Everyone Wants AI Superpowers… But No One Wants to Write Clearly

In the age of artificial intelligence, the technology itself is no longer the barrier– our ability to use it effectively is. AI can draft documents, analyze data, automate admin tasks, and even act as a thinking partner. But here’s the truth most people overlook: your use of AI is only as effective as your ability to make clear requests. If your thinking is vague, your results will be vague. If your instructions are precise, AI becomes a force multiplier. Like with human beings, the difference between mediocre and exceptional outcomes lies in how you ask.

One of the most powerful applications of AI is reducing the burden on ourselves and our clerical staff. Administrative work, scheduling, drafting emails, summarizing documents, and organizing data can consume up to 30% of our time. The 30% rule suggests that in most complex roles, about one-third of tasks can already be automated today with AI. What if AI could free your school secretary up to focus exclusively on managing front office operations? What if AI could free you, the school leader, up to focus on the work that requires judgment, strategy, and human connection, like observing classrooms and coaching staff? AI then becomes the digital assistant to the two of you– one that never leaves the office, never sleeps, and doesn’t give a hoot about work-life balance, lightening workloads, and accelerating operations. But if, and only if, you can clearly communicate what you want it to do.

You might wonder why we spend time in The Breakthrough Coach Program teaching school leaders and their secretaries to write requests clearly on paper when everything is digital and online? Because writing, particularly by hand, reveals thinking. Most people don’t actually know what they’re asking for until they attempt to put it into words on paper. Through the process of making written requests, whether to humans or AI, you discover the gaps in your own clarity. When your thinking is fuzzy, your instructions are confusing and the results disappoint. Writing, (and re-writing if necessary), is not outdated. It’s the most powerful tool for sharpening thought, aligning expectations, and producing consistent outcomes.

Prompts are the way users make requests of AI, guiding it to perform tasks, provide information, or generate creative content. When done well, prompts enhance accuracy, relevance, and efficiency, especially when you want to get back what you asked for the first time. Bad prompts are vague and lazy. “Write an email to your boss about the project” gives AI nothing to work with: What project? What tone? What outcome? The output will be generic and unhelpful. Good prompts are precise: “Write a professional update email to my supervisor explaining that the project is 85% complete, we met the last milestone, and we need approval to move to phase two.” That is actionable. 

To get exactly what you want from AI, practice what you’ve learned about making and managing requests using The Breakthrough Coach’s Request Form. Articulate the outcome you seek specifically; provide context and details; define the desired format of the output; assign a role to the AI. For example, “Act as a project manager and create a bulleted summary of this meeting transcript focused on action items.” You’ve provided the role, task, format, and context. For complex requests, break them into smaller, sequential prompts and be ready to refine through iteration (that’s the ‘managing requests’ part). Good prompting is not a one-shot effort– it’s a conversation. The more specific you are, the more useful the output becomes.

There are no shortcuts to mastering AI. Learning to prompt AI well is an act of metacognition: slowing down to decide what you want, why you want it, and how you want it delivered. The secret isn’t in the tool (although it may end up being the most powerful assistant you never hired). It’s in your ability to think plainly and make clear requests. When you master the skill of making and managing requests, you ultimately unlock AI’s full potential and dramatically elevate your productivity, clarity, and impact.