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Explain an early expense to a manager with zero jargon

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

About this exercise

A marketing manager is confused why her event cost already hit October's budget when the invoice isn't paid until December. Explain it in under 80 words with no accounting terms (no 'accrual', 'accrue', 'GAAP', 'ledger', 'debit', 'credit', 'liability'). Use her own event and the signed amount as the example, and end with the one thing she needs to send you and by when. Write a prompt that gets that explanation.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 80 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part: "4 sentences, each under 16 words."
  • Explaining with jargon. AI explains this with "accrual accounting" and "liabilities", the exact words that confuse her. Try: Ban them: "No accounting terms: no accrual, ledger, debit, credit or liability."
  • Going abstract. The AI explains the general rule instead of her event and her number. Try: Add: "Use her Harvest Expo: $18,000, event in October, paid in December."
  • No clear ask. The AI ends with "Let me know if you have questions" instead of what she must do. Try: Add: "End by asking for the signed vendor confirmation by Nov 10."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Sets a word limit
  • Bans jargon
  • Uses her example
  • Ends with the ask
  • Says who it's for

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