This lesson is four worked examples rather than theory. In each case the weak prompt is what people actually type, and the strong one is what takes twenty seconds longer and saves ten minutes of editing. Notice that none of the strong prompts contain a real name, a real figure, or a real customer detail. You add those yourself afterwards, in your own system.
Chasing an overdue invoice
Weak: chase an unpaid invoice. Strong: Draft a polite payment reminder to a long standing trade customer whose invoice is two weeks overdue. This is the first reminder, the relationship is good, and we want them to call us this week. Warm but clear, British English, about 100 words, with a subject line. Use placeholders for the name, invoice number, and amount, which I will fill in.
Writing a job advert
Weak: write a job advert for an engineer. Strong: Write a job advert for a field service engineer at a small independent firm, aimed at someone with two to three years of experience who wants variety and less bureaucracy than a large employer. Plain British English, no corporate cliches, under 300 words, with sections for the role, what we are looking for, and what we offer. Leave salary and location as placeholders.
Summarising a long email thread
Weak: summarise this. Strong: Below is an email thread. Summarise it in three parts: what was agreed, what is still open, and what I need to do next. Use only what is in the thread, and write Not stated if something is unclear rather than inferring it. Keep each part to short bullet points. Before pasting, remove or replace names and any commercially sensitive figures.
Turning site visit notes into a quote
Weak: turn these notes into a quote. Strong: Below are rough notes from a site visit. Turn them into a clear scope of works for a customer quote, as numbered items with a one line description each, grouped by area. Do not include any prices, and do not add work that is not mentioned in the notes. Write Not stated where the notes are unclear so I can check. Plain British English, no jargon.
The pattern behind all four
Each strong prompt names the reader and the situation, states the task in one verb, fixes the shape and length, sets the constraints, and says what to do about missing information. The real details stay out and go in afterwards. That is the whole method.
Common mistakes
- Pasting a real customer name, address, or account number to make the draft more specific.
- Including actual prices or margins in a prompt when placeholders would do.
- Asking for a quote with figures, when the model cannot be trusted with calculations.
- Letting it add plausible sounding work items that were never in your site notes.
- Forgetting to say what to do when the source material is unclear.
- Sending any of these drafts out without reading them properly first.
Check yourself
0/41.You are drafting an overdue invoice reminder. What should you do about the customer's name, invoice number, and amount?
2.Why does the strong site notes prompt say not to include any prices?
3.In the email thread summary prompt, what does the instruction to write Not stated achieve?
4.What do all four strong prompts have in common?
This is general guidance, not a substitute for advice on your specific setup. Want a hand putting it into practice? Talk to us or see our care plans.