Exercises

Five hands-on exercises using real business scenarios. Open any AI tool and work through each one. The goal is practice, not perfection.

Exercise 1: Email drafting

Scenario: A long-standing client has not responded to your last two invoices. You need to follow up firmly but without damaging the relationship.

Prompt template:

You are a [your role] at a [your business type]. Write a follow-up email to a client who has two overdue invoices totalling [amount]. We have worked with them for [duration]. Tone: firm but professional. Keep it under 120 words. Include a specific deadline for payment.

What to look for: Does the email strike the right balance between firmness and warmth? Is there a clear next step? Would you actually send it?

Bonus challenge: Generate three versions at different levels of formality and pick the best one.

Exercise 2: Document analysis

Scenario: You have received a 10-page supplier contract renewal. You need to understand the key terms quickly.

Prompt template:

I am uploading a supplier contract. Summarize the key terms in a table with columns: Clause, What It Means in Plain English, Risk Level (Low/Medium/High), and Action Required. Flag anything unusual compared to standard commercial contracts.

What to look for: Does the summary help you make a decision without reading the full document? Are the risk ratings reasonable?

Bonus challenge: Follow up with “Draft 3 questions I should ask my solicitor about this contract.”

Exercise 3: Process documentation

Scenario: You need to document how your team handles customer refund requests so a new hire can follow the process.

Prompt template:

You are an operations manager. I will describe our refund process verbally, and I need you to turn it into a step-by-step SOP (standard operating procedure). Include: when to approve automatically, when to escalate, required documentation, and timelines. Format with numbered steps and decision points.

Then describe your process in plain language - the AI will structure it for you.

What to look for: Could a new employee follow this document on day one without asking questions? Are the decision points clear?

Bonus challenge: Ask the AI to identify gaps or edge cases your process does not cover.

Exercise 4: Competitive research

Scenario: You are preparing for a pitch and need to understand how you compare to a competitor.

Prompt template:

Research [competitor name] and compare them to my business. I offer [your services] to [your target market] at [your price point]. Create a comparison table with columns: Feature, Us, Them, Advantage. Then write 3 talking points I can use in a sales meeting to differentiate us.

What to look for: Are the comparison points things your prospect would actually care about? Are the talking points specific enough to use in conversation?

Bonus challenge: Ask for likely objections the prospect might raise and suggested responses.

Exercise 5: Meeting preparation

Scenario: You have a strategy meeting tomorrow with your leadership team. You need to prepare talking points from the agenda.

Prompt template:

Here is the agenda for tomorrow’s leadership meeting: [paste agenda]. For each agenda item, prepare: 2-3 key talking points, one question to ask the group, and any data I should have ready. Present as a briefing document I can print and bring to the meeting.

What to look for: Would this briefing actually make you better prepared? Are the questions genuinely useful, not generic?

Bonus challenge: After the meeting, paste your notes back in and ask for a structured summary with action items and owners.

Check your understanding

Next steps

You have built a strong prompting foundation. Now learn how to identify which parts of your daily work AI can handle in Identifying Opportunities.