Writing with AI: Emails, Reports & Documents

The four-line brief — reader, purpose, key points, tone — that makes every AI draft better; a bad brief and a good one, side by side.

In this lesson:

• Write a four-line brief before asking for any draft
• Explain why the brief matters more than the prompt wording
• Compare a draft from a weak brief with one from a strong brief

The reply, the request, and the follow-up — short, specific, one ask per email, drafted with the assistant and finished by you.

In this lesson:

• Draft the three common email types with a brief
• Apply the one-ask rule and the first-line rule
• Trim an AI email draft to what the reader needs

Turning notes and threads into an update people actually read — the three-part shape, drafted from your raw material.

In this lesson:

• Use the three-part update shape: where we are, what changed, what's needed
• Draft an update from raw notes or a long thread
• Make an update honest about problems without drama

The same paragraph for a colleague, a client, and an executive — "keep the facts, change the register."

In this lesson:

• Rewrite a passage for a different reader without losing facts
• Use precise tone and length instructions
• Check a rewrite for changed meaning

The generic-draft tells and the five edits that make any AI draft sound like you.

In this lesson:

• Spot the tells of a generic AI draft
• Apply five edits that restore a personal voice
• Teach the assistant your voice with a sample and a style note

Building the skeleton with the assistant, then drafting one section at a time — the method that keeps long documents coherent.

In this lesson:

• Build a report outline with the assistant before drafting
• Draft section by section with the outline in view
• Keep a long document consistent across sections

Leading with the recommendation, structuring the case, and pre-empting objections — persuasive documents with the assistant as a sparring partner.

In this lesson:

• Structure a proposal recommendation-first
• Build the supporting case with evidence and options
• Use the assistant to find and answer objections before the reader raises them

Precise language, numbered steps, and the edge cases the draft skips — writing documents people have to follow.

In this lesson:

• Draft a procedure as numbered, testable steps
• Use precise, unambiguous language in policy text
• Find the edge cases and exceptions the first draft misses

Drafting from a transcript, a spec, or a pile of notes without losing facts or inventing them.

In this lesson:

• Constrain the assistant to supplied sources
• Trace every fact in a draft back to its source
• Handle gaps in the source material honestly

Facts, gaps, voice, and format — a fifteen-minute method that turns an AI draft into a document you can sign.

In this lesson:

• Run the four-pass edit on any AI draft
• Size the edit to the stakes of the document
• Use the assistant for the format pass without letting it re-edit the content

Names, customer data, contract terms — and the anonymize-first habit that lets you use the assistant on real work safely.

In this lesson:

• Recognize the categories of information that never go into a writing prompt
• Anonymize a real document before pasting it
• Get a usable draft from anonymized material and restore the specifics after

Bad news, complaints, and anything personal — where the assistant helps, and where it must not write.

In this lesson:

• Identify messages that must be written by a person
• Use the assistant for preparation without letting it draft the words
• Deliver a difficult message that is honest, specific, and humane

Using the assistant to reconcile edits, summarize comments, and draft the consensus version — without losing anyone's point.

In this lesson:

• Summarize a comment thread into decisions and open questions
• Reconcile conflicting edits into a consensus draft
• Keep authorship and attribution clear in shared documents

Building a personal library of briefs and formats that cut drafting time every week — and sharing the ones that work.

In this lesson:

• Turn a successful brief into a reusable template
• Organize a personal library of briefs, formats, and voice notes
• Share templates with a team without losing individual voice

The brief, the draft, the edit pass, the check — a one-page card and a first-week plan; the finale.

In this lesson:

• Recall the four-step writing habit
• Apply the course's rules from a one-page card
• Complete Writing with AI: Emails, Reports & Documents