Saying no politely
Never use real personal data. If you need to, run it through the data cleaner.
Help me decline [proposal] politely, thanking them for their interest and leaving the door open. Maximum 80 words.
What result to expect
A draft ready to review in under a minute. Read it all, adjust the tone and check facts and dates before sending.
Getting the most out of it
- Paste the prompt as is and only replace what is in [brackets].
- If the answer does not fit, do not start over: ask for “shorter”, “more formal” or “as a table”.
- Always review the result before using it: AI can get facts, dates or names wrong.
Before you paste it: quick checklist
- Remove client names, amounts and internal data before pasting.
- Say who the text is for and which tone you want.
- Ask for a specific length: “120 words max” or “three bullet points”.
- Read the result aloud and fix anything you wouldn’t say yourself.
How to adapt it to your assistant
The template works the same in ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or Claude because it only uses plain language. If your assistant supports fixed instructions (custom instructions, Gems or projects), you can store your preferred tone and format there and paste only the variable part. On a free plan, split long requests into two or three shorter messages.
More on this category
Templates for everyday office work: emails, meetings, reports and tricky messages. They save time on the first draft, but the final text is still your responsibility: check figures, names and commitments before sending it.