In short
Before you meet someone, Verbatim’s Prep agent prepares everything. It gathers what they have said before, what the documents show and the questions they will try to avoid. The prep sits in the project’s Sessions tab, with the questions ready. When the meeting starts, the “Start live” button opens the live screen.
Preparing an interview means rereading the documents on a subject and everything the person has said before. The Prep agent does this work for every meeting in your calendar.
What they have said before
The agent finds the person’s public statements: interviews, speeches, press releases, annual meetings. Each quote keeps its date and its source. In the example of an investigation into a plant, the former safety manager of unit 3 said at the 2021 annual meeting: “Unit 3 meets every standard.” In 2024, on local radio, he said: “I raised the problem with management in writing.”
What the documents show
The agent rereads the project’s sources and pulls out the facts that concern the person. Each fact points to its excerpt, through Verbatim’s proprietary algorithm. For the former safety manager, the prep keeps three facts:
- the leak was reported to management on 2 February, according to the maintenance log
- the regulator sent a second warning on 12 March, according to the inspection report
- the contractor flagged the leak twice, in an email of 9 February
The questions they will try to avoid
The agent compares the statements with the documents. From the gaps, it draws the questions the person will try to avoid. Six questions are ready before the interview, including these:
- Who received the March warning?
- Why was the repair postponed?
- Did you keep a copy of your report?
A session in the Sessions tab
Every meeting becomes a session in the project’s Sessions tab. The prep sits there, with its questions. It also appears in the calendar on Home. You can add, edit or remove questions at any time. If the Monitoring agent finds a new fact about the person, the prep adds it.
From first contact to first draft
Preparation is part of the work of the whole team of agents. The People agent finds how to reach the person. It drafts the interview request. The message goes out after you review it, with “Review and send”. On the day, “Start live” transcribes the interview and checks every sentence against the documents. After the session, the first draft opens in the Create tab.
Questions
Does preparation work for a meeting or a press conference?
Yes. A session can be an interview, a press conference or a meeting. The prep gathers each speaker’s statements and the documents that concern them.
Where do the past statements come from?
From your project’s sources, your recordings and the web: the press, radio, speeches and official documents. Each quote keeps its date and its source.
Can I prepare an interview without opening a project?
Yes. You ask for it in the agents panel. The prep arrives as a task. The “Add to project” button then files it in a project.