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Announce a team change and answer the first question

Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

Your team is moving to a new department, and you're announcing it in the team channel before the all-hands. Write it in under 110 words, plain text, with the change and its effective date in the first sentence, then answer the question everyone will ask first: does my manager or role change? Share only what's confirmed and leave out the options leadership considered.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Leading with context. The AI opens with 'As many of you know...' and buries the actual change. Try: Add: "First sentence: we move to Partnerships on March 1."
  • 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: "6 sentences, each under 16 words."
  • Not answering the real question. People want to know if their manager or job changes, and the AI talks about strategy instead. Try: Add: "Right after: I stay your manager; no role, title or pay changes."
  • Sharing what's undecided as fact. The AI states the floor move or rejected options to sound complete. Try: Add: "Say the floor and on-call questions are not decided. Never mention rejected options."
  • Formatting it like a memo. The AI adds a bold title and headings, which look alarming in a team channel. Try: Add: "Plain text, calm and direct, no bold or headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Puts the change first
  • Answers the manager question
  • Only what's confirmed
  • Keeps rejected options out
  • Sets a word limit

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