The "bad news" prompt (as promised)

Happy Wednesday!

Yesterday I gave you the clarification prompt. Today: the one for delivering bad news.

You know the emails I mean.

The task is late. You missed something. The project hit a snag. And now you have to tell your client without sounding like you're making excuses.

These emails are the worst. You rewrite them five times. Too apologetic. Too defensive. Too long. Too short.

Here's what I use:

"I need to tell my client about [describe the situation — delay, mistake, issue]. I want to sound professional and accountable, not defensive or full of excuses. Help me write a short message that: 1) acknowledges the issue clearly, 2) explains what happened briefly, 3) gives them a solution or next step. Keep it under 100 words."

The magic is in that last line: "under 100 words."

It forces the AI to cut the fluff. No over-explaining. No paragraph of apologies. Just: here's what happened, here's what I'm doing about it.

Clients don't want a novel. They want to know you've got it handled.

Let me show you what this looks like.

The situation: You promised a report by 3pm but your internet died for two hours.

The AI output (after light editing):

"Hi [Client], quick update — the report will be ready by 5pm instead of 3pm. I lost internet for a couple hours this afternoon. Already back online and finishing up now. I'll send it over as soon as it's done. Thanks for your patience!"

45 words. Clear. No drama. Professional.

That email used to take me 15 minutes to write. Now it takes 2.

Here's my challenge for you today:

Think of one awkward email you've been avoiding. Maybe a follow-up with a client who ghosted you. A deadline you need to push. A mistake you need to own.

Open ChatGPT. Paste the prompt. See what it gives you.

You don't have to send it. Just see how it feels to have a solid draft in 30 seconds instead of staring at a blank screen.

That's the shift. Not "AI writes for me." It's "AI gets me unstuck."

Tomorrow, I want to talk about something that might be on your mind:

"If I use AI... is that cheating? Will my client think I'm fake?"

It's a fair question. I had it too.