Narrate a dashboard for the CFO in three lines

About this exercise

Priya Raman, the CFO, opens the monthly dashboard and wants a spoken-style brief she can read in 30 seconds. Write exactly three labeled lines in plain text: Headline, Watch and Ask, under 100 words in total. Headline must treat the one-time license fairly, Watch covers the two metrics moving the wrong way, and Ask is one yes/no question for her about the board deck.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Celebrating the headline. The AI reports +5% over plan and misses that the license is one-time. Try: Add: "Show revenue with and without the $0.30M one-time license."
• Listing every metric. The AI covers headcount, customers and cash, burying the two problems. Try: Add: "Watch covers only gross margin and DSO, actual vs plan."
• Ending with a vague ask. The AI closes with 'let me know your thoughts'. Try: Add: "Ask: one yes/no question about the board deck's green revenue arrow."
• Leaving the format to chance. The AI picks its own length and layout unless told the exact shape. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold or headings."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each part instead, for example "each line under 15 words."

What a strong prompt includes

• Names the reader
• Asks for the three lines
• Handles the one-time license
• Picks the two weak metrics
• Fixes the ask

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