From this lesson onward, you will move beyond learning how to use AI. You will apply the mental models from Phase 1 to build a real work artifact: a one-page pre-meeting brief.
15 to 20 minutes. 3 sources of information🧠 Reconcile → Review → Build🎯 Artifact: 1-page Pre-Meeting Brief
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🛠 BUILD 1 · MEETING BRIEF
Boss needs briefing by 3:00.
You have 20 minutes. The information is scattered across three sources and there are some inconsistencies.
📊 Project Plan
Scope: 5 stores
Go-live: 20/9
Owner: Operations
✉️ Email update 16/9
Scope: 4 stores confirmed
Go-live: 23/9 proposed
Store E is awaiting confirmation of the system.
📝 Weekly status
Status: GREEN
Training: 80% complete
There is no evidence referring to the GREEN.
If you only had five minutes, what would you do first?
🔎 STEP 1 · RECONCILE SOURCES
2. Put the sources side by side
Subject
Project Plan
Email 16/9
Weekly Status
What to look out for
Scope
5 stores
4 confirmed
—
Scope is not clear.
Go-live
20/9
23/9 proposed
—
Date mismatch
Readiness
—
Store E is waiting for the system.
GREEN
Status is not proven.
Training
—
—
80% complete
You need to know what the other 20 percent is.
The goal of this step is not to select the right source. Seeing the mismatch, the gap and the need for human checks..
🎯 STEP 2 · PRIORITIZE
3. Not all information is worth a brief
A page should help the reader know: what is changing, what needs to be decided, and what may delay.
Select the content to appear in the brief
🧠 STEP 3 · DECISIONS & OPEN QUESTIONS
4. A good brief is not just a summary, it prepares for decision.
Decision / confirmation needed
The final scope is four or five stores?
Go-live 20/9 hay 23/9?
Store E has a whole rollout block or a separate one?
Open questions
What evidence is Green based on?
Who/what content is the remaining 20% of training?
When is the dependency system of Store E expected to resolve?
🛠 STEP 4 · USE AI TO BUILD
And now, I'm using AI to create brief.
Make a one-page pre-meeting brief from the sources below. Requests: - Do not select any source correctly when information is conflicting. - Clear distinction: confirmed / proposed / open / needs confirmation. - Do not consider GREEN as proof completed without evidence. - Only keep information that affects decision, risk, dependency or next action.
📄 STEP 5 · REVIEW DRAFT
Draft brief from AI
Current status
Four stores have been confirmed for roll-out.
Store E is still waiting for system confirmation.
Training reaches 80%; impact of the rest is unknown.
Key changes
Go-live in the plan is September 20th; email September 16th suggests September 23rd.
Scope in the plan is five stores; the latest update confirms four.
Decisions / confirmations needed
Scope four or five stores.
The go-live date key.
Confirm how to handle Store E if the dependency is not resolved.
Risks & dependencies
System readiness at Store E.
20% of the training is not complete.
Weekly status GREEN has not yet been verified.
Owner / next check
Scope & go-live: I need to confirm the owner..
Store E system dependency: I need to confirm the owner and ETA..
Training gap: I need to confirm the owner..
What points do I need to fix before I send this brief?
⏸ BUILD CHECKPOINT
Is this artifact enough to use in the meeting?
1 · Grounded Does every important claim have a clear source or status?
2 · Decision-ready Is there any clear decision/confirmation needed?
3 · Action-ready Is the owner/next check clear?
Write down a sentence that you will use to present briefly during the meeting.
The art of the body
8. Create your own pre-meeting brief
Choose a real meeting you're about to attend and fill out the following six sections.
Current status
Key changes
Decisions / confirmations needed
Risks & dependencies
Open questions
Owner / next check
0/4
You have completed Build 1 · Meeting Brief.
One sentence to carry: A good brief doesn't just summarize the past, it makes clear what needs to be decided next.