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Turn IT's long email into authenticator setup steps
- For Office and admin
- You practice Asking for a format you can use
- Time about 5 minutes
About this exercise
IT sent a long email about the new sign-in app and your team asked you for 'just the steps'. Open with one line giving the deadline, then exactly 5 numbered steps, each under 15 words, in the order IT gave them. Use the current setup only; text-message codes were retired. Plain text, under 100 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Using the old date. The AI may pick up Nov 21 or put the deadline at the end. Try: Say: "First line: the deadline, Friday Nov 14 at 5 pm (Nov 21 was a mistake)."
- Merging or reordering steps. The AI squeezes the setup into 3 steps or reorders them. Try: Ask: "Exactly 5 numbered steps, in the order IT gave them."
- Keeping the chatter. The AI keeps the roadmap story and the party. Try: Add: "Only the deadline and steps. Skip background and extras."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 100 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Ask for less than the limit and cap each line: "each line under 15 words, under 75 words total."
- Letting markdown in. AI adds bold and headings by default, and in the team chat they show up as stray symbols. Try: Add: "Plain text only, no bold, no headings."
What a strong prompt includes
- Puts the deadline first
- Keeps IT's order
- Drops the extras
- Says exactly how many
- Asks for plain text
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