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Settle a double-booked conference room in one short email

Practice: Asking for a format you can use. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

Two teams booked the same room. As office manager, email both team leads under 80 words, plain text, with the decision on the first line and then exactly 3 numbered lines. The decision must follow the facilities policy and room sizes in your notes, and the design lead must be told to update her calendar invite by Wednesday noon. Write a prompt that gets that email.

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: "First line under 20 words, each numbered line under 12 words."
  • Letting the AI pick the shape. The AI writes three paragraphs of context before getting to the point. Try: Set it: "Decision on line 1, then exactly 3 numbered lines."
  • Not checking room sizes. The AI may send Design to Birch because it's mentioned as a favorite, but 10 people won't fit in 6 seats. Try: Say it: "Design moves to Maple, the only free room that fits 10."
  • Leaving out the action. The AI can't know the Wednesday noon deadline unless you give it. Try: Add: "Tell Anita to update her invite by Wednesday noon."
  • Forgetting where it gets pasted. AI adds bold and headings by default, which show up as ** and # clutter in an email client that shows raw text. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, no headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Sets a word limit
  • Puts the decision first
  • Sets the number of lines
  • Gives the deadline
  • Asks for plain text

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