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Write a 30-second spoken opener for a skip-level conversation

  • For Managers and team leads
  • You practice Saying who it's for
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Beginner

About this exercise

You are meeting an engineer two levels below you for the first time. Write what you will say in the first 30 seconds: plain text, 4 sentences, under 70 words. Sentence 1 thanks them for their time, sentence 2 says why you are doing these chats, sentence 3 promises what you will and will not do with what you hear, and sentence 4 is an open question. Use the rules from the notes.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Over-promising. The AI says 'everything stays between us' or 'I'll fix it'. Try: Say: "Share themes without names; do not promise to fix anything."
  • Wrong order. The AI starts with a long bio. Try: Say: "Sentence 1 thanks them; sentence 2 gives the purpose."
  • Closed question. The AI asks 'Is everything going OK?'. Try: Say: "End with an open question."
  • Markdown. The AI uses bullets. Try: Say: "Plain text, spoken sentences."
  • 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 sentence: "each sentence under 18 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

  • Says it's spoken
  • Gives the four jobs
  • Sets a length
  • No fix promise
  • Open question

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