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Tell engineers what stops and starts after a priority shift
Practice: Saying who it's for. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
Leadership changed Q1 priorities, and you're posting the change in your team's Slack channel for 9 engineers. You want exactly 4 numbered lines labeled Stop:, Start:, Keep: and Ask:, in that order, each one sentence, plain text. Use the corrected project name (the first note named the wrong one), and keep out the confidential board and revenue details the engineers don't need.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Asking for 'an announcement'. The AI writes a friendly multi-paragraph post that buries what changes. Try: Show the shape: "Exactly 4 numbered lines labeled Stop:, Start:, Keep:, Ask:, each one sentence."
- Missing the correction. The first note says billing migration, and the AI often pauses the wrong project. Try: Add: "Use Jen's correction: we pause the search reindex, not billing."
- Leaving out who to ask. The AI ends with 'reach out with questions' and no name or time. Try: Add: "The Ask line names Priya and her Thursday 2pm office hours."
- Sharing confidential context. The AI explains the 'why' with the board numbers because they make the post persuasive. Try: Add: "Engineers read this. No revenue numbers, board details, rumors or team moves."
What a strong prompt includes
- Shows the line labels
- Says who reads it
- Uses the correction
- Keeps confidential details out
- Asks for plain text
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