To write meeting minutes from a recording, send the audio to the Potok bot on Telegram with speaker labels on, then export DOCX. Files up to 2 GB work. The transcript is the raw record. Action items written by a person stay clear, because that person decides what counts as a decision.
Transcribe a recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram
Files up to 2 GB · export to TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT · speaker labels and timestamps · about 30 languages
Key facts
- Minutes are shorter than a transcript: they keep decisions, owners and dates, and drop the talk around them.
- A transcript cannot know who agreed to do what, which is why the owner of each action is named by someone who was there.
- DOCX opens in Word and Google Docs, so the team can comment on the minutes directly.
How to do it
- Tell the room you are recording. Say so at the start and name the purpose. Some teams record only with agreement from everyone present.
- Open the bot. Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram and get ready to send the recording.
- Switch on speaker labels. Labels show as Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and so on. They do not carry real names.
- Send the recording. A meeting of several hours can be large. Up to 2 GB is accepted, and the Upload button of the mini app handles the big ones.
- Export DOCX. Choose DOCX, then open it in your word processor.
- Map labels to people. Listen to a few lines of each voice and replace Speaker 1, Speaker 2 with the real names.
- Write the minutes. Copy out the decisions, the owner of each action and its due point. Keep the transcript attached for reference.
What the result looks like
[00:00] Speaker 1: Let's go through the launch checklist. Is the page copy done?
[00:05] Speaker 2: Nearly. I need the final screenshots from design.
[00:10] Speaker 3: I can send those by the end of the week.
[00:14] Speaker 1: Good. So the screenshots go to Speaker 2, and we meet again next Monday.
Sample text written by us to show the layout of a transcript. It is not the output of the recognition engine and not a real recording.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Where it works | Telegram bot @potok_now_bot; large files go through the bot's mini app |
| File size | Up to 2 GB |
| Export | TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT |
| Speakers and time | Speaker labels and timestamps can be switched on |
| Languages | About 30 languages with good published results; a few more with warnings |
| Translation | The transcript is not translated into another language |
| Dictation | A separate Potok desktop app lets you dictate text into any program; it recognises Russian speech |
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pasting the whole transcript in as the minutes | Readers face pages of talk and miss the three things they must do. | Write a short summary with decisions and actions, and attach the transcript. |
| Trusting the speaker numbers as final | Two people with similar voices can swap labels for a stretch. | Check the labels at every change of topic. |
| Assigning an action to the wrong person | Nobody does it, because the owner never heard they own it. | Confirm each action with its owner after the meeting. |
| Recording without telling participants | People may object, and some places restrict covert recording. | Announce it, record only where it is allowed, and share the notes. |
More
See the full list of languages, the tools and the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
Does the bot write the minutes for me?
No. It produces the transcript. The decisions and action items are written by a person who was in the meeting.
Can the transcript show who said what?
Speaker labels can be switched on. They are numbers, so you add the real names yourself.
Which format is best for minutes?
DOCX, because teammates can edit and comment. TXT or MD also work for plain notes.
How big a meeting recording can I send?
Files up to 2 GB. Larger files go through the Upload button of the bot's mini app.
Should I send the transcript to the whole team?
Check first. A raw transcript holds everything said, so send the minutes and keep the transcript for those who need it.
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- Speaker diarisation (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- Office Open XML (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
Try it on your own recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram