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Explain a new expense policy to a coworker by text
Practice: Saying who it's for. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
Luis is a field technician who reads texts on his phone between jobs and hates corporate jargon. Explain the new expense policy to him in at most 4 sentences of plain text. Start with the change that matters most to him, the new deadline for submitting expenses, talk to him directly as "you", use none of the memo's jargon, and skip the parts that don't apply to field staff.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Asking to "explain this". The AI walks through every section in order, with headings, which is far too long for a text. Try: Be exact: "At most 4 sentences, plain text for a phone."
- Burying the big change. The AI follows the memo's order, so the new deadline lands in the middle. Try: Add: "Start with the new 30-day deadline."
- Not saying who's reading. Without a reader in mind, the AI keeps the memo's corporate words. Try: Add: "He's a field technician who hates jargon. Talk to him as 'you' in everyday words."
- Including everything. The AI treats every section as equally important, even rules for directors traveling abroad. Try: Add: "Skip anything that doesn't apply to field staff."
What a strong prompt includes
- Says who it's for
- Limits the length
- Puts the deadline first
- Bans jargon
- Asks for plain text
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