How to record an all-hands call
This guide explains how to record all-hands meetings effectively. It covers why recording matters, necessary preparation steps, tool selection, recording process, and best practices. Recording all-hands calls creates a reference for absent team members, documents important decisions, helps new hires, and allows participants to focus on the meeting rather than note-taking. The article provides practical advice for before, during, and after recording to ensure your all-hands recordings are useful and accessible.
Why recording all-hands calls is important
Recording company-wide meetings matters for simple reasons:
Creates a record for people who couldn't attend
Lets everyone review important announcements later
Documents company milestones and strategic decisions
Helps new people understand recent company history
Ensures everyone gets the same message
When people don't have to frantically take notes, they can actually pay attention to what's being said. The recording becomes the shared truth, not scattered interpretations.
Preparation before recording
Good recordings don't happen by accident. You need to prepare.
Tell everyone the call will be recorded. This isn't just polite - in some places it's required by law. Put this info right in the meeting invite.
Test your setup before the actual meeting. Nothing worse than discovering your mic was muted for the whole call.
Make an agenda document. Structure helps the meeting flow and makes the recording more useful. Think of it as an outline for a talk.
Assign clear roles - someone to handle recording, someone to moderate, maybe someone to take backup notes. When everyone knows their job, things run smoother.
Choosing the right recording tool
Your options fall into a few categories:
Built-in tools: Zoom, Teams, and Meet all have recording features
Standalone software: OBS Studio or Camtasia for more control
AI tools: Services that record and generate notes automatically
Mobile apps: Voice recorders for simple audio capture
For most distributed teams, using your video call software plus an AI note-taking tool works best. Don't make this complicated - pick tools that fade into the background.
Step-by-step process to record an all-hands call
1. Setting up the recording
For video calls:
Start the meeting as host
Click "Record"
Choose where to save it
Announce that recording has started
For in-person meetings:
Position equipment to capture speakers and visuals
Check sound levels
Use backup devices when possible
2. During the meeting
While recording runs, keep these points in mind:
People should say who they are before speaking. This helps listeners of the recording know who's talking.
Ask presenters to describe what they're showing on screen. "As you can see in this graph" means nothing in an audio recording.
Repeat questions before answering them. The person asking might not be near a mic.
For longer meetings, build in breaks. This creates natural segments in the recording.
Post-meeting processing
Once you finish:
Stop recording
Name the file clearly (All-Hands-2023-07-15-Q2-Results)
Set appropriate access permissions
Consider adding timestamps to help navigation
Distribution and accessibility
Getting the recording to your team matters as much as making it:
Put it somewhere everyone can access
Send the link to the whole team
Include a brief summary of key points
Add timestamps for longer recordings
The best recording is useless if people can't find it when they need it.
Enhancing all-hands call recordings
Add timestamps so people can jump to what they need
Write a summary of main points and decisions
Get a transcript made to make content searchable
Include any slides or documents mentioned
These extras don't take much time but make recordings much more useful.
Making all-hands calls more engaging
Recording doesn't mean boring. Good all-hands calls include:
Demos and visual elements
Interactive parts like polls or Q&A
Different speakers with various perspectives
Short, focused mini-talks on specific topics
A dynamic meeting creates a recording people will actually want to watch.
Best practices for recording all-hands calls
Sound quality matters most. Bad audio makes even the best content worthless.
Be careful with sensitive information. Think about what shouldn't be recorded.
Organize recordings logically so people can find past meetings.
Share recording responsibilities among team members.
Ask for feedback on how to make recordings more useful.
Overcoming common challenges
Always have a backup recording method. Technology fails at the worst times.
For virtual meetings, use interactive elements to keep people engaged.
Break long recordings into logical segments with clear markers.
Establish a clear signal for when to pause recording during sensitive discussions.
The best recordings are those no one has to think about - they just work when needed.
