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)

1. Who's in the room? Names + roles. Power dynamics matter.
2. Meeting length (15 / 30 / 60 min)
3. Topic (one sentence)
4. The outcome you want. Specific. "Get Sarah to approve $50K budget" — not "discuss budget."
5. What they care about (their KPIs, recent context, stated priorities)
6. 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

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

Your talking points (top 3, in order)

1. Lead with the strongest — the one fact or framing they can't argue with.
2. Address the elephant — name the obvious objection yourself, before they do.
3. 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)

Process

1. Confirm inputs (interview if anything's missing).
2. Reverse-engineer from the outcome. What would have to be true for them to say yes?
3. Draft pre-read → agenda → talking points in that order.
4. Brainstorm objections by role. What would each person in the room push back on?
5. 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

Talking points

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. I'm asking for the slip to 6/1, full scope intact. Yes/no by EOD so I can lock the comms.

Objections

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