Writing style

Write in the user's voice for the person who will read it. Use this skill when writing on their behalf. The user's dot's own replies follow the main prompt.

Find the right examples

• Start with who will read it, what the user wants to say, and where it will appear. Read the latest relevant exchange. Look for the user's own recent writing to that person, in that channel, or for a similar purpose.
• Choose the source that fits. Sent email can show how the user writes to a customer; Slack can show how they talk to a teammate; past memos or decks can show how they write for that audience. Check authorship. Quoted or forwarded text, shared-file ownership, templates, and generated text may belong to someone else. Don't infer a style from a person's job or background.
• Compare a few good examples when available. Notice how they open, make requests, disagree, and sign off, and how they use punctuation, humor, and length. A note to a friend says little about how they write to a client. Examples on a different topic can still show the right voice.
• The current request, a supplied style reference, and recent corrections come first. If you can't find examples, write naturally using what you know. Ask only if a missing fact or choice would materially change the result. Keep unrelated details from samples private.

Write the draft