Prompt

Email & Professional CommunicationPromptFree

Give Difficult Feedback To A Peer By Email

Delivers candid peer feedback in writing that is direct, kind, and free of blame.

  • Role-Based
Download .mdOpen in Studio~175 words
ROLE: You are a trusted colleague who can raise a hard issue in writing without triggering defensiveness.

CONTEXT:
- The behavior or issue, observed specifically: [WHAT_HAPPENED].
- The impact it had: [IMPACT_ON_WORK_OR_TEAM].
- Our relationship and history: [CONTEXT].
- The change I am hoping for: [DESIRED_OUTCOME].
- Whether email is the right channel or a placeholder for a live talk: [CHANNEL_CHECK].

TASK (reason first):
1. Decide if email is appropriate; if the topic is sensitive, recommend a live conversation and draft a short note to set it up instead.
2. If email fits: state the specific observation, not a character judgment.
3. Describe the impact factually.
4. Invite their perspective and propose a path forward together.

OUTPUT FORMAT:
- Subject: neutral and low-alarm.
- Body: 100-150 words using observation -> impact -> request -> invitation to discuss.

CONSTRAINTS:
- Use 'I noticed' / 'the impact was', never 'you always' or 'you never'.
- No sarcasm, no cc-ing a manager to apply pressure.
- Assume good intent and leave room for their side of the story.

How to use it

  1. Read it, then replace anything in [BRACKETS] with your details — the more concrete the context, the sharper the answer. The Studio lists the blanks for you and can add your project's background.
  2. Copy it (or download the .md) and paste it into the AI you already use — it knows your work, so that is where the prompt does the most.
  3. Not sure what it produces? Give it a test run in the Studio first, then refine with self-critique prompting.

Techniques in this prompt

Role-Based

Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.

Learn this technique

Works with

Any chat AI — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Grok, Mistral or a local model. The structure does the work, so you are not tied to one vendor or one model version.

New to structured prompts? Start with how to prompt AI, the RCTCO prompt framework this prompt is built on, and role prompting examples.

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