ChatGPT prompt to build a meeting agenda from a goal

This is the prompt we run before scheduling any meeting longer than 15 minutes. Its core rule: it starts from the goal, produces a timed agenda, and if the goal is too vague to reach a decision or output, it asks you to sharpen it instead of padding.

The prompt to copy

I'm planning a meeting. Goal: {what must be decided or produced by the end}. Attendees: {names/roles}. Length: {minutes} min. Produce:
1. A one-line meeting purpose in the form "By the end we will have…".
2. A timed agenda — table: minutes, item, owner, output.
3. Prep or pre-reads each attendee must do (one line each).
4. Anything on this list that could be handled async instead — flag it.
If the goal is too vague to produce a decision or output, say so and ask me to sharpen it instead of writing a filler agenda.

Replace the fields in curly braces (goal, attendees, length), then run it.

When to use it

Before you send the invite for any meeting over a quarter of an hour. The prompt forces you to state a sharp goal before gathering people, and saves time by pulling out of the agenda whatever can be settled in writing.

What you get back

1. A one-line meeting purpose, outcome-first.
2. A timed agenda: minutes, item, owner, output.
3. The prep expected from each attendee.
4. The items to handle async, out of the meeting.

Real example: goal → agenda

Input: Maya, who runs Brightside, is planning a meeting. The inputs, as-is:

goal: decide the creative direction for Fernhill Coffee's new site
attendees: Maya, Tom (design), Léa (content), Priya (dev)
length: 45 min

Output, the part that matters:

By the end we will have: an approved creative direction for Fernhill Coffee's site, ready to brief.

| Minutes | Item | Owner | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Recap client need and constraints | Maya | Shared frame |
| 15 | Present the 2 creative directions | Tom | Directions compared |
| 15 | Debate and pick | All | Chosen direction |
| 5 | Next steps | Maya | Who does what |

Prep:
- Maya: restate the budget constraint (TBC with the client).
- Tom: prepare the 2 directions.
- Léa: list the content already approved.
- Priya: flag known technical constraints.

Async: Priya's technical-constraints item could circulate in writing beforehand, to keep the meeting on the creative decision.

Notice what the AI did not do: it invented no budget figure, it wrote “TBC with the client” where the input did not give one. And it spotted an item to pull out of the meeting. The goal was sharp enough to produce a real agenda; had it not been, the prompt would have asked to sharpen it.

The full playbook, with agendas for decision, kickoff, and status meetings, ships inside the kit.