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Turn a rambling Slack message into four clean steps

  • For IT teams
  • You practice Asking for a format you can use
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Beginner

About this exercise

Turn the Slack message into help-desk instructions. Exactly 4 numbered steps in the right order, each starting with a verb and under 12 words, with no "I" or "you". Then one last line starting "Note:" about the network. Plain text.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Keeping the chatter. The AI keeps 'i think', 'lol' and Dev's days off. Try: Say: "Cut chatter, jokes and personal schedule."
  • Wrong order. The restart is mentioned in the middle of the message, and the AI keeps that order. Try: Say: "Put the restart first."
  • Wordy steps. The AI writes full sentences with 'you should'. Try: Say: "Each step starts with a verb, under 12 words."
  • Leaving the list shape open. The AI picks its own number of items and its own layout. Try: Show the shape: "exactly N numbered lines like: 1. Label: detail".
  • Getting markdown back. AI adds bold and headings by default, which show up as stray symbols where this is pasted. Try: Say "plain text, no bold, no headings, no asterisks".

What a strong prompt includes

  • Fixes the number of lines
  • Asks for plain text
  • Gives the step count
  • Asks for imperative verbs

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