The Rise of AI Notetakers: Enhancing Virtual Meetings and Follow-Up
Eddie Turner
Keynote Speaker | Executive Coach | ICF Mentor Coach | Leadership Development | Best-Selling Author | Master Facilitator | Host - Keep Leading!? Podcast | Panel Moderator | Advisor | Board Member
“Do you mind if I start Copilot to capture notes from our meeting?” This question opened a meeting I attended this month. It’s become common for digital notetakers to serve as omnipresent colleagues in professional meetings. Many people welcome these attendees, while others resent their presence.?
Why has the use of digital notetakers exploded over the last two years? For many, it’s the novelty of the new technology. For others, it’s the promise of never missing a meeting since the notetaker can attend in your absence. Still, for others, it’s the ability to recall key points from the meeting while being fully present, as note-taking is no longer required.
This new technology has pros and cons. On February 14, 2025, The Wall Street Journal explored hidden costs and asked a poignant question: “Now That We Can Transcribe Work Meetings and Conversations, Should We?” The article highlights compelling reasons to avoid using digital notetakers. However, there are equally rational reasons to use these incredible AI tools.
My favorite digital notetaker is the popular Fathom. “Fathom records, transcribes, highlights, and summarizes your meetings so you can focus on the conversation.” For a modest fee, Fathom summarizes your meeting with bullet points that link to specific moments in the video where those points are discussed. In addition to a summary, it offers a transcript and a video of the meeting. It allows you to create video snippets from the meeting to post on internal company systems as part of your reporting or other requirements. It also features a sophisticated AI agent that lets you ask for direct answers to content from the Meeting. Fathom can join virtual meetings on the most popular platforms.
Another tremendous digital notetaker is Zoom’s AI Companion.? As its name implies, it only works inside Zoom meetings. This companion tool provides a very accurate meeting summary at no additional cost to all levels of paid Zoom subscribers. It is not as sophisticated as Fathom but is an admirable assistant worth using. One advantage over Fathom is that Zoom’s AI companion runs in the background, so it is not a constant presence always seen by attendees, as Fathom is by default.
If you are not the host of the meeting or are attending a webinar, you won’t have the option to run these digital notetakers during the meeting. In such cases, using Otter.ai on a mobile device is a good way to capture the meeting summary and transcript without needing to integrate it into the meeting.
What’s an effective AI tool for following up with clients and stakeholders after a virtual or in-person meeting? Sometimes, ideas aren’t effectively communicated in emails. We often lose the intonation and intentions with words alone. “93% of communication impact is lost without voice, tone, and body language,” states Professor Albert Mehrabian at the University of California. Enter Emovid. Emovid allows you to “be seen, heard, and understood.” It enables you to create a two-minute video message that is sent with a summary and transcript. This is a superb way to follow up and convey your message exactly as you intend.
Like them or loathe them, digital notetakers are here to stay. Be prepared to welcome them or wince at their presence at your next virtual meeting. While they are not for everyone or every meeting, they offer a way for participants to truly be present during meetings, follow up on action items, and document important content.? These benefits must be balanced against very real reasons to limit or avoid their use.? AI and its tools have revolutionized work and life.? Use AI tools to be more effective and thrive in 2025!
Leave At the Top
“The advice I give to my wonderful coaching clients has always been the same, 'leave at the top.' At age 75, I have decided to take my own advice. I will be doing no more keynote speeches (either in-person or virtual) and no new one-on-one coaching.”
Marshall Goldsmith, the world’s #1 Ranked Executive Coach and Leadership Thought Leader, said the words above in a recent LinkedIn announcement. While Marshall is no longer engaged in two of the services for which he is known, he continues to share his knowledge with the world for free through his latest project, MarshallGoldsmith.ai. Take advantage of this phenomenal AI coaching tool, which captures over 3 million words from Marshall's best-selling books, articles, and speeches, along with hundreds of his videos, and will be available in 44 languages.
Marshall is launching an advisory service and is still writing books. He is also diligently working to build the 100 Coaches Community.
Being a member of Marshall's 100 Coaches community is the honor of a lifetime. I'm grateful to Marshall for what he has done for me individually and the world of humanity.
Eddie Turner In the News
Global Gurus Top 30 Motivational Speakers for 2025
I am honored to be recognized as a GLOBAL GURU for the fifth year! Ranked #15 in the Motivational Speakers category, I join influencers like Simon Sinek, Tony Robbins, and Mel Robbins.
Thank you to the Global Gurus research organization and all who voted for me. I am grateful for the support of my family, friends, clients, and Marshall Goldsmith. Congratulations to everyone on this esteemed list!
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ICF South Florida Interviews Eddie Turner
In recognition of Black History Month, I am featured in the ICF South Florida Charter Chapter February Newsletter. Thank you, Claudia Flores Loucel, ACC, for the opportunity to share my coaching journey. I firmly believe in the power of coaching to influence individuals from all walks of life globally.
#Throwback
What is Imposter Syndrome? | Eddie Turner | Career Frontier
You’ve worked hard for the big promotion and finally achieved it. Now that you’re at the table with other executives, you wonder if you truly belong. Could it be imposter syndrome?
Check out this 3-minute Career Frontier video from Houston Public Media (PBS/NPR), which Lisa Trapani Shumate invited me to film in 2021. In it, I reference research from my friends Ruth Gotian, Ed.D., M.S. and Ijeoma Nwaogu., Ph.D., ACC.
??0:35-Reframing Imposter Syndrome?
??0:57-What Triggers Imposter Syndrome
??1:25-The Imposter Experience?
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About Eddie Turner
Eddie Turner is a highly sought-after, Harvard-trained leadership development expert known for accelerating leadership development in major corporations like Pepsi, Deloitte, GE, and Dell. His expertise in professional speaking, leadership coaching, and facilitation has earned me numerous industry recognitions, including being one of the Top 10 Motivational Speakers in the world by Global Gurus and the Preeminent Authority on Emerging Leaders by Forbes.
He holds memberships and credentials from esteemed organizations like Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches, the International Coaching Federation, and the National Speakers Association. Eddie has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, NPR, PBS, and CNN as a media commentator and thought leader. He is the author of the bestselling book "140 Simple Messages to Guide Emerging Leaders" and hosts the Keep Leading!? podcast, which has reached listeners in 80 countries.
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I don't know how I survived without my AI notetaker. What a great time saver and the quality is fantastic. This is right up there with the Roomba!
Executive Coach, Bestselling Author, Public Speaker, Scientist-Practitioner, Certified Mental Health & Wellness in the Workplace Expert
6 天前Thank you for sharing, Eddie. Have a great week. ??
Executive Coach, Bestselling Author, Public Speaker, Scientist-Practitioner, Certified Mental Health & Wellness in the Workplace Expert
6 天前Thank you for sharing, Eddie. Have a great week. ??
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6 天前Thank you Eddie for answering the nagging question!!
Creative corporate communications leader
6 天前Great article! I appreciate the break down of the different notetakers. Thank you for sharing!