What this is
You waste hours agonizing over tone, worrying if you sound too rude, too soft, or too defensive. This kit replaces that with four ready-to-use prompts, one for each kind of email that is genuinely hard to write.
How to use it
Copy the prompt for the situation you are in. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Fill in the brackets [like this] with your specific details. Read the draft before you send it. You are the pilot, AI is just the co-pilot.
1. The Vomit Draft
Use this when: you know exactly what you want to say, but you don’t have the energy or patience to figure out the perfect way to say it.
Act as an expert executive communications assistant. I am going to provide a rough, stream-of-consciousness “brain dump” below.
Please rewrite this into a professional email.
Follow these rules:
1. Goal: Fix grammar, structure, and clarity.
2. Tone: [INSERT TONE HERE - e.g., Professional & Direct, Diplomatic & Warm, Apologetic]
3. Formatting: Use short, clear paragraphs for readability.
4. Safety Constraint: Do NOT add any new facts. If a detail is missing, put a placeholder like [DATE] or [NAME] in brackets.
5. Input Processing: Ignore any conversational filler (like “um” or “I guess”) from the input.
Here is my brain dump: [WRITE, PASTE, OR RECORD YOUR MESSY THOUGHTS HERE]
2. The Graceful Decline
Use this when: you need to say no to a meeting, project, or favor without burning a bridge or sounding unhelpful.
Act as a senior communications professional. Sender context: I am an experienced professional who values clarity, respect, and efficiency. I want to sound confident, not apologetic or corporate. Draft a polite but firm email declining the following request: [Insert what they asked you to do].
My relationship to the recipient: [client / manager / colleague / external partner]
My Goal: I need to protect my time, but I want to maintain a good relationship with this person.
Constraints for the Draft:
1. Start with genuine gratitude for the offer/invite.
2. Give a vague but valid reason for the ‘no’ (e.g., ‘prior commitments’).
3. Do NOT offer a specific time to reschedule.
4. Avoid language that invites negotiation or emotional labor.
5. Keep it under 100 words.
6. Tone: Warm, professional, and final.
The final email should sound like something a calm, capable professional would send in under two minutes, clear, human, and done. Before drafting, what questions do you have for me?
3. The Status Check (Without Being Annoying)
Use this when: someone owes you work, money, or an answer, and they are going quiet. You don’t want to sound aggressive, but you need a reply.
Act as a senior communications professional. Sender context: I am an experienced professional who values clarity, respect, and efficiency. I want to sound confident, not apologetic or corporate. Draft a follow-up email to [Name] regarding [Project/Topic].
Context: I sent the last email on [Date] and haven’t heard back.
My relationship to the recipient: [client / manager / colleague / external partner]
Drafting rules:
1. Assume positive intent (they are busy, not ignoring me).
2. Do not apologize for following up.
3. Avoid guilt-tripping phrases like “Just checking in” or “Per my last email.”
4. Ask one simple yes/no question to unblock the process.
5. Keep it brief and low-pressure.
6. Tone: helpful, calm, and professional.
The final email should sound like something a capable professional would send to move things forward without friction. Before drafting, what questions do you have for me?
4. The Bad News Delivery
Use this when: you made a mistake, missed a deadline, or have bad news to deliver, and you need to own it without groveling.
Act as a senior communications professional. Sender context: I am an experienced professional who values accountability, clarity, and forward momentum. I want to sound confident, not defensive or overly apologetic.
I need to tell [Name] that [Insert the bad news, e.g., I missed the deadline].
My relationship to the recipient: [client / manager / colleague / external partner]
Drafting rules:
1. BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): State the bad news clearly in the first sentence.
2. Own it fully. Take responsibility without blaming others, tools, or circumstances.
3. Avoid over-explaining how it happened.
4. Immediately propose a specific fix, solution, or revised timeline.
5. Tone: confident, accountable, and forward-looking. Do not sound weak or defensive.
The final email should feel calm, direct, and solution-focused, something a trusted professional would send without overthinking. Before drafting, what questions do you have for me?
Bonus: the humanizer cheat sheet
Sometimes AI sounds like AI. If a draft feels off, paste one of these underneath it to fix it instantly.
If it sounds too corporate or stiff:
Rewrite this to sound like a casual colleague, not a corporation. Use simple words.
If it sounds too long:
Cut the word count in half. Remove all adjectives.
If it sounds too aggressive:
Soften the tone by 20%. Make it sound more collaborative.
Related
This is one of six free resources built the same way, full text, not just a download link. See the rest here.