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Confirm a catering order with the final, correct counts
Practice: Asking for a format you can use. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You need to confirm a lunch order with the caterer. After a one-line greeting, write exactly 5 numbered lines labeled Date, Headcount, Dietary, Delivery and Contact, in that order, using the latest numbers in your notes; the Contact line must ask the driver to text you on arrival. Add nothing else except a sign-off with your name. Write a prompt that gets that email.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not setting the shape. The AI writes a chatty email with the details scattered through paragraphs. Try: Show it: "Exactly 5 numbered lines like: 1. Date: Thursday, Nov 20, delivered by 11:45 am."
- Using old counts. The notes show the first RSVP number and the dietary counts before Priya's change. Try: Say it: "Headcount 41. Dietary: 5 vegetarian, 1 vegan, 2 gluten-free."
- Adding extra paragraphs. AI adds a thank-you paragraph, the budget and "please don't forget the plates". Try: Add: "Only the greeting, the 5 lines and my name."
- Forgetting where it gets pasted. AI adds bold and headings by default, which show up as ** and # clutter in the caterer's inbox. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, no headings."
What a strong prompt includes
- Sets the number of lines
- Gives the labels
- Uses the latest numbers
- Cuts the extras
- Asks for plain text
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