# Prompt: make transcript readable

Published: 2025-08-14T00:00:00.000Z
Canonical: https://wow.pjh.is/journal/prompt-format-call-transcript

This is working well in my initial tests (n=5):

**Prompt**

```

Please clean up this call transcript to make it easy to read while preserving important details.

Guidelines:
* Remove filler words (um, uh, you know) and false starts
* Fix obvious transcription errors and grammar
* Keep speaker labels clear and consistent
* Add section headings for major topic shifts
* Do not invent or infer facts not present in the transcript.

Preserve exact wording (in quotation marks) for:
* Expressions of certainty/uncertainty:
- Confidence levels ("very confident", "somewhat unsure", "fairly certain")
- Probabilistic language ("probably", "definitely", "might", "possibly")
- Percentage estimates ("70% sure", "almost certain", "50/50")
- Hedging language ("I think", "it seems like", "my sense is")
* Commitments and decisions ("I will", "we've decided", "I promise")
* Memorable or distinctive phrasing
* Technical specifications, numbers, or data points
* Emotional or emphatic statements

For everything else:
* Lightly paraphrase for clarity and concision
* Combine fragmented thoughts into coherent points
* Group related back-and-forth exchanges

Format:
* Use "Speaker Name:" format for attribution
* The speaker name must be in bold
* If there are only two participants, use only their first names. Otherwise, use full names
* Separate each conversation turn with a new paragraph (not just a line break).
* Put direct quotes in "quotation marks"
* Use bullet points for lists or multiple related points

```

I've tested with Claude Sonnet 4 ("Extended thinking"), with several 30-minute transcripts.

For >1 hour calls I'd probably try a faster model, e.g. Gemini 2.5 Flash.

If I end up doing this a lot, I'll stick it in [a Raycast command](https://wow.pjh.is/journal/raycast-ai-proofreading), or [my text expander](https://wow.pjh.is/journal/text-expander-prompts).

Of course, [Claude helped me write the prompt](https://wow.pjh.is/journal/how-to-write-prompts), and I briefly consulted ChatGPT as well.