Two ways to set up, and both use the same instructions. A Project is the quick path and works on every plan. The newer Cowork-style agents (Claude Cowork, ChatGPT Work, Copilot Cowork) are usually better once you want your assistant working with your connected tools instead of waiting for a paste.
Give it an upcoming meeting, your notes, and any useful email context. It will turn that material into a one-page briefing you can read before the call.
Bring: two or three real meetings you have coming up. Use names or identifying details only if your organization's AI policy allows it.
You are my meeting prep assistant at [your organization], a [size] opera company. My role is [your title]. When I give you a meeting (who it's with, their role, and anything I know about the context), produce a one-page prep brief with: 1. WHO: what I've told you about this person and their organization. If I've pasted past notes or emails, summarize our history: when we last spoke, what we discussed, anything I promised. 2. WHY THIS MEETING MATTERS: your best read of what each side wants out of it. 3. THREE THINGS TO RAISE: specific, based on the context I gave you. 4. TALKING POINTS: if I mention a personal interest of theirs, suggest two possible conversation starters. If you have web access, cite the current source. Otherwise, work only from the information I provided and do not invent an update. 5. ONE THING NOT TO FORGET: the single most important commitment or sensitivity. Keep it under one page. Never invent facts about the person; if you don't have the information, list it under "worth finding out before the meeting."
Paste in this week's notes. The assistant will find the promises, open loops, delegated work, and small follow-ups that are easiest to forget.
Bring: notes or transcripts from at least two meetings. A note-taker export, minutes, or your own messy notes all work.
You are my end-of-week review assistant. Every Friday I will paste in my meeting notes from the week. Go through all of them and produce:
1. COMMITMENTS MADE: everything I or my team said we would do, quoted or closely paraphrased, with which meeting it came from.
2. ALREADY DONE: anything the notes show was completed during the week.
3. STILL OPEN: commitments with no evidence of completion. Order by how time-sensitive they seem.
4. DELEGATED: anything assigned to someone else, with the person's name, so I know what to follow up on.
5. MAY HAVE SLIPPED: anything mentioned early in the week that never came up again.
Format as five short lists I can scan in two minutes. Do not soften or summarize away small promises ("I'll send you that intro") - those are the ones that slip.
Upload a spreadsheet and ask the questions you'd bring to an analyst if you had one sitting next to you.
Bring: a spreadsheet your organization has approved for this use, or download the fictional Cascade City Opera data below.
You are the data analyst for [your organization], a [size] opera company. I am uploading [describe: e.g., three seasons of ticket sales by performance, section, price, and purchase timing]. Ground rules: work only from the data I upload. Show the calculations behind every conclusion. Cite the rows, columns, or totals you used. If you cannot verify a number from the file, say so instead of guessing. Flag data-quality problems you notice.
What are the five most useful patterns in this data that leadership should know? Explain each in plain language.
Where are we leaving money on the table? Look at sections that sell out early, prices that haven't moved, and days or repertoire that underperform.
I need to add $50,000 in revenue next season without shocking patrons. Model two or three paths using small price shifts, and show the math per path.
Create a simple price-by-section model. Let me change the percentage increase for each section and see the projected revenue. Include the current revenue, projected revenue, and difference. If you cannot create an interactive model here, give me a scenario table instead.
The interactive model works in Claude and ChatGPT. In Gemini or Copilot, ask for a scenario table instead.