How to transcribe a meeting

Meeting transcription with Circleback

Meeting transcription creates a written record of everything said during meetings. This documentation improves accountability by providing clarity on discussions and decisions. It enables better information retention and allows absent participants to catch up later. Having searchable records lets you quickly find specific information from past meetings. Most importantly, transcription frees you to focus fully on the conversation without worrying about taking notes.

Why transcribe your meetings?

Meeting transcription creates written records that provide clarity on discussions and decisions. You capture every detail without dividing your attention. People who couldn't attend can catch up easily. You can search through past meetings for specific information. And you can participate fully in meetings without worrying about note-taking.

Meeting transcription with Circleback

Circleback automatically transcribes meetings and generates organized notes, action items, and insights. Here's how to use it:

1. Setting up Circleback for online meetings

Connect your calendar:

1. Sign up at Circleback.ai

2. Connect your Google Calendar or Outlook

3. Select which meetings you want to transcribe

4. Circleback will automatically join your scheduled meetings

For virtual meetings:

• Circleback works with major video conferencing platforms

• The AI joins as an attendee and begins recording and transcribing

• All participants will see Circleback join the meeting

2. Recording in-person meetings

For face-to-face meetings without video conferencing:

1. Open Circleback on your laptop or mobile device

2. Click "Start Recording" at the beginning of your meeting

3. Place your device where it can clearly capture everyone's voices

4. Inform all participants that the meeting is being recorded

For better audio quality in larger rooms, consider using an external microphone connected to your device.

3. Importing existing recordings

If you already have a meeting recording:

1. Log in to Circleback in a web browser

2. Select "New → Import" in the top right corner

3. Upload your audio file (.mp3, .mp4, .m4a, or .wav formats)

4. Circleback will process the file and generate a transcript

To transcribe an iPhone Voice Memo:

1. Save the Voice Memo to Files on your iPhone

2. Access Circleback via Safari on your iPhone

3. Import the saved recording

4. Wait for processing to complete

4. Working with your transcripts

After transcription, Circleback organizes the information in several ways:

Complete transcript with speaker identification:

• Each speaker's contributions are labeled and timestamped

• Review who said what and when during the conversation

AI-generated meeting notes:

• Key topics and discussions summarized automatically

• Important details highlighted without the verbatim transcription

Action items extraction:

• Tasks and commitments automatically identified

• Items assigned to specific team members

Overview summary:

• Brief recap of the meeting's main points and decisions

• Quick reference for sharing with stakeholders

After a product launch planning meeting, Circleback might capture that "Emma and Nick finalized planning for the upcoming launch on Friday" and "$28,000 was agreed on as month one budget for paid ads," while noting action items like "Nick to email media kit to Natalie at New York Times" and "Emma to confirm primary colors with Nick."

5. Editing and refining transcripts

Sometimes transcription may contain errors. Circleback allows you to:

1. Review the transcript alongside the audio recording

2. Click on any section to listen to the corresponding audio

3. Edit speaker labels for correct attribution

4. Make corrections to misheard or incorrectly transcribed words

5. Highlight or annotate important sections

6. Sharing and integrating meeting information

After transcription and note generation, Circleback offers several sharing options:

Email distribution:

• Automatically send notes to all meeting participants

• Customize what information is shared

Integration with work tools:

• Connect with Slack to share notes in relevant channels

• Update HubSpot deals with meeting insights

• Create tasks in Linear based on action items

• Update Notion databases with meeting summaries

• Connect with Salesforce to update customer records

You could set up an automation to send meeting notes to your team's Slack channel immediately after a client call, while simultaneously creating tasks in your project management tool for any action items identified.

Best practices for meeting transcription

To get the most accurate and useful transcriptions:

1. Announce the recording: Always inform participants that the meeting is being recorded and transcribed.

2. Speak clearly: Encourage participants to speak at a moderate pace and avoid talking over each other.

3. Use good audio equipment: Better audio input results in better transcription quality. Consider using a quality microphone for in-person meetings.

4. Identify speakers: Begin with introductions so the transcription tool can better identify who is speaking.

5. Review promptly: Check the transcript shortly after the meeting when the conversation is still fresh in your mind.

6. Establish a meeting rhythm: Consistent structure helps the AI better understand the flow of your discussions.

Language support and special considerations

Circleback supports over 100 languages, making it useful for multinational teams. The transcription works with English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and many other languages.

For technical meetings with specialized terminology, Circleback's AI can recognize industry-specific terms with high accuracy.

Privacy and security

When implementing meeting transcription, security matters:

• Circleback uses strong security measures

• Data is encrypted and stored securely

• You control who has access to meeting transcripts

• Detailed information is available on their security portal