Outcome
By the end of this lesson you'll be able to start any document from a draft instead of a blank page, read a long report for just the parts you need, and paste one saved "house style" note so everything you produce sounds consistent. You're still the author. You've just stopped doing the part that is typing and arranging.
Concept
Almost every document task is one of three jobs:
- Draft — shape scattered facts into a structure.
- Digest — pull what matters out of something long.
- Polish — keep tone, length, and format consistent.
What makes AI useful for each is the same thing: you tell it the job, not just the document. "Summarize this" produces a summary of everything. "I'm deciding whether to renew; pull out price changes and exit terms" produces something you can use.
There's one risk that is bigger here than in email or meetings: AI is fluent about facts it doesn't have. A draft can include a plausible number, date, or claim that you never provided. In an email that's embarrassing. In a report that goes to a client or your leadership, it can do real damage. So the rule for this lesson is: AI supplies structure and wording; you supply every fact.
Build
Part 1: The facts sheet. Before drafting anything, jot the real content as fragments. Don't worry about sentences. Label each fragment as a fact, a number, or a decision. If it isn't on the sheet, it doesn't go in the document.
Part 2: The draft prompt.
Write a first draft of a [DOCUMENT TYPE] for [AUDIENCE].
Purpose: [WHAT THE READER SHOULD DO OR UNDERSTAND AFTER READING]
Facts to use (use only these):
[PASTE FACTS SHEET]
Structure: [HEADINGS IN ORDER, e.g. Summary / What happened / Risks / What I need]
Length: about [NUMBER] words.
Tone: [TONE].
Do not add facts, numbers, dates, or names that aren't listed above. If
something needed is missing, insert [MISSING: description] in the text.
The [MISSING: ...] instruction turns holes into visible markers. You'd
rather find a marker than a plausible guess.
Part 3: The purpose-driven digest.
I'm reading this [DOCUMENT TYPE] because [WHAT I NEED TO DECIDE OR DO].
Text:
[PASTE THE RELEVANT SECTIONS]
Pull out only:
1. [THING 1, e.g. changes to price or terms]
2. [THING 2, e.g. deadlines or obligations]
3. Anything unusual or worth a question
For each point, quote the sentence it came from so I can check it. Ignore
background and promotional language.
Asking for the supporting sentence is the key move. It makes the summary checkable in seconds.
Part 4: The house-style note. Write one short note and keep it in a place you can copy from:
HOUSE STYLE
- Plain, direct language; no jargon
- Paragraphs of three sentences or fewer
- Lead with the conclusion
- Use bullet points for lists of three or more
- Sign off: [YOUR SIGN-OFF]
- Avoid: [WORDS YOU DISLIKE]
Paste it at the top of any draft prompt. Update it whenever you catch yourself making the same edit twice.
Part 5: The revision prompt. Instead of starting over, give specific feedback on the draft:
Revise the draft above. Keep all facts unchanged. Changes:
- Shorten the summary to two sentences
- Make the tone more [TONE]
- Move "[SECTION]" to the end
List anything you changed besides these.
"List anything you changed" catches silent edits to facts.
A worked example
The facts and draft below are invented to show the shape.
Facts sheet (illustrative): Workshop registration opened 3 days ago. 42 signups so far (from the registration tool). Venue confirmed. Catering not yet booked. Need approval to order catering by Friday.
Draft excerpt (illustrative): Summary: Registration for the workshop is going well, with 42 signups since opening three days ago, and the venue is confirmed. Risks: Catering is not yet booked. [MISSING: catering budget] What I need: Approval to order catering by Friday.
The draft stuck to the facts, flagged one gap, and ended with a clear ask. Notice it did not say "going well" in a way you might not stand behind. That phrase is a judgment, so edit it if it isn't true.
Run
Try it now (5 minutes).
Choose a document you need to write this week. Write five to eight fragments on
a facts sheet. Run the draft prompt with your house style pasted on top.
Count the [MISSING] markers, fill them in yourself, and read the whole thing
aloud once.
Guardrails: what a human must verify.
- Every number, date, name, and quote. Check each against your source. If you didn't provide it, treat it as invented until proven otherwise.
- Claims about outcomes. "Strong results" and "on track" are judgments. Keep them only if you'd defend them.
- Digests. Confirm the quoted sentences actually appear in the original.
- Privacy. Don't paste confidential documents, customer data, or personal information into tools you haven't been approved to use. Redact or summarize it yourself first.
- Ownership. You're accountable for the final document, so read the whole thing before it leaves your hands.
Make it a habit. Keep the draft prompt, digest prompt, and house style together in one note. When a document type repeats weekly or monthly, save a version of the draft prompt with its structure already filled in.
Checkpoint.
- I wrote a facts sheet before drafting.
- I have a saved house-style note.
- My draft contained no facts I didn't supply.
- I checked at least one digest against its original text.
- I read the final document in full before sharing.
When a document depends on information you don't have yet, you'll need to go find it, which is Automate your research and analysis.