AI-Powered Writing and Communication
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AI as a writing partner, not a ghostwriter
A rough request can be accurate yet hard to act on. Use AI to improve structure and wording, then check that the result still says what you mean. This lesson turns a blunt email into a clear request and fictional process notes into a usable guide. Keep your own voice and responsibility for the final text.
Emails and business correspondence
Start with a fictional email: give the recipient, known facts, requested action and tone. Ask AI to leave missing details as placeholders instead of inventing them. For real work, use only your organization’s approved tools and data-handling process; replacing names alone does not make a message anonymous.
Fictional example: reformulating a draft
Draft:
“The project is behind schedule. I need to know what is happening by Friday.”
AI request:
“Use a professional, assertive tone. Ask for the current status and next steps. Invent no names, dates or length of delay; mark missing details [to fill in].”
Reviewed draft:
“Hi [name],
Please share the current status of project [name] and proposed next steps given the delay. Could you send this information by Friday [date to fill in]?
Thank you, [signature]”
A person fills in and verifies all details before use.Reports and analyses
For a report, provide the question, source figures and intended reader. Ask for an outline, then draft each section from the supplied evidence. Separate observations from explanations: an increase in orders does not by itself establish why they increased.
Check every number, comparison and conclusion against the source. Fictional figures: April 120 orders, May 150 orders. The increase is 30 orders, or 25% relative to April (30 ÷ 120 × 100), not 30%. No cause is supplied; remove any claim that an advertising campaign caused it.
For practice, write three short fictional style samples without personal or company information. For example: “Here is the update. The next step is clear. Please tell me what is missing.” Ask AI to use similarly short sentences. Compare the result with a version prompted only with “use short sentences”; choose the clearer one rather than assuming samples always work better.
Presentations
For a presentation, specify the fictional audience, goal and available time. Ask for an outline, then key points and speaker notes for each slide. Check every claim and example against the supplied brief. Rehearse aloud to check whether the material fits the time; a requested duration is not a measured delivery time.
Documentation
Turn supplied fictional process notes into numbered steps, then test whether a reader can follow them in order. Ask AI to flag gaps as questions, not fill them with invented software, permissions or company rules. The documentation exercise below gives you a complete small process to check.
Preserving authenticity
An AI draft can sound generic or contain errors. Preserve your voice by choosing words you would actually use and checking the facts. Which sentence makes the request clearest, and which sentence could be removed?
- Use fictional style samples for practice, not messages from your inbox
- Edit wording into your own voice while preserving the source facts
- Use AI for structure and drafts, then verify claims and commitments
- Replace filler such as “in today’s dynamic environment” with the specific action or observation
Read the draft aloud: would you say this to the intended recipient? Then check facts, commitments and any placeholders. Personalizing a draft does not make an unsupported statement true.
Use only this fictional brief: a library is planning a free book swap; visitors may bring up to 3 books; date and location are undecided. Write a rough draft of (1) an email asking a teammate to confirm date and location, (2) a short planning note listing known facts and open questions, and (3) a lively two-sentence announcement draft with [date] and [location] placeholders. Ask AI to edit each without adding facts, then add your own voice. Expected checks: the event remains free; the limit is up to 3 books, not a requirement to bring 3; date and location remain unknown in the email and note and appear as placeholders in the announcement. Treat the announcement as a draft until both are confirmed.
Hint
A catchy version that promises refreshments or names a venue fails: neither is supplied. If you track time, include checking and editing; a single attempt is not evidence of general savings.
Use this fictional draft: 'The guide is missing the returns section. Please add it by Thursday. If that is not possible, let me know.' Ask for five versions: formal, friendly, urgent, diplomatic and enthusiastic. Require the same facts, Thursday deadline and fallback request in every version; add no threats or promises. Check each version against those three requirements. Mark the words that change the tone, choose the version that fits a fictional teammate, and edit it into your own voice.
Hint
An urgent version may make the request more direct; it must not replace Thursday with today. A friendly version must still ask for the missing section.
Use only these fictional book-swap process notes: accept at most 3 books per visitor; check that each has all its pages; place accepted books on the swap table; return incomplete books to the visitor; after the event count the books left on the table. Prompt: 'Turn these notes into a titled guide with numbered steps. Add 3 FAQ questions answered only from the notes. Mark anything not supplied as not specified; invent no software, fees or disposal rules.' Check the guide by walking through a visitor bringing 4 complete books and another bringing 1 incomplete book. Expected: accept at most 3 from the first visitor and return the extra book; return the incomplete book from the second. The final step counts books left. Whether leftover books may be donated is not specified. Ask a reader to try the same fictional cases and note any unclear step.
Hint
Check the order: inspect pages before placing accepted books on the table. “Donate all leftovers” is an invented rule. Revise unclear wording while preserving the five supplied rules.
- Use AI for structure and drafting; keep your own wording and responsibility
- Supply fictional practice inputs; real work requires approved tools and data processes
- Verify numbers, requests and commitments; mark missing details instead of inventing them
- Compare tone variants with the same facts and choose one for the recipient
- Test a process guide on concrete cases before using it
4/7 complete — keep going!