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Staying on top · Lesson 10 of 10

AI for Emails and Your Writing Checklist

Use AI to draft emails safely, keep private details out and your personal notes your own, then finish with an eight-point writing checklist.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

AI tools can draft emails in seconds. In this lesson you learn how to use them without losing accuracy, privacy or trust. Then you make your own writing checklist, which pulls together everything in this course.

AI can save time

Used well, AI drafting saves real time. In one large trial with thousands of office workers, people who used an AI assistant spent about two hours less a week on email, and still replied to as many messages.

A week calendar with a bar over the working days. Below it, a bar called Time on email in one week is split into a long blue part and a short green part, labeled About 2 hours less a week. A second label says Same number of replies.(opens the full-size picture)
About two hours less a week, with the same number of replies.

You bring the facts

But AI only knows what you tell it, and it writes what sounds likely, not what is true. So you supply four things: the reader, the ask, the deadline and the facts. Then read every word before you send. Never let it send for you.

Four numbered steps: Who is the reader?, What's the ask?, By when? and The facts. Below, a person reads a draft with a magnifying glass, with a label You review every word, and a crossed chip says Auto-send.(opens the full-size picture)
Give it four things, then review every word.

Keep private things private

Be careful what you paste in. Replace names with roles, such as “the client” instead of a person’s name, and leave out confidential or personal details. In some countries, pasting personal data into an unapproved chatbot can count as a data breach. If you are not sure what your workplace allows, ask before you paste.

A draft where the name Maria Lopez is crossed out and replaced by the client, and a salary figure is blacked out. Labels read Names become roles and Private details out. A shield and warning sign say Unapproved tool plus personal data equals possible data breach.(opens the full-size picture)
Names become roles. Private details stay out.

Write the personal ones yourself

Keep the personal messages personal. When managers used heavy AI help on a congratulations note, readers saw them as less sincere. Thanks, apologies and anything about feelings are best in your own words.

Two cards. The left one shows Thank you so much for, with an AI sparkle and a label that says Feels less sincere. The right one says Thanks for staying late on Friday. It made the launch, with a heart and a label that says Your own words.(opens the full-size picture)
A short note in your own words reads as sincere.

Your writing checklist

Here is your checklist. It has eight points, one from each part of the course: point first, short and warm, tone check, an easy reply with a date, the right channel, owner and date for each step, sleep on angry replies, and proofread names, dates, figures and attachments.

A card called Your writing checklist with eight green checks: Point first, Short and warm, Tone check, Easy reply plus date, Right channel, Owner, verb, date, Sleep on anger and Proofread.(opens the full-size picture)
Eight points to run through before you send.

Tick the points below as you go. Your ticks are saved in this browser, so you can come back to the list.

My email and message checklist

YOUR TURN

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Read the full lesson script

Welcome to the last lesson. AI tools can draft emails in seconds. In this lesson, you'll learn how to use them without losing accuracy, privacy, or trust. Then you'll make your own writing checklist.

Used well, AI drafting saves real time. In one large trial with thousands of office workers, people who used an AI assistant spent about two hours less a week on email, and still replied to as many messages.

But AI only knows what you tell it, and it writes what sounds likely, not what's true. So you supply the reader, the ask, the deadline, and the facts. Then read every word before you send. Never let it send for you.

Be careful what you paste in. Replace names with roles, and leave out confidential or personal details. In some countries, pasting personal data into an unapproved chatbot can count as a data breach.

And keep the personal messages personal. When managers used heavy AI help on a congratulations note, readers saw them as less sincere. Thanks, apologies, and anything about feelings are best in your own words.

Here's your checklist. Put the point first, and make the subject say why. Keep it short, with one warm line. Read tricky messages in the opposite tone. Make replying easy, with a date. Choose the right channel. Give each step an owner and a date. Sleep on angry replies. And check names, dates, figures and attachments.

So remember: AI can draft faster, but you supply the facts and review every word. Keep names and private details out of AI tools. And write thanks and personal notes yourself. For your last task, fill in your writing checklist, and use it on your next five emails. Thank you for taking this course.