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Prepare for a conflict between two reports without taking sides

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

About this exercise

Two of your direct reports disagree about who owns the release checklist. Write prep notes in plain text under 170 words with exactly these labeled lines: Goal of the meeting, Facts both agree on, Facts in dispute, Question for each person, Boundary. Do not decide who is right, do not assign blame, and end with a final line: HR to review if this escalates. Use only the notes.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Taking a side. The AI concludes Dev or Alma is at fault. Try: Say: "Do not decide who is right."
  • Repeating insults. The AI quotes 'lazy' and 'always blocks'. Try: Say: "Leave out personal remarks; stick to facts."
  • Mixing agreed and disputed facts. The AI blends them. Try: Say: "Separate lines: Facts both agree on / Facts in dispute."
  • Missing labels. The AI writes a narrative. Try: Say: "Use the five labels in order and end with the HR line."
  • Markdown. The AI uses bullets. Try: Say: "Plain text."
  • 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 30 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

  • Labels
  • Neutral
  • Leave out insults
  • HR line
  • Plain text

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