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Summarize final parking survey results for an all-staff email

Practice: Saying who it's for. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

You're writing the parking survey update for the "Facilities Corner" slot in Friday's staff newsletter, so it needs no subject line, greeting or sign-off. You want at most 3 sentences in plain text that give the final results (not the early count), name the top request, and mention the Nov 18 meeting. Use only the survey report, and don't promise any changes the report doesn't announce.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Using the early numbers. The 70% figure is dramatic and appears first, so the AI may lead with it. Try: Say: "Use only the final Oct 31 report."
  • Passing on the rumor. Your notes mention a rumor about charging, and the AI may mention it to address staff concerns. Try: Add: "Don't mention rumors or promise changes."
  • Writing a whole email. The AI adds a subject line, a greeting and a sign-off, which don't belong in a newsletter slot. Try: Say: "This goes in a newsletter slot: no subject, greeting or sign-off."
  • Leaving out what's next. The AI summarizes numbers and forgets the meeting where staff can weigh in. Try: Add: "Name the top request and the Nov 18 meeting."
  • Not capping the length. The AI writes several paragraphs by default, far more than the reader will take in. Try: Say: "at most 3 sentences."
  • Getting markdown back. AI defaults to bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in an all-staff email. Try: Ask for "plain text, no bold, no headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Uses the final report
  • Mentions what's next
  • Rules out rumors and promises
  • Caps the number of sentences
  • Asks for plain text

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