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Ask an executive for a decision with two clear options
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You need your VP to decide between two staffing options by Friday. Write a message with the decision needed and the deadline in the first sentence, then exactly 2 numbered options with their cost and trade-off, then your recommendation in one sentence, plain text, under 90 words. Use the corrected cost and leave out the team gossip.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Burying the ask. The AI opens with background on the mobile app, so the VP has to find the decision. Try: Add: "First sentence: the decision needed and the Jun 12 deadline."
- 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 22 words."
- Using the old cost. $180k appears first, and the correction is easy to miss. Try: Add: "Option A costs $210k (finance correction)."
- Unstructured options. The AI writes paragraphs comparing everything at once. Try: Add: "Exactly 2 numbered options, each with cost and trade-off. Plain text."
- Including the gossip. The AI adds the team lead's mood as a 'risk'. Try: Add: "End with my pick in one sentence. Leave out the gossip."
What a strong prompt includes
- Puts the ask first
- Uses the corrected cost
- Sets the options
- Gives a recommendation
- Sets a word limit
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