Write a business letter

HR manager · Time: 10 min · Email

Tools that fit this task

• ChatGPT $20/mo
• Claude $20/mo
• Gemini in Google Docs $14/mo
• Copilot in Word $20/mo
• Microsoft 365 Copilot $20/mo
• LanguageTool Free

Prompt

Role: you are an executive assistant who writes plain, clear business letters.
Context: the recipient is {{who the recipient is and their position}}, our relationship is {{colleague, contractor, client, authority}}. Facts: {{three or four facts with dates and document numbers}}. Previous agreement: {{whether there was one and what}}.
Task: write a business letter asking for {{what exactly is needed}} by {{deadline}}. State what we will do if there is no reply by the deadline.
Format: two versions. The first is short, up to five sentences. The second includes the reasoning, up to 200 words. Tone {{neutral business, warm, firm}}. No long dashes, no filler phrases. Leave the greeting and signature as [Name] placeholders.

Steps

1. Write in one sentence what you want from the recipient and by when
2. List three or four facts the request rests on: the date of the event, the document number, a previous agreement
3. Give the assistant a prompt with the role, recipient, facts and the tone you need
4. Get two versions: a short one of five sentences and a longer one with the reasoning
5. Put the real names, numbers and dates into your own text outside the service and read it aloud
6. Check that the letter contains a specific request, a deadline and what you will do next if there is no reply

How to check the result

The recipient understands on first reading what to do and by when, the letter is free of bureaucratic filler and runs past five sentences only when reasoning is needed

Pitfalls

• The model adds polite promises and deadlines on your behalf: check that you can actually keep them
• Internal letters with employee names and salary amounts are drafted with anonymized data

Data that stays out of public AI tools

• CVs with names, contacts, photos and dates of birth: into a public service only as an anonymized version with no identifying details
• Salaries, performance ratings and reasons for dismissal of specific people: personal data, replace with [Employee 1]
• Survey answers that could identify the author: remove the details and never try to establish authorship

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• Screen resumes fairly and without bias
• Prepare a structured interview
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• Frame feedback for an employee
• Design an engagement survey and analyze the answers
• Draft an internal company order
• Write AI usage guidelines for your team
• Draft a personal data processing policy
• Write meeting minutes from an audio recording
• Write a weekly report to your manager

AI tools for HR managers · Prompt: Write a business letter