10 ready-to-use prompts for the office

A good prompt comes down to four ingredients: context, a clear goal, the expected format, and if possible an example. Here are ten ready-to-use prompts for common office tasks. Copy them, replace what is [in brackets], and adapt to your situation. For the logic behind each, see our 7 principles for writing better prompts.

1. Reply to an email

Write a reply to this email. Tone: [professional and cordial].
Goal: [accept the meeting but propose another slot].
Five lines maximum. Here is the email: [paste the email]

Why it works: you set the tone, the goal and the length — three sources of ambiguity removed at once.

2. Summarise a long document

Summarise the document below in 5 key points, then list the
decisions to make. Target audience: [a busy executive].
Add nothing that is not in the text. Document: [paste]

Why it works: “add nothing” limits the risk of invention, and stating the audience calibrates the level of detail.

3. Prepare a meeting

Prepare the agenda for a [30 min] meeting on [topic].
Goal: [decide X]. Give 4 points maximum, with an indicative
time and the question to settle for each.

Why it works: a constraint on time and number forces the AI to prioritise instead of dumping everything. This prompt is only one step: see the whole method to prepare, run and close a meeting.

4. Write meeting minutes

From these raw notes, write structured minutes:
decisions, actions (with an owner for each), open
items. Stay factual, no filler. Notes: [paste]

Why it works: you impose the output structure; the AI arranges your notes instead of improvising an outline. If those notes come from a recorded meeting, dedicated tools transcribe it for you.

5. Turn scattered ideas into an outline

Here are my messy ideas about [topic]. Organise them into a
clear, logical outline, and flag the gaps to fill. Ideas: [paste]

Why it works: AI is excellent at structuring material you already have; the idea stays yours.

6. Draft a first version of a presentation

Propose the structure of a [10-slide] presentation on [topic],
for [audience]. For each slide: a title and 3 key messages.

Why it works: asking for a skeleton (title + messages) gives a solid base to fill in, not a frozen text. To turn this first draft around in fifteen minutes flat, follow the dedicated method.

7. Proofread and improve a text

Proofread this text. Fix spelling and grammar, lighten the
heavy sentences, without changing the meaning or the tone. Give the
corrected version, then the list of important changes. Text: [paste]

Why it works: “without changing the meaning or the tone” keeps the AI from rewriting everything its own way.

8. Reply to an unhappy customer

Help me reply to this unhappy customer. Tone: calm, accountable,
solution-oriented. Acknowledge the problem, propose [a concrete
solution], with no promise I cannot keep. Message: [paste]

Why it works: you frame the attitude and set a clear limit (no promise you cannot keep).

9. Prioritise a task list

Here is my task list. Rank them by priority (urgent / important)
and suggest where to start today. Briefly explain your
ranking. Tasks: [paste]

Why it works: asking for the reasoning behind the ranking lets you keep control of the trade-offs.

10. Adapt a text for another audience

Rewrite this text for [non-specialist customers]. Simplify the
vocabulary, keep the essential information, same length.
Text: [paste]

Why it works: specifying the audience and the length turns a vague instruction (“simplify”) into a measurable goal — the same principle applies when you need to adapt a text to another language and culture.

Two habits that make the difference

• Give an example. “Do it like this: [example]” guides far better than ten abstract instructions.
• Always take back control. AI provides a draft; judgement, fact-checking and the final touch stay yours. And never paste confidential data into a consumer tool.

Key takeaway

An effective prompt is context + a goal + a format. These ten templates cover most of an office day; keep the ones that serve you in a file, they will become reflexes. To go further, the 7 principles will give you the logic to write your own.