Summarizing What Just Happened

One meeting, three summaries

The meeting just ended. You have your notes, maybe an AI transcript (if you got consent), and 30 minutes before your next call. Different people need different things — and forwarding the same summary to all of them is the fastest way to be ignored.

The three summary modes:

Mode 1: Executive — 3 bullets, what changed

For your boss, your VP, or anyone above your level. They don't need play-by-play. They need: what changed, what got decided, what they need to do (usually nothing).

Summarize this meeting in 3 bullets for my VP. Focus on: what changed since last week, what was decided, and what action (if any) is needed from her. Skip context she already knows.

Mode 2: Team — decisions and owners

For your direct team or anyone who'll be doing the work. They need clarity, not narrative. A table works better than prose.

Summarize this meeting for the project team as a table: column 1 = decision or action, column 2 = owner, column 3 = deadline. Add a short "context" row at the top with the single most important thing to know. No paragraphs.

Mode 3: Record — searchable detail

For your future self, or for the project archive. This is the only mode where length is OK — you want to be able to search this in 3 months and remember what happened.

Produce a record summary of this meeting: full list of topics discussed, all decisions made (with rationale), open questions, and what each attendee committed to. Use clear headers I can search later.