{"id":"exec-acquisition-employee-letter-sections","audience":"executives","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"advanced","technique":"grounding","title":"Write the CEO letter to employees about an acquisition","free":false,"task":"Write the CEO's letter to all employees about the announced acquisition, in plain text, under 190 words, with three labeled sections on their own lines: What is happening:, What does not change:, What we don't know yet:. Use only confirmed facts. Say the closing is expected, not certain. Do not state the price or speculate about job cuts or office closures. Start with \"Team,\" and end with the line: Next update: November 20.","materialLabel":"Announcement facts (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Draft facts for the employee letter - Brightline Software to acquire Cobalt Works\n\nCONFIRMED\n- Brightline signed an agreement to acquire Cobalt Works on Nov 3.\n- Closing is expected in the first quarter of next year, subject to regulatory approval.\n- Cobalt Works will operate under its own name and keep its current leadership team for now.\n- Customer contracts and support terms stay the same. Everyone's salary and benefits stay the same until the close.\n- The CEO will host a live Q&A on Nov 10 at 10:00 Pacific.\n\nSENSITIVE\n- Purchase price: not for employees.\n- Brightline has 1,400 staff and Cobalt Works 220.\n\nNOT CONFIRMED\n- A rumor that the Denver office will close.\n- Which teams will be combined. Integration planning has not started.\n- Whether titles will change.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":190},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Promising certainty","why":"The AI writes that the deal will close.","fix":"Say: \"Closing is expected in Q1, subject to regulatory approval.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Repeating the rumor","why":"The AI mentions Denver to reassure people.","fix":"Say: \"Do not mention the Denver rumor or job cuts.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Leaking sensitive facts","why":"The AI includes the price or headcounts.","fix":"Say: \"Leave out price and staff counts.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Wrong structure","why":"The AI writes a flowing letter with no labels.","fix":"Say: \"Three labeled sections, in order, and the exact last line.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI bolds the labels.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text.\"","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example: \"each line under 15 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the three sections","patterns":["what is happening","what does not change","don't know yet"]},{"label":"Fixes opening and last lines","patterns":["team,","next update"]},{"label":"Hedges the closing","patterns":["expected","subject to"]},{"label":"Restricts to confirmed facts","patterns":["confirmed"]},{"label":"Excludes sensitive items","patterns":["price","speculate","rumor"]}],"hint":"Name the three sections, the exact first and last words, and what the letter must not say.","rubricLabels":["Starts with \"Team,\" has the three labels What is happening:, What does not change: and What we don't know yet: in that order, and ends with the exact line \"Next update: November 20.\"","Says the closing is expected in the first quarter, subject to regulatory approval, and that the company keeps its name and leadership team for now, with the Nov 10 live Q&A mentioned","Does not state the price or staff counts, does not mention Denver or job cuts as facts, and lists unknowns (which teams combine, titles) under What we don't know yet:"]}