Prompt Library

ChatGPT Prompts for Business Memos

20 copy-paste prompts

20 copy-paste ChatGPT prompts for memos: BLUF structure, decision memos, internal communications, six-pagers, executive memos. The art of being read in a culture of skim.

Memo Structure

4 prompts

Memo from Bullets

1/20

[Paste bullets]. Convert to professional memo. Output: BLUF (bottom line up front), supporting context, recommendations, next steps. Reader gets the point in line 1.

Converts bullets to memos.

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Pro tip: BLUF format: lead with the point. Trickle-out of point = reader stops reading. "We should hire 2 PMs in Q2 to scale product roadmap" = clear; "Considering options for product roadmap acceleration..." = unread.

Decision Memo Format

2/20

Decision memo on [decision]. Output: decision being made, context, options considered (2-3), recommendation, rationale, dissenting views, decision-needed-by. Document for institutional memory.

Templates decision memos.

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Pro tip: Verbal decisions = re-litigated. Written decision memos = closure. Even one-time decisions worth memo when consequential. Future-self thanks you.

Six-Pager (Amazon-Style)

3/20

Amazon-style six-pager on [topic]. Output: prose narrative (no bullets), 6 pages max, exec summary first, structure (Background, Approach, Decisions, Risks, Open Questions, Appendix). Replaces PowerPoint at Amazon.

Writes six-pagers.

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Pro tip: Six-pagers force clear thinking (bullets hide thin reasoning). Used at start of meetings for silent reading. Different culture than PowerPoint; clearer thinking but harder to write.

Strategy Memo

4/20

Strategy memo on [topic]. Output: strategic question, current state, options analyzed, recommended path, why over alternatives, expected outcomes, risks, asks. Strategic memos drive decisions.

Writes strategy memos.

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Pro tip: Strategy in PowerPoint = abstracted. Strategy in memo = developed. Memo format forces full reasoning. Different artifact for different stage.

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BLUF + Clarity

4 prompts

BLUF Conversion

5/20

[Paste rambling document]. Convert to BLUF format. Output: rewritten with point at top, supporting context after, action requested clear. Most business writing buries the point.

Converts to BLUF.

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Pro tip: Bottom Line Up Front. Reader skims = catches point. Without BLUF = reader misses point. Military origin; effective everywhere busy.

Clear Recommendation

6/20

[Paste analysis]. Write clear recommendation: specific action, owner, timeline, expected outcome, dependencies. Avoid hedging.

Writes clear recommendations.

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Pro tip: Hedged recommendations ("we might consider potentially exploring") = unread. Clear ("we should X by Y date") = actionable. Hedge-free language is competence signal.

Tone Calibration

7/20

[Paste memo draft]. Calibrate tone: confident (not hedging), professional (not casual), direct (not passive). Avoid "perhaps" / "might" / "we could." State.

Calibrates memo tone.

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Pro tip: Hedge-words make memos weak. "We could perhaps consider" = "we have no opinion." Confident memos signal: thought through, ready to act. Match tone to authority you actually have.

Length Discipline

8/20

[Long memo]. Cut to half the length without losing substance. Output: edited version. Most memos could be 50% shorter.

Cuts memo length.

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Pro tip: Long memos = unread. Half-length memos = read. Cutting often clarifies thinking. The discipline of brevity = better thinking.

Specific Memo Types

4 prompts

Internal Announcement Memo

9/20

Internal announcement memo on [change]. Output: opener acknowledging audience, what's changing (specific), why, when effective, impact on teams, where to ask questions. Trust comes from honesty.

Writes announcement memos.

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Pro tip: Internal change announcements often hedge ("we're excited to announce..."). Direct + honest about impact = trust. Hedged = "they're hiding something."

Performance Memo

10/20

Performance review memo for [employee]. Output: summary, strengths (specific), growth areas (specific), goals achievement, calibration notes, overall rating + rationale. Honest > diplomatic.

Writes performance review memos.

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Pro tip: Diplomatic performance memos = surprise underperformer. Specific feedback (good and bad) = development possible. Honest now beats catastrophic later.

Project Status Memo

11/20

Project status memo. Output: project name, period, status (red/yellow/green), accomplishments, issues + response, asks for support, next milestones. Status memos must be honest.

Writes status memos.

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Pro tip: Yellow/red status often hidden = surprise failures. Honest yellow = preventable failure. Color-coded honesty culture > false-green safety.

Retrospective Memo

12/20

Project retrospective memo. Output: what we shipped, what worked, what didn't, what we'd do differently, lessons. Blameless framing.

Writes retro memos.

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Pro tip: Retro memos institutionalize learning. Project ends + retro memo written = future projects benefit. Most teams skip; the institutional memory accrues to those who don't.

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Distribution + Polish

4 prompts

Audience-Specific Versions

13/20

[Paste internal memo]. Adapt for: (A) executives (1-page), (B) team (full memo), (C) external (sanitized + branded). Same content; different framing.

Adapts memos per audience.

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Pro tip: One memo for everyone = generic. Adapted variants = each audience served. 30 min adaptation = right impact per audience.

Memo Editing Pass

14/20

[Memo draft]. Editing pass: BLUF strong, supporting evidence solid, recommendation specific, tone confident, length tight. Final polish before distribution.

Edits memos.

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Pro tip: First draft = thinking. Second draft = communicating. Most memos under-edit. Editing pass = professional polish = read.

Memo Follow-Up

15/20

Follow-up after memo distribution. Output: 24-hr Q&A window, feedback consolidation, action item tracking, decision documentation. Memos without follow-up = filed.

Follows up on memos.

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Pro tip: Memo distributed + no follow-up = "FYI" archive. Follow-up + action items = "this drove decisions." The discipline distinguishes effective memos.

Memo as Conversation Opener

16/20

Memo for upcoming meeting. Output: pre-read distributed 24h before, expectation that read before meeting, meeting time used for discussion not presentation. Memos > slides for some discussions.

Uses memos as pre-reads.

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Pro tip: Pre-read memo + discussion meeting = better than presentation meeting. Bezos famously banned PowerPoint; pre-read memos + silent reading + discussion. Different culture; better thinking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Memo for: significant decisions, strategy, formal announcements, retrospectives. Email for: quick coordination, narrow audiences, ephemeral. Memos = institutional; emails = ephemeral.

AI drafts; human refines. Generic AI memos = caught + mistrusted. Personalized AI memos with your judgment + voice = invisible AI use.

BLUF + 1-2 pages for typical. Six-pagers for strategy. Anything over 6 pages = book chapter. Tighter = more read; longer = less read. Calibrate to importance + complexity.

Six-pager culture: prose only. Most others: bullets OK, but prose better for reasoning. Bullets hide thin thinking. Prose forces clear logic. Match to organizational culture.

BLUF + named recommendation. Most memos bury both. Lead with point + name specific recommendation = read + actionable. The discipline = career advantage.

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