{"id":"exec-cash-update-investor-two-numbers-plain","audience":"executives","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"intermediate","technique":"tone","title":"Explain a cash dip to investors in plain words","free":false,"task":"Write a 4-sentence paragraph for the investor update explaining why cash dropped this month. Plain text, under 90 words. Sentence 1 starts with the words \"Cash was\" and states the cash balance and the change. Sentence 2 explains the main cause in plain words. Sentence 3 says what is already covered. Sentence 4 starts with the words \"We expect\" and says when the balance is expected to recover, with the date. Use only numbers from the notes, avoid the words burn, runway and headwinds, and make no promises.","materialLabel":"Finance notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"October cash notes - Lumenfield (fictional)\n\n- Cash at Sept 30: $3.4M. Cash at Oct 31: $2.9M. Change: down $0.5M.\n- Main cause: we paid $0.6M of annual software licenses and insurance in October (paid once a year); normal monthly operations were roughly break-even.\n- Already covered: the payment is a once-a-year cost, so it does not repeat until next October.\n- Customer prepayments of about $0.4M are expected in November (not yet received; invoices sent Oct 25).\n- Expected recovery: cash expected back above $3.2M by Dec 31 if the prepayments arrive. This is an estimate, not a guarantee.\n- Runway is 18 months (finance term; avoid).\n- CFO wants no promises.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":90},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Using finance jargon","why":"The AI writes 'burn' and 'runway'.","fix":"Say: \"Ban burn, runway and headwinds.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Missing the balance","why":"The AI starts with the cause.","fix":"Say: \"Sentence 1: the Oct 31 balance and the drop.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Invented figures","why":"The AI adds numbers not in the notes.","fix":"Say: \"Use only numbers from the notes.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Promising recovery","why":"The AI says cash will recover.","fix":"Say: \"Frame recovery as an estimate that depends on prepayments.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI uses bullets.","fix":"Say: \"One plain paragraph.\"","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 sentence: \"each under 22 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"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 12 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Four sentences","patterns":["4 sentences","four"]},{"label":"Uses notes","patterns":["only numbers","from the notes"]},{"label":"Bans","patterns":["burn","runway","headwinds"]},{"label":"Estimate","patterns":["estimate","not a guarantee","no promises"]},{"label":"Plain","patterns":["plain text"]}],"hint":"Give each sentence a job, and ban the jargon and promises.","rubricLabels":["Sentence 1 starts with \"Cash was\" and states that cash was $2.9M at Oct 31, down $0.5M","Sentence 2 explains the cause as annual software and insurance payments paid once a year, and sentence 3 says this cost does not repeat until next October","Sentence 4 starts with \"We expect\", says cash is expected back above $3.2M by Dec 31 if the prepayments arrive, framed as an estimate, with none of the words burn, runway or headwinds and no promise"]}