1. Decline a meeting without closing the door
You're a product designer. A vendor's account manager invited you to a 45-minute demo on Thursday at 3pm. You have no budget for new tools until your fiscal year starts in July, and you'd be glad to hear from them then.
Done when your prompt covers who it's for and background facts, and scores 3 or more out of 10. Edit the prompt below; the score changes as you type.
A hint
Say who the email goes to, then add the facts the AI would otherwise invent: which meeting it is and why you're saying no.
Show one good answer
Write a short email declining a vendor's invite to a 45-minute product demo on Thursday at 3pm. It goes to their account manager, and I'd like to stay on good terms. We have no budget for new tools until our fiscal year starts in July, so say I'd be glad to hear from them then.
It scores 4 out of 10. Yours does not need to look like it: any prompt that passes is right.
What changes. Instead of a vague refusal to nobody in particular, the AI writes a short, friendly no that names the demo and gives the vendor a real reason to come back in July.
2. Ask your manager for more time on a deadline
You're an analyst. The quarterly pricing review is due to your manager on Friday, but the sales data arrived three days late. You can finish by next Wednesday and can still send the summary and the competitor section on Friday.
Done when your prompt covers length and format, and scores 4 or more out of 10. Edit the prompt below; the score changes as you type.
A hint
The facts are all there. Say how long the email should be and how it should be laid out, including what comes first.
Show one good answer
Write an email to my manager asking to move the pricing review from Friday to next Wednesday. The sales data came in three days late. I can still send the summary and the competitor section on Friday. Keep it under 100 words, with a subject line and two short paragraphs: the new date and the reason first, then what I can send on Friday.
It scores 5 out of 10. Yours does not need to look like it: any prompt that passes is right.
What changes. You get a short email with a clear subject line and the new date up front, instead of a long apology with the request buried in the middle.
3. Chase a reply without sounding annoyed
You're a project coordinator. Two weeks ago you asked a client's facilities manager for their office floor plans. You've heard nothing, and your movers need the plans by March 10 to plan the move on the weekend of March 21.
Done when your prompt covers who it's for, background facts, what to avoid and what good looks like, and scores 5 or more out of 10. Edit the prompt below; the score changes as you type.
A hint
Say who you're chasing and for what, then add one thing the email must not do and one line on how it should come across.
Show one good answer
Write a follow-up email to the facilities manager at a client, who hasn't answered my request from two weeks ago for their office floor plans. Our movers need the plans by March 10 so they can plan the move on the weekend of March 21. Keep it to about 80 words. It should be friendly and make the deadline easy to act on. Don't sound annoyed or point out that they haven't replied, since they may simply have missed my email.
It scores 6 out of 10. Yours does not need to look like it: any prompt that passes is right.
What changes. The AI drops the pointed 'just following up' and writes a friendly note that gives the reader the deadline and an easy reason to answer today.
4. Get a draft that sounds like you wrote it
You're an office manager. The boiler is being repaired over the weekend, so the office opens at 10am instead of 8am on Monday, November 17. Your notices to staff are usually short and relaxed, and AI drafts of them come back stiff.
Done when your prompt covers background facts, length, what good looks like and an example, and scores 6 or more out of 10. Edit the prompt below; the score changes as you type.
A hint
Give the AI the times and the date, set a length, and paste a short notice you wrote that sounds right, saying what to copy from it.
Show one good answer
Write an email to all staff saying the office opens at 10am instead of 8am on Monday, November 17, because the boiler is being repaired over the weekend. Keep it under 70 words. It should sound relaxed and friendly, the way I usually write. Match the tone and length of this notice I sent last month: """ Hi all, quick one: the kitchen is getting a deep clean on Friday, so please take anything you want to keep out of the fridge by 5pm Thursday. Thanks, and enjoy the shiny kitchen next week. """
It scores 6 out of 10. Yours does not need to look like it: any prompt that passes is right.
What changes. The draft picks up your greeting, your length and your relaxed tone, so it's ready to send without a rewrite.
5. Turn patchy notes into an email without invented details
You're organizing a team offsite for 22 people on October 9. You need to email the plan to everyone going, but your notes don't say yet what time the bus leaves or whether lunch is provided.
Done when your prompt covers who it's for, background facts, format and if unsure, and scores 6 or more out of 10. Edit the prompt below; the score changes as you type.
A hint
The notes leave two things open. Say who the email is for and what shape it should take, and tell the AI what to write where a detail is missing.
Show one good answer
Turn the notes below into an email for our team, who need to know where to be on October 9 and what to bring. Use a subject line, one short paragraph, then a bulleted list of the plan for the day. The notes leave some details open, such as the bus time and lunch. Write [TBC] in those places instead of guessing, and I'll fill them in before I send it. """ Offsite Oct 9, Lakeside Lodge. 22 people. Bus from the office, time TBC. Morning: planning session. Afternoon: kayaking or hiking, vote in the team channel. Lunch? Need to check with venue. Bring laptop and walking shoes. """
It scores 7 out of 10. Yours does not need to look like it: any prompt that passes is right.
What changes. Instead of inventing a 9am bus and a buffet lunch, the AI marks the open details so you can fill them in before anyone reads a wrong time.
6. Announce a change your team won't love
You lead a finance team of 12. From December 1, expense claims are due by the 5th of the following month instead of the 15th, because the auditors want the books closed sooner. Late claims will be paid a month later.
Done when your prompt covers who it's for, background facts, length, format, what to avoid and what good looks like, and scores 7 or more out of 10. Edit the prompt below; the score changes as you type.
A hint
Name the readers and give the facts and the reason, then set the length and layout, rule out what you can't offer, and say what the email has to get across.
Show one good answer
Write an email to my finance team of 12 announcing that, from December 1, expense claims are due by the 5th of the following month instead of the 15th. The reason is that our auditors want the books closed sooner. Claims that come in late will be paid a month later. Keep it under 150 words, with a subject line, two short paragraphs and the new date in bold. It should be honest that this is less convenient, and the new date should be impossible to miss. Apologize once at most, and don't promise exceptions, since I can't approve any.
It scores 7 out of 10. Yours does not need to look like it: any prompt that passes is right.
What changes. The AI stops writing cheerful company news and writes a short, straight email that states the new date, explains why and doesn't promise what you can't give.
7. Tell customers about a price increase
You run a bookkeeping firm with 140 monthly clients. From February 1, the Standard plan goes from $180 to $205 a month, your first increase in three years, mainly because your payroll software costs more. Clients who switch to annual billing before January 15 keep the current price for 12 months.
Done when your prompt covers what to make, who it's for, background facts, length, format, what to avoid, what good looks like and if unsure, and scores 8 or more out of 10. Edit the prompt below; the score changes as you type.
A hint
Work through the reader, the facts, the size and shape, what to avoid and how it should sound, then say what the AI should do if it needs a detail you haven't given.
Show one good answer
Write an email to our bookkeeping clients announcing a price increase. Most of them have been with us for years and pay monthly. Facts: from February 1, the Standard plan goes from $180 to $205 a month. It's our first increase in three years, mainly because the payroll software we use has gone up in price. Clients who switch to annual billing before January 15 keep the current price for 12 months. Keep it under 180 words, with a subject line and three short paragraphs: the change and the date, the reason, then the annual option. It should read as plain and respectful, like a note from someone they know. Don't use phrases like "we're excited" or "to serve you better", and don't apologize. If you need a detail I haven't given, such as how to switch to annual billing, write [CHECK] in its place.
It scores 10 out of 10. Yours does not need to look like it: any prompt that passes is right.
What changes. Clients get a plain, respectful notice with the new price, the reason and a way to keep the old one, and no detail the AI made up.
8. Reply to a long thread with one clear decision
You're an operations manager, and a 14-message thread about moving the weekly team sync has gone in circles. You've decided: from November 4 it moves to Tuesdays at 10am and drops from 60 to 45 minutes. The design lead and the data analyst can't make Tuesdays and will send written updates instead.
Done when your prompt covers what to make, who it's for, background facts, length, format, what to avoid, what good looks like, an example, if unsure and layout, and scores 9 or more out of 10. Edit the prompt below; the score changes as you type.
A hint
Give each part a labeled paragraph of its own: the background, the decision, the task and who it's for, then the size and shape, what to leave out, what a good reply does, a line to match and what to do if something doesn't add up.
Show one good answer
Background: a 14-message thread over two weeks about moving our weekly team sync. People disagreed on the day, and two of them, the design lead and the data analyst, can't make Tuesday mornings. Decision: from November 4, the sync moves to Tuesdays at 10am and drops from 60 to 45 minutes. The design lead and the data analyst will send a written update by Monday evening instead of attending. Task: Write my reply to the thread, so that everyone on it knows the decision and the thread can end. Format: under 120 words, with the decision in the first sentence, then one short paragraph on what changes for the two people who can't attend. Leave out: who argued for which option, since the point is to move on. A good reply means nobody needs to write back to ask what was decided. Match the tone of this opening from a reply that worked well last time: "Thanks, everyone. Here's where we've landed." If anything in the decision is unclear or seems to clash with the thread, ask me before you write the reply.
It scores 10 out of 10. Yours does not need to look like it: any prompt that passes is right.
What changes. The reply leads with the decision and closes the thread, instead of reopening the debate or thanking everyone at length.
More practice: meetings and notes, reports and summaries, customer support, sales and marketing, hr and people, spreadsheets and data, plans and projects. Or learn the checks in order in the prompt course.