You join a meeting and realize half the people have no idea why they’re there.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In this article, you’ll learn: what a pre-read actually is (and isn’t) and how to structure it so people actually read it

What Is a Pre-Read?

A pre-read is a short document you share before a meeting. It gives your team the key information they need—before anyone speaks a word.

Pre-reads work for almost any kind of meeting. You're hiring someone? Share the candidate’s profile and evaluation criteria beforehand. Running a strategy session? Add in market data and your proposed direction. Kicking off a project? Drop in the goals, timelines, and scope.

With a pre-read, your team shows up aligned. No one’s caught off guard. No one’s left wondering, “Wait, what’s this meeting about again?”

What does it concretely look like ? A brief summary, a few slides, a doc with bullet points.

Recommended Elements & Structure of a Pre-Read

A bad pre-read is worse than no pre-read.

Let’s start with the golden rule—brevity. Your pre-read should take no more than 5 minutes to read. That’s your limit. If it’s longer, your team won’t finish it. They might not even open it.

Aim for one page. Two, max.

Now let’s talk structure. Here’s the format we recommend:

1. Title and Meeting Info

Start with the basics. What’s this about? When’s the meeting? Who’s coming?

• Meeting Title: Be specific. “Hiring Debrief: Product Manager Final Round” is better than “Hiring Meeting.”
• Date & Time
• Participants

Simple. Clear. On to the next.

2. Executive Summary

This is the heart of your pre-read. One short paragraph explaining what the meeting is for, what decisions need to be made, and what context people need to show up ready.

• Why are we meeting?
• What are we trying to decide or solve?
• What should participants know beforehand?

If your team reads only this section, they should still get the big picture.

3. Agenda

List the topics you’ll cover—in order—with time blocks. Yes, time blocks. If you have 30 minutes, every minute should have a purpose.

Example:

• 5 min – Recap of candidate interviews
• 10 min – Panel feedback
• 10 min – Hiring decision
• 5 min – Next steps

This helps everyone focus. It also keeps your meeting from running off the rails.

4. Background & Context

Add any supporting data, links, or documents people need to review.

But here’s the key—don’t overload.

Summarize the essentials. Link to the full report, slide deck, or resume, but don’t paste it all into the pre-read. Curate the info. Respect your readers’ time.

5. Questions to Prepare For

End with 2 or 3 questions you expect participants to think about.

This is where the magic happens. These prompts push your team to show up with ideas—not just observations.

Example:

• What concerns (if any) do you have about the candidate’s fit for the role?
• Is the current timeline for launch still realistic?
• Which priorities should we revisit before finalizing the roadmap?

These questions set the tone. They focus the discussion. They turn passive attendees into active participants.

Pre-Read Outline Template

Here’s a plug-and-play format you can copy, paste, and personalize:

[Meeting Title]

• Date & Time: [Insert date & time]
• Participants: [List of attendees]
• Owner: [Who’s running the meeting?]
• Type of Meeting: [Decision / Brainstorm / Update / Hiring Debrief, etc.]

Executive Summary

A quick overview of what this meeting is about and why it matters.

Example:
We’re meeting to debrief on the final round interviews for the Product Manager role. We’ll review feedback from each panelist, align on hiring concerns, and decide whether to move forward with an offer. We also need to confirm the start date if we proceed.

Agenda

A breakdown of what we’ll cover and how much time we’ll spend on each item.

• 5 min – Recap of interviews & candidate background
• 10 min – Panel feedback roundtable
• 10 min – Discussion & decision
• 5 min – Next steps + offer timeline

Background & Context

Key information, links, or data your team should review before joining.

• [Link to candidate’s resume]
• [Link to interview notes or scorecards]
• [Summary of role requirements]
• [Any concerns raised during the interview process]

Use this section to surface only the most relevant information. Don’t drown your team in documents. Give them just enough to be ready.

Discussion Questions

These are the key points we’ll want input on during the meeting.

• What stood out to you—positively or negatively—about the candidate?
• Are there any red flags that need to be addressed before moving forward?
• Do we have alignment on the candidate’s fit with the team and company?
• If we decide to hire, when should we aim for a start date?

Optional Notes

Add anything else that could help guide the conversation.
This is the place for edge cases, concerns, or extra context that doesn’t fit elsewhere. Use it sparingly.

Automate Agendas & Minutes with Noota

Writing agendas and tracking minutes is a pain.

It’s repetitive. It’s time-consuming. And it pulls your focus away from what actually matters—running a productive meeting.

That’s why you need a tool like Noota.

• ‍Customizable Agenda Templates : Before your meeting, pick a template or build your own. Whether it’s a hiring debrief, strategy session, or project check-in, Noota lets you set the structure upfront. No more blank docs. No more last-minute scrambling. You build a format once, then reuse it every time.‍
• Automated Recording & Real-Time Transcription : The second your meeting starts, Noota starts working. It records, transcribes, and captures everything in real time. You’re not typing. You’re not distracted. You’re fully present.‍
• Automatic Action Item Extraction: This is the game-changer. Noota doesn’t just write what was said. It figures out what needs to happen next. Who owns what. What the deadlines are.
• ‍Instant Sharing :As soon as the meeting ends, Noota wraps everything up—agenda, minutes, tasks, and decisions—into a clean summary. One click, and your whole team gets it. Even the people who missed the meeting stay in sync.‍
• Tool Integrations : Noota fits right into your workflow. It connects with Notion, Slack, HubSpot, your ATS—whatever tools you’re already using. So the insights from your meeting don’t stay stuck in a document. They move with you.

You want to streamline your meetings before & after ? Try Noota for free now.