The Three Moves
A request like "write a better email" leaves most of the job to guesswork. I use three moves to make the work visible: ask for a specific result, show what good looks like, and shape the draft. Then I check it before it goes anywhere.
What you will leave with
A reusable request and a draft you know how to review.
Practice time: about 15 minutes1. Ask for a result someone could recognize
Name the job, the reader, the source facts, and the limits. You do not need a clever opening phrase. You need the details you would give a colleague before they took over.
Worked example / Fictional practice material
A customer asks whether a revised installation can start next week. Your notes say the scope is still being checked and the schedule is unconfirmed.
Weak request: Write a professional response.
Useful request: Draft a reply under 100 words. Acknowledge the revised scope, explain that the start date is not confirmed, and ask for two times for a scope call. Use only the facts below. Do not invent a price, date, or promise. I will review the draft before sending.
The constraints matter because a friendly, confident sentence can quietly turn a possibility into a commitment.
2. Show one example and explain its job
Include a short, approved example of the voice or structure you want. Tell the tool what to borrow. An old email can teach tone while carrying a date or offer that no longer applies.
For this practice example, use: "Thanks for sending the details. We can review the scope together before settling the schedule. Would Wednesday or Friday work for a call?" Add: "Use the direct language and short paragraphs. Do not copy its dates or treat it as evidence about this job."
If you do not have a suitable example, describe the shape: acknowledgment, current status, next action. An example helps; it is not a requirement or a guarantee.
3. Shape the parts that missed
Read the first result and identify one concrete mismatch. "Less corporate" can send the tool guessing again. "Remove the first two sentences, keep the question, and say the schedule is unconfirmed" gives it a useful correction.
Keep the facts visible as you revise. A new version can improve the tone and introduce a new error. If the conversation has accumulated contradictory instructions, start a fresh request with the best current brief.
A possible finished draft
Thanks for sending the revised scope. We still need to check the details before confirming a start date. Could you send two times that would work for a short call? We can work through the scope together and agree on the next step.
This is an illustration, not a recorded customer exchange. It makes no claim about availability.
The three moves produce a draft. Checking makes it usable.
- Facts: Does every date, amount, name, and commitment match the source?
- Completeness: Did it answer the question and preserve the uncertainty?
- Voice: Would you be comfortable reading it aloud to the recipient?
- Authority: Are you the right person to approve what it promises?
Try the same request on a second fictional situation. If it only works when you repair it heavily, improve the brief before saving it for your team.
Keep this
A request you can reuse
Copy this into your own document and fill in the brackets. Use approved or fictional material when trying it with AI.
JOB: Draft [output] for [reader] so they can [next action].
FACTS: [Approved facts for this task only.]
EXAMPLE: [Approved sample.] Borrow its [tone/structure], not its facts.
RULES: [Length, required points, commitments to avoid.]
UNCERTAINTY: Mark missing facts as questions. Do not fill them in.
REVISION: Keep [what worked]. Change [specific mismatch].
CHECK: Verify facts, missing points, tone, and authority against the source.
REVIEWER: [Name.] The result stays a draft until approved.Want help applying this to your organization? Bring the job you have in mind, and we can work out a useful next step.