Bringing your judgement to the table

Key idea: AI can do smart things - but it doesn't have your judgement, experience, or gut feel. That's where you come in.

Scenario: You need to send a sensitive message to your team. There's been a restructure. One person's role is changing. The rest of the team isn't directly affected - but they're confused, and morale feels a bit fragile. You want to acknowledge what's happened, keep things honest, and give people a sense of direction.

Your task

Open ChatGPT or Copilot Chat.

Step 1. Give it a simple prompt (pick your own scenario or use this one):

Write a message to my team explaining that one colleague's role is changing. I want to be honest, supportive, and clear.

Step 2. Look at what it gives you. Then ask for another version:

Now write it with a more human tone - as if I was saying this in a team meeting.
Now write it with more empathy and less corporate-speak.
Now make it 40% shorter, and more action-oriented.

You're testing tone and judgement - not just spelling and grammar.

Step 3. Compare two versions side by side. Which one works better? Why? What would you change? Then ask the AI to rewrite based on your feedback.

The point: AI can give you polished words. But only you know what feels right for your team. Use your own judgement - and treat AI as a drafting partner, not a decision-maker.

Bonus idea

Ask it to critique emails you've written or received, with questions about clarity, focus, and how they might be received. A favourite prompt: "How would this email sound if I read it in an angry tone of voice?"