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Approve most of an expense report and decline the alcohol line kindly

  • For Accountants
  • You practice Getting the tone right
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

You're in accounting replying to an employee about an expense report. Write a prompt for a plain-text message under 90 words that starts by saying what is approved with the dollar amount, then says what is not reimbursed and why (citing the policy), offers the next step, keeps a kind tone with no lecture, and ends with exactly "Priya, Accounting".

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Burying the good news. The AI opens with the policy problem. Try: Say: "Start with what is approved and the amount."
  • Skipping the next step. The AI declines the line and stops. Try: Add: "Say the next step and the Nov 10 date."
  • Lecturing. The AI explains why alcohol is a risk. Try: Add: "Kind tone, one line citing the policy, no lecture."
  • Wrong sign-off. The AI adds Best regards and contact lines. Try: Add: "End exactly with: Priya, Accounting."
  • Markdown extras. The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note. Try: Say: "Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each part short.

What a strong prompt includes

  • Leads with the approved amount
  • Cites the policy
  • Gives the next step and date
  • Sets tone and sign-off
  • Caps length

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