# Meeting preparation, follow-up, and Granola

> Prepare for meetings from past history, take notes in the notepad, ask Orbit with sources, turn commitments into tasks, and import notes from Granola.

Canonical: https://help.spacebrain.ai/calendar/meeting-preparation-and-granola/
Last modified: 2026-09-25T00:00:00.000Z

This guide helps you get more from each meeting. You'll learn how to prepare using what's already known about a customer, take your own notes, ask Orbit questions about past meetings, and turn promises made in the meeting into tasks. It also covers importing notes from Granola.

## Before you begin [#before-you-begin]

* Set up [meeting notes](/calendar/meeting-notes/) first. Most tools here work on meetings recorded by the Spacebrain notetaker or imported from Granola.
* Link meetings to the right CRM records so Spacebrain can find useful history. See "Link a meeting to CRM records" below.
* Orbit is Spacebrain's AI assistant. If you see **Orbit is unavailable for this workspace.**, Orbit isn't turned on for your workspace.
* To create tasks from a meeting, you need edit access to CRM, Calendar, and Tasks.

## Link a meeting to CRM records [#link-a-meeting-to-crm-records]

Spacebrain matches attendees to CRM contacts automatically. When a meeting is about a specific opportunity, link the deal yourself.

1. On **Calendar → Meeting Notes**, find the meeting and choose **Linked records**.
2. Under **Record type**, choose **Deal**, **Person**, or **Company**.
3. Search in **Find a record**, pick the record, and choose **Link selected record**.

Each link shows whether it was a **Matched attendee** or **Selected by a team member**. Choose **Unlink** to remove a wrong match.

## Prepare for a meeting [#prepare-for-a-meeting]

1. On the meeting, choose **Meeting context**.
2. Open the **Before** tab. It shows:
   * **Current customer context**: the linked records, including the deal's **Current stage:** and **Current close date:**.
   * **Recent linked conversations**: recent Inbox threads.
   * **From earlier meetings**: short excerpts from past meetings. Choose **Open source** to see where each came from.
   * **Open commitments now**: tasks that are still open.
3. Read **Next useful step** at the top for a suggested focus.
4. Choose **Refresh context** if the meeting is a while away and things may have changed.

### Prepare with Orbit [#prepare-with-orbit]

In the same dialog, under **Ask Orbit**:

1. Pick a **Preparation template**, or leave **Your default preparation**.
2. Choose **Prepare with Orbit**.

Orbit writes a briefing from current CRM facts and past conversations. It lists its sources and keeps facts separate from open questions. Check anything important against the source before you rely on it.

## Ask Orbit about past meetings [#ask-orbit-about-past-meetings]

1. Open **Meeting context** on any meeting.
2. Under **Question scope**, choose **This meeting**, **Earlier linked meetings**, or all meetings for the linked record.
3. Type a **Question**, for example "What did they say about the delivery deadline?" or "Which competitors came up?".
4. Choose **Ask Orbit**.

Orbit answers in the chat and cites the meetings it used. Narrow the scope to get a more focused answer.

## Take notes in the notepad [#take-notes-in-the-notepad]

The notepad is your own space for notes during or after a meeting.

1. On the meeting, choose **Open notepad**.
2. Write in **Personal notes**. These are private to you.
3. Use **Enhanced notes** for a cleaner version. These are private until you share them.

Your notes save automatically as you type. The status shows **Saving…**, then **Saved**. If you lose connection, your draft stays in the browser tab and you see **Not saved. Your draft is kept in this tab.** Choose **Retry save**. Choose **History** to see or restore earlier versions.

### Improve your notes with AI [#improve-your-notes-with-ai]

1. In the notepad, pick a **Meeting template**.
2. Optionally tick **Use my personal notes to guide this private preview**.
3. Choose **Review enhancement cost**, check the credits, and choose **Generate preview**.
4. Compare the preview with your notes. Choose **Keep my edits** or **Use preview as private notes**.

Your notes are never replaced without your say-so. If the preview fails, any charge is refunded and your notes are kept.

### Share your enhanced notes [#share-your-enhanced-notes]

Choose **Share selected notes**. Check the text in **Share this enhanced note**, then choose **Share this text**. Workspace members who can see the meeting will see exactly that text. Choose **Make private** to stop sharing.

## Create your own templates [#create-your-own-templates]

Templates control how preparation briefs and summaries are laid out.

1. In the notepad, choose **New template**.
2. Enter a **Template name**, for example "Discovery call".
3. Under **Use this template**, choose **Before the meeting** (for preparation) or **After the meeting** (for notes and summaries).
4. Pick a **Writing style** and tick the **Sections** you want. Before-meeting sections include **Meeting objective**, **Discussion topics**, **Questions to ask**, and **Preparation checklist**.
5. Add **Additional guidance**, for example "Keep it under one page".
6. Optionally make it **My default**. If you manage templates, you can also make it **Available to the workspace**.
7. Choose **Save template**. Saving is free.

Before-meeting templates appear under **Preparation template** in **Meeting context**. After-meeting templates appear in the notepad and in Granola analysis.

## Turn commitments into tasks [#turn-commitments-into-tasks]

After the meeting, Spacebrain lists promises it found, such as "We'll send pricing by Friday".

1. Open **Meeting context** and choose the **After** tab.
2. Under **Review commitments**, read each item, with its **Stated owner:** and **Stated due date:**. Open **Supporting evidence** to check the exact words used.
3. Choose **Review task**.
4. Check the **Task title**. Under **Commitment belongs to**, choose **Our team** or **The customer**. Only your team's commitments can become tasks.
5. Set **Assign to** and the due date. Tick **I reviewed the due date and time**, or **Create without a due date**.
6. Tick **Publish this task to the workspace Task Manager**.
7. Choose **Create task**. To ignore an item, choose **Dismiss commitment**.

**What you should see:** the item shows the task's status and due date, with **Open task**. The task appears in [Tasks](/tasks/).

Choose **Prepare follow-up with Orbit** to have Orbit draft a follow-up email, tasks, or CRM updates. Orbit doesn't send anything; you review every item first.

## Import notes from Granola [#import-notes-from-granola]

If you use Granola, you can bring its summaries and transcripts into Spacebrain. You need a Granola Business or Enterprise plan. Imported notes are private to you.

### Connect Granola [#connect-granola]

1. In Granola, create an API key (in Granola, go to **Settings → Connectors → API**).
2. In Spacebrain, open **Calendar → Meeting Notes**, go to **From Granola**, and choose **My Granola connection**.
3. Paste the **Granola API key** and choose **Connect my Granola**.

### Import notes [#import-notes]

1. Choose **Choose notes**.
2. Choose **Import** next to each note you want. You can import up to 100. Private scratch notes aren't included.
3. Choose **Open Meeting Notes** to see them in **From Granola**.

### Keep notes in sync [#keep-notes-in-sync]

1. Choose **Sync settings**.
2. Tick **Keep imported notes up to date automatically**.
3. Under **Automatically import from folders**, choose up to 20 Granola folders.
4. Optionally tick **Match attendees to CRM contacts using Customer Memory settings**.
5. Choose **Save sync settings**.

The panel shows **Last sync:**. If it says **Sync needs attention**, reconnect Granola.

### Work with an imported meeting [#work-with-an-imported-meeting]

Each imported meeting has **Transcript**, **My notes**, **CRM links**, **Context & Orbit**, and **Open Granola**. To get a Spacebrain summary, choose **Analyze with Spacebrain**, pick a **Summary template**, choose **Get credit quote**, then confirm. Recording credits aren't charged for imported notes.

To disconnect, choose **Disconnect…** and confirm **Disconnect Granola**. This removes the imported copies from Spacebrain. Your originals stay in Granola.

## If something goes wrong [#if-something-goes-wrong]

* **Open notepad is missing.** The meeting must be linked to a CRM meeting record first.
* **"No permitted earlier excerpts were found."** Link the meeting to the right person, company, or deal, then choose **Refresh context**.
* **"A newer version needs review."** Someone else saved a change. Choose **Compare versions**, then **Use saved version** or **Keep my draft**.
* **Create task is greyed out.** Tick the review boxes and **Publish this task to the workspace Task Manager**. You also need edit access to CRM, Calendar, and Tasks.
* **Granola won't connect.** Check that the key is correct and that your Granola plan is Business or Enterprise.

## FAQ [#faq]

### Can I use one template for both preparation and summaries? [#can-i-use-one-template-for-both-preparation-and-summaries]

No. Each template is either **Before the meeting** or **After the meeting**. Create one of each if you need both.

### Can a customer's promise become a task? [#can-a-customers-promise-become-a-task]

No. Choose **The customer** under **Commitment belongs to** to keep it as a customer commitment. Only your team's commitments become tasks.

### Are imported Granola notes shared with my team? [#are-imported-granola-notes-shared-with-my-team]

No. They stay private to the person who connected Granola.

## Next step [#next-step]

Plan the follow-up work in [daily planning](/tasks/daily-planning/).