Lesson 2 of 5 in For office workers: faster writing
Polish a difficult email
Saying no, delivering bad news, or asking for something uncomfortable takes mental energy. AI can draft the hard part so you just edit the tone.
Do this
Think of an email you've been putting off. Describe the situation to the AI. Ask for a draft that's firm but polite.
Try it now
Copy this prompt and fill in the brackets with your real situation:
>Write a professional email saying no to [request]. The reason is [reason]. Keep it polite but firm — I don't want to sound defensive or apologetic. Under 120 words.
Check yourself
Is the email firm without being rude? Would you feel comfortable sending it after editing the details?
What just happened
AI excels at tone calibration. It can write the same message as direct, diplomatic, or apologetic based on one word. The skill is being explicit about tone: 'firm but polite,' 'warm and casual,' 'direct and concise.'