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Write a short update to a director who missed the meeting
- For Executives
- You practice Getting the tone right
- Time about 5 minutes
- Level Intermediate
About this exercise
A director, Hye-jin, missed the board meeting. Write her a plain-text email under 120 words, subject first. Open with one sentence stating the single decision made. Then exactly 3 dash lines: what you need from her, by when, and the page of the pack to read. Close with a one-line offer for a 15-minute call. Do not recap the discussion and do not use the words obviously or as you know.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Recapping the discussion. The AI summarizes pricing, cash and hiring. Try: Say: "Do not recap the discussion."
- Old date. The AI uses Dec 13. Try: Say: "The review date is Dec 6."
- Burying the decision. The AI starts with pleasantries. Try: Say: "Open with the one decision."
- Markdown. The AI uses bold and a table. Try: Say: "Plain text; dash lines."
- 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 line: "each line under 20 words."
- 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 12 words."
What a strong prompt includes
- Decision first
- Three dash lines
- Date
- Call offer
- No recap
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