The detail that slipped in
Imagine asking an AI tool to help you write a polite message to a neighbour. Their music is keeping you awake, and you want to ask them to turn it down.
Here is a prewritten draft for this exercise: “Hi, I wanted to ask if you could turn the music down in the evenings. It has been keeping me awake, and I would really appreciate it. Thank you.”
“In the evenings” sounds ordinary enough. But you never said when the music was playing. This is a prewritten teaching example, not a response from a live AI tool. The useful question is still one you can take to any draft: Which detail came from me, and which one appeared on its own?
Remove the time, or replace it only with something you know is true. The corrected version could be: “Hi, I wanted to ask if you could turn the music down. It has been keeping me awake, and I would really appreciate it. Thank you.” Then read it aloud. Would you say it that way? Change a sentence if you would not.
Try it in two minutes
Look at a short draft you have already written, or use the fictional example above. Check four things:
- Are the details accurate?
- Have you left out personal information that is not needed?
- Does the message promise anything you do not mean?
- Does it sound like something you would say?
You do not need to paste a real or private message into a tool to practise. If you do use one, leave out names, addresses and details you would not want to share with a third party. You decide whether a draft is suitable, and you send any message yourself.
This is an example, not a sent edition. For published updates, read the newsletter.