Write Clearly at Work

At work, AI is most helpful before the words feel finished. It can turn rough facts into a draft, shorten something rambling, or reshape the same information for a different audience.

Give it a writing brief

Before asking AI to write, decide four things:

• Audience: Who will read this, and what do they already know?
• Tone: Direct, warm, diplomatic, confident, or something else?
• Length: A short chat message, an email, bullets, or a document outline?
• Action: What should the reader know or do next?

Then provide the facts that must remain true.

Draft, do not delegate your voice

Suppose a project update is late. “Write an email about the delay” leaves AI to invent the audience, tone, cause, and next step.

A better brief is:

Draft an email to a cross-functional partner. Explain that the project update will arrive next Thursday because two required inputs came late. Keep the tone calm and direct, avoid assigning blame, and ask them to confirm whether the revised date affects their launch plan. Keep it under 120 words.

Read the result aloud. Remove phrases you would never say. Check that it did not add promises, causes, names, or dates you did not provide.

Use the same method for longer work

For a document or presentation, ask for structure before prose:

Create a six-section outline for an internal proposal. The audience knows the problem but has not agreed on a solution. Give each section a takeaway heading, the evidence it needs, and one question the section must answer. Do not write the full proposal yet.

Outlines are easier to correct than polished pages built on the wrong story.

Before the next lesson

Use the practice lab to create a writing brief. Copy it into your approved workplace AI tool with a non-sensitive example, review the draft, and make at least one change that restores your voice.