Meeting preparation and template setup workflow with Granola.
Use when preparing for important meetings, setting up note templates,
or configuring meeting-specific capture settings.
Trigger with phrases like "granola meeting prep", "granola template",
"prepare granola meeting", "granola agenda", "granola setup meeting".
Configure Granola templates (which structure the enhanced output) and recipes (repeatable Chat prompts) for consistent, high-quality meeting notes. Granola ships with 29 built-in templates and supports custom templates per workspace.
Prerequisites
Granola installed and authenticated
Calendar synced with upcoming meetings
At least one meeting captured (to understand the enhancement flow)
Instructions
Step 1 — Choose a Built-in Template
Click the Change template icon at the bottom of your notes before or during a meeting:
Template
Best For
Sections Generated
1-on-1
Manager/report check-ins
Check-in, Updates, Discussion, Action Items
Stand-up
Daily sync
Progress, Blockers, Priorities
Discovery Call
Sales prospecting
Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline (BANT)
Sprint Planning
Agile ceremonies
Sprint Goals, Velocity, Backlog, Risks
Weekly Team
Status meetings
Updates, Decisions, Action Items
Interview Debrief
Hiring loops
Candidate Assessment, Strengths, Concerns
Project Kick-Off
New initiatives
Goals, Scope, Timeline, RACI
Pipeline Review
Sales forecast
Deal Status, Next Steps, Risks
Design Crit
Creative review
Feedback, Changes Requested, Approvals
Templates tell the AI how to structure the enhanced output — a sales call produces different sections than a standup.
Step 2 — Create a Custom Template
Open Granola Settings > Templates
Click Create New Template
Define the structure using section headers:
## Customer Feedback Session
### Context
[Brief on the customer and their product usage]
### Key Feedback Themes
[Grouped by category: UX, Performance, Features, Support]
### Verbatim Quotes
[Direct customer quotes with timestamps]
### Severity Assessment
[Critical / High / Medium / Low for each issue]
### Action Items
[Owner, task, due date]
### Follow-Up Commitment
[What we promised the customer and by when]
Name it and optionally set auto-trigger conditions:
Calendar event title contains specific keywords (e.g., "feedback", "customer")
Attendee email domains (e.g., @customer.com)
Step 3 — Create Recipes for Granola Chat
Recipes are saved prompts invoked with / in Granola Chat:
Recipe
Prompt
Use Case
/follow-up
"Draft a professional follow-up email summarizing decisions and next steps"
Post-meeting email
/standup
"Extract blockers, progress updates, and priorities per person"
Standup summary
/bant
"Analyze this call using BANT framework (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)"
Sales qualification
/prd
"Write a PRD based on the product requirements discussed in this meeting"
Product spec
/coaching
"Based on this 1:1, suggest coaching points and development areas"
Manager prep
/decision-log
"List all decisions made, who made them, and the reasoning"
Governance
Create custom recipes at Settings > Recipes or directly in Chat.
Step 4 — Pre-Meeting Preparation
Before important meetings, type context into the Granola notepad before the call starts:
## Pre-Meeting Context
- Last meeting: discussed Series A timeline, concerns about runway
- Open items: term sheet review, board seat allocation
- My goals today: confirm valuation range, discuss liquidation preference
- Questions to ask: timeline for closing, co-investor status
When you click Enhance Notes after the meeting, Granola combines:
Your pre-meeting context
Your live notes during the meeting
The full audio transcript
This produces output that is aware of your goals and prior context.
Step 5 — Set Template Defaults per Workspace
For team deployments, set default templates per shared folder:
Folder
Default Template
Auto-Apply
#sales-calls
Discovery Call
Events with external attendees
#engineering
Sprint Planning
Events titled "sprint" or "planning"
#leadership
Weekly Team
Events with >5 attendees
#interviews
Interview Debrief
Events titled "interview"
Output
Templates configured for each meeting type
Custom recipes created for post-meeting workflows
Pre-meeting context workflow established
Consistent structured output across team meetings
Error Handling
Issue
Cause
Fix
Wrong template applied
Auto-trigger matched incorrectly
Narrow trigger conditions (more specific keywords)
Template sections empty
Meeting lacked relevant discussion
Remove irrelevant sections from template
Recipe not appearing
Not saved to workspace
Save recipe in Settings > Recipes
Pre-meeting notes lost
Typed in wrong app
Ensure you type in the Granola notepad, not a separate editor
Template Design Best Practices
Use clear section headers — Granola's AI parses headers to organize content
Include bracketed hints — [Owner, task, due date] guides the AI output format
Keep templates under 10 sections — too many sections dilute content
Add a "Verbatim Quotes" section for customer-facing meetings — captures exact language
End with "Action Items" and "Next Steps" — the AI reliably fills these
