
You can also provide your own standard MOM prompt so that the final document follows the same format every time.
| Tool | Main purpose | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | Transcription and meeting notes | When you need text from a supported recording. |
| Fireflies.ai | Transcription, summaries and action items | When you want help capturing and reviewing meeting information. |
| ChatGPT | Writing, organising and formatting | When you want a polished MOM in your preferred structure. |
| Word or Google Docs | Final editing and sharing | When you need to save and circulate the document. |
You do not need both Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai for every meeting. Choose one that suits your workflow, available features and budget. If you already have a transcript, you can go directly to ChatGPT.
4. Step-by-Step: How to Prepare MOM from a Recording
Step 1: Get the Meeting Recording
Start with the meeting recording from your approved meeting platform or recording method. Make sure you have permission to use it and follow your organisation's policies before uploading it to an external service.
Step 2: Convert the Recording into Text
Use Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai or another suitable transcription method to turn the recording into text. If you already have a transcript, you can skip this step.
Review the transcript for incorrect names, dates, technical terms and important statements before moving forward.
Step 3: Review the Transcript
A transcription error can change the meaning of a discussion. Check any unclear statements, important numbers and commitments. For long transcripts, you may need to work through manageable sections and then combine the results carefully.
Step 4: Give the Transcript to ChatGPT
Open ChatGPT and paste the transcript or upload a supported file, depending on the features available in your account.
Tell ChatGPT that you want formal Minutes of Meeting, not just a short summary. Ask it to organise the information into discussion points, decisions, action items, key updates and open points.
Step 5: Use Your Standard MOM Prompt
Instead of writing new instructions after every meeting, keep a reusable prompt that describes your preferred format and writing style. You can use the prompt below.
Step 6: Review and Finalise the Document
Check the draft against the original transcript. Verify the decisions, action owners, deadlines and status. Correct any errors before formatting the final MOM in Word or Google Docs.
5. My Standard MOM Prompt for ChatGPT
This is the standard prompt you can save and reuse whenever you need to convert meeting notes, a transcript or rough discussion points into professional Minutes of Meeting.
How to Use This Prompt
- Copy the complete standard MOM prompt.
- Paste it into ChatGPT.
- Add your meeting transcript or notes after the instructions.
- Ask ChatGPT to prepare the MOM using the specified structure.
- Review the output against the source and correct anything that needs verification.
6. Example: Turning a Meeting Discussion into MOM
Consider a simple website project meeting.
Meeting Discussion
The team discussed a website update. The design work was almost complete, but the content still needed review. A team member agreed to review the content. The final launch date would be confirmed after the review.
Key Discussion Points
- The website design is almost complete.
- The website content needs to be reviewed.
- The launch date will be confirmed after the content review.
Decisions Taken
- The content review needs to take place before the final launch date is confirmed.
Action Items
| Sr. No. | Action Item | Owner | Timeline/Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Review the website content. | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| 2 | Confirm the final launch date after the content review. | Not specified | After content review; exact date not specified | Pending confirmation |
This is an illustrative example, not a record of an actual meeting. In a real MOM, owners, deadlines and statuses should be included only when supported by the discussion.
7. What Should You Check Before Sharing MOM?
ChatGPT can prepare a useful first draft, but it can still misunderstand speech, names, numbers or commitments.
- Are the meeting date, time and participants correct?
- Are the important discussion points included?
- Are decisions separated from suggestions?
- Are action items supported by the discussion?
- Are the owners and deadlines accurate?
- Are dependencies, blockers and pending inputs captured?
- Are unresolved questions clearly identified?
- Does the document follow your required format?
For example, "We can try to finish this by Friday" should not automatically become "The task must be completed by Friday." Always check the wording of commitments against the source.
8. Common Mistakes to Avoid
Relying Only on an AI Summary
A short summary may leave out important context. For important meetings, review the full transcript wherever possible.
Mixing Suggestions with Decisions
An idea proposed during a meeting is not necessarily an approved decision. Keep proposals and confirmed decisions separate.
Guessing Owners or Deadlines
Do not let AI invent who is responsible or when a task must be completed. Mark missing information as "Not specified" or "Needs confirmation."
Ignoring Open Points
Include blockers, pending approvals, dependencies and questions that could affect the next steps.
Sharing Confidential Information Carelessly
Meeting recordings can contain private or sensitive business information. Follow your organisation's policies and check the data-handling settings of your AI tools before uploading any recording or transcript.
9. Your Action Plan: Try This in Your Next Meeting
- Get the meeting recording with the necessary permission.
- Use Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai or another suitable tool to generate a transcript.
- Review the transcript and correct obvious errors.
- Paste the transcript into ChatGPT along with your standard MOM prompt.
- Check the discussion points, decisions and action items against the original source.
- Verify owners, deadlines and statuses wherever they are specified.
- Format the final MOM and share it with the relevant participants.
Start with a short meeting and improve your workflow as you become more comfortable with the tools. You do not need to use every available AI feature. Choose the steps that solve your actual problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ChatGPT prepare MOM directly from a recording?
Depending on the file type, size and features available in your account, you may be able to process supported files directly. Otherwise, generate a transcript using a suitable transcription tool and give the text to ChatGPT.
Do I need both Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai?
No. You can choose one based on your needs and the features available in your plan. If you already have a transcript, you can go directly to ChatGPT.
Can ChatGPT identify action items from a transcript?
Yes. ChatGPT can help identify potential action items and arrange them in a table. You should still verify that each task was actually agreed upon and that the owner and deadline are supported by the discussion.
Can I use the same MOM prompt for every meeting?
Yes. A reusable prompt can help you maintain a consistent format. You can adjust it when a particular meeting requires additional sections.
Is an AI-generated MOM ready to share immediately?
It is best to review the draft first. Check names, dates, decisions, responsibilities, deadlines and other important details against the original source.
Final Thoughts
Preparing Minutes of Meeting does not always have to be a time-consuming task. AI transcription tools can help capture the conversation, while ChatGPT can help organise it into a clear and professional document.
The real benefit is having a repeatable process. Instead of starting from scratch after every meeting, you can use the same standard prompt and spend your time checking the details that matter.
If you regularly prepare meeting minutes, try this process in your next meeting. Keep your standard prompt handy and adjust the workflow to suit your work.
Explore more practical AI guides, prompts and tool comparisons on Everyday AI World.
Editorial Independence and Sponsorship: This article is independently written for educational purposes and reflects my own interest in exploring practical uses of AI tools. It is not a sponsored post, and no company has asked me to write or recommend this article. Any opinions and recommendations are my own.
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