Open a free AI tool (Chapter 3 will compare them — for now, ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or Gemini will all work). Type this, filling in the bracket:
"Write a friendly out-of-office email reply. I'll be out [NUMBER] days. For urgent matters, people should contact a colleague (I'll add their name myself). Keep it under 75 words."
Read what comes back. Then reply: "Make it a little more formal." Then: "Now make it warmer and shorter."
That's it. You've just experienced the core loop of everything in this book: ask, review, refine. Total time: under five minutes.
Prompt Pack: Getting Acquainted
Explain [TERM OR CONCEPT FROM MY WORK, e.g., 'a purchase order vs. an invoice'] in plain English, as if to a smart new employee on their first day. Use a short example. Keep it under 150 words.
Here are my rough notes: [PASTE YOUR OWN ROUGH, NON-CONFIDENTIAL NOTES]. Turn them into a clean, organized list with clear headings. Don't add any information I didn't include.
Rewrite the following message to sound [FRIENDLIER / MORE FORMAL / FIRMER BUT POLITE]: [PASTE A GENERIC DRAFT MESSAGE]. Keep the same meaning and length.
Summarize the following text in three bullet points a busy manager could read in fifteen seconds: [PASTE NON-CONFIDENTIAL TEXT].
I need ideas for [A TASK, e.g., 'a theme for our office's quarterly team lunch']. Give me 10 options: 5 conventional and safe, 5 more creative. One line each.
I'm preparing for [A GENERIC SITUATION, e.g., 'coordinating a visit from out-of-town executives']. List 10 things people commonly forget to plan for in this situation.