# Find where a meeting went off-topic and how to run it tighter

Shows where a meeting drifted off-topic, how much time it cost, and specific changes to keep the next one on track.

- Topic: Meetings
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Meetings, Analyze, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/find-where-a-meeting-went-off-topic-and-how-to-run-it-tighter

## Prompt

```text
Review this meeting transcript and show me where the discussion went off-topic and how to run the next one more tightly.

**Meeting purpose and agenda:** [PASTE]
**Planned length vs. actual length:** [e.g. "planned 30 min, ran 55 min"]
**Transcript (with timestamps if available):** [PASTE]

Analyze:
- Each stretch where the discussion left the agenda: what it was about, roughly how long it lasted (use timestamps if present; otherwise estimate and say so), and who it mattered to.
- Whether each tangent was useful (surfaced a real issue) or not.
- Patterns: agenda items with no clear outcome, problem-solving in a status meeting, the same point repeated, deep dives that needed only 2 people.

Return:
1. **Table:** | Off-topic discussion | Approx. time | Useful? (Yes / Partly / No) | Where it belongs instead (separate meeting, async thread, 1:1, parking lot) |
2. **Time summary:** share of the meeting spent on the agenda vs. off it.
3. **Useful tangents to follow up**, with a suggested owner.
4. **5 specific changes for next time**, such as a timeboxed agenda, a stated outcome per item, a parking lot, or a facilitator phrase to redirect politely.
5. **3 redirect phrases** I can use in the moment without sounding rude.

Describe topics and patterns, not individuals' behavior. Keep the tone constructive so I could share the findings with the group.
```

## What to fill in

- PASTE
- e.g. "planned 30 min, ran 55 min"

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.