AI already writes well. What it lacks is your situation. A four-part brief gives it the role, the task, the facts and the shape of a good answer.
Why one-line requests fail
Imagine handing a new colleague a sticky note that says “Write to the client about the delay.” Which client? Which delay? What do you want them to feel and do? Should it be an email or a WhatsApp message? They would guess, and so does AI.
| A one-line request… | …leaves AI to guess | So you get |
|---|---|---|
| “Write to the client about the delay.” | Who, why, how long, what you offer | A vague apology |
| “Summarise this report.” | For whom, how long, what matters | A summary of the wrong things |
| “Give me ideas for our Diwali offer.” | Your business, budget, customers | Ideas for a different business |
| “Make this better.” | Better how: shorter, warmer, clearer? | Changes you didn't want |
The four parts of a brief
Every good brief, to a person or to AI, answers four questions. Learn them as R-T-C-F: role, task, context, format.
| Part | The question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Who should AI act as, and for whom? | “You are helping the operations manager of a logistics firm.” |
| Task | What exactly should it do? | “Draft an email to a client explaining a two-day delay.” |
| Context | What facts does it need? | “Client: Sunrise Foods. 6 trucks held at the Gujarat border check on 14 October. New delivery: 17 October. No extra cost to them.” |
| Format | What does a good answer look like? | “Under 120 words, calm and factual, end with a direct phone number.” |
Role: who should it act as?
Telling AI who it is acting as, and who it is helping, changes vocabulary, depth and assumptions. A role is a shortcut to dozens of unstated expectations.
| Role you give | What changes in the answer |
|---|---|
| “You are an experienced CFO advising a small manufacturer.” | Talks about cash flow and margins, not theory |
| “You are helping a first-time manager.” | Simpler words, more explanation |
| “Act as a sceptical bank credit officer.” | Asks hard questions about risk |
| “You are a patient trainer explaining to warehouse staff.” | Short sentences, practical examples |
| “You are an editor who cuts ruthlessly.” | Shorter, sharper text |
Task: one clear verb
Start the task with a single, precise verb. Vague verbs (“help with”, “look at”, “work on”) produce vague answers.
| Useful verbs | When |
|---|---|
| Draft · Rewrite · Shorten · Translate | You want text produced or changed |
| Summarise · List · Extract · Compare | You want information organised |
| Explain · Teach · Define | You want to understand something |
| Suggest · Rank · Critique · Argue against | You want ideas or judgement to react to |
Context: the facts only you know
Context is everything AI cannot know: the people, the history, the numbers, your limits and what you want to happen next. It is the difference between a generic answer and one you can use.
| Kind of context | Example |
|---|---|
| Who is involved | “Mr Rathi, logistics head, has worked with us for four years; usually reasonable.” |
| What happened | “Six trucks were held at a border check for 40 hours.” |
| Numbers that matter | “Their order: 2,400 cartons. Penalty in contract: 1% per day after 48 hours.” |
| Your limits | “We can't waive the next invoice; we can give priority loading next week.” |
| What you want | “Keep the account; avoid the penalty being applied.” |
| What to avoid | “Don't blame the client's late documents, even though they were late.” |
Questions from the worksheet: Rewrite three requests
Take three one-line requests you made to AI recently (or would make). Rewrite each as a four-part brief.
- Request 1: the original one line
- Request 1 rewritten: role · task · context · format
- Request 2: the original one line
- Request 2 rewritten
- Request 3: the original one line
- Request 3 rewritten
What to remember
- One-line requests leave AI to guess; every guess becomes an edit later.
- A brief has four parts: role, task, context, format. Context matters most.
- Start the task with one clear verb, and say what good looks like.
- Brief
- An instruction with role, task, context and format.
- Role
- Who AI should act as, and who it is helping.
- Format
- The length, structure, tone, language and channel of the answer.
This article is adapted from the book. Examples marked “Example” use invented names and numbers; company stories are based on public sources listed in the book. For general learning; use your own judgement for your situation.
