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Write open skip-level questions that people will answer honestly

  • For Managers and team leads
  • You practice Setting limits and rules
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Beginner

About this exercise

You're holding skip-level meetings with your managers' teams. Write exactly 5 numbered questions, all open-ended (none answerable with yes or no), covering the three lowest-scoring survey areas. None may ask someone to rate or judge their own manager. Under 90 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Yes or no questions. The AI writes 'Do you feel supported?' which gets a one-word answer. Try: Add: "Open-ended only, starting with What or How."
  • Ignoring the survey. The AI writes generic questions about mission and culture. Try: Say: "Cover the three lowest areas: career growth, workload, tools."
  • Putting people on the spot. The AI asks 'How would you rate your manager?' in a group. Try: Add: "Never ask anyone to rate their manager."
  • Too many questions. The AI gives 10-15 questions for a 30-minute meeting. Try: Say: "Exactly 5 numbered questions."
  • 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: "each line under 15 words."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Fixes the count
  • Asks for open questions
  • Uses the low scores
  • Protects the managers
  • Sets a word limit

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