Prompting for quality
How you ask is the single highest-leverage thing you do with Writespect. The assistant is good at turning a clear instruction into a precise edit, and it is bad at guessing which of two similar paragraphs you meant. Most disappointing results come from an ambiguous instruction, not a failed edit.
Identify the location precisely
This is the most important habit on this page.
Name the target using the strongest visible anchor in the document: a heading, section or clause number, list item, table cell, or the opening words of the passage.
In the “Data retention” section, change the sentence beginning “Records are retained” so the retention period is five years.
Avoid instructions such as “change paragraph 42” or “fix the second paragraph.” Paragraph positions change as a document evolves, and similar language may appear in several places.
If a document uses visible numbering, cite that number and quote a few words of the target. Two anchors are safer than one.
Quote the text you mean
The most reliable instruction names the target twice, using its location and its content:
Under “Service levels,” in the sentence beginning “The provider will respond,” change “three business days” to “two business days.”
Now there is little to guess. If the passage moved, the quoted text still identifies it.
Ask for one change at a time
A single instruction that changes one thing is easy to review and easy to reject. Five changes bundled into one instruction usually arrive as one undo step and one decision.
This matters more here than in ordinary chat, because you are reviewing every change. Small edits mean small reviews.
Say whether you want it tracked
If your tray setting is “follow the document”, the edit is tracked when Word’s own Track Changes is on. If you want to be certain either way, say so:
Make this as a tracked change.
Just fix it; no tracked changes, it’s a typo in my own draft.
Ask it to check its own work
The assistant reports which passage it edited and includes a snippet of the text. Reading that back is the cheapest possible safeguard:
Which passage did you change? Show me the text and its heading.
If it names a passage you didn’t mean, undo before going further.
Good instructions to steal
Revising a clause
In section 7.2, add “The customer may request an extension in writing” after the second sentence, and update any cross-references to that section. Make it as a tracked change.
Consistency sweep
Check whether this document uses both “customer” and “client” for the same party. List every inconsistent use before changing anything.
Redline for the client
Compare this draft against last week’s version and give me a Word redline I can send out.
Terminology
Is “service interruption” used consistently, or does “service outage” appear anywhere? Don’t change anything yet; just tell me where.
Create a table
After the “Service levels” section, insert a three-column table with the headings “Priority,” “Response time,” and “Resolution target.” Use the Table Grid style.
Restructure a table
In the first table, insert a new column after “Owner” named “Review date,” then add a final row for the annual review.
Notice the last one: asking for a report before an edit is often the fastest route to a good edit, because you get to decide.
What not to do
- Don’t ask for a document-wide rewrite in one instruction. You will not review it properly, and neither will it.
- Don’t work on a document you haven’t saved. Save first, so the snapshot and the redline have a clean starting point.
- Don’t type in the paragraph the assistant is editing. Take turns.