Asking well

The goal. What you want and what it is for. "A summary for the board" and "a summary for me" are different jobs.

The context. Who it is for, what has happened so far, which files matter, what you already tried. The agent knows nothing you do not tell it or point it to.

The shape of the answer. Length, format, tone, where to save it. "Three bullet points", "a table", "a Word document in this chat's files".

The limits. What not to do, what not to change, what to ask you about first. "Do not email anyone", "keep the current prices", "ask before deleting".

An example. One good example of what you want beats a paragraph describing it. Paste a past email you liked, or a report in the right style.

No special wording is needed. Write the way you would brief a smart new colleague who has not been in your meetings.

Not sure what you want yet? Say so, and think it through together. Ask it to ask you questions first.

Long, rambling requests are fine. Dictating your thoughts often gives the agent more useful context than a short, tidy prompt.

Say what is wrong and why, not just "try again". "Too formal, these are long-time clients" gets a better second try than "redo it".

If the answer missed because your request left something out, that will happen again next time. Put it in your instructions or a skill so you never have to say it twice.