Module 2 · mail & short texts

Mail, Teams and short messages, hands-on with Claude and ChatGPT

In this module you'll make four real work pieces: a short internal email, a polite refusal, an onboarding email to a new staff member in plain language, and a tone-shift. For each: the same prompt in ChatGPT and Claude, and you pick which one you keep.

Time: ~60 minutes. Grab a notebook or a Word document; write down every usable prompt and sentence you encounter. That becomes your library later.

Mail and short messages

Lesson 2.1: Short internal email (planning an extra staff meeting)

Goal: know how to put a question on the table in three lines that people actually answer.

People in a hospital receive lots of email. What helps: a subject line that reveals the content, question first, explicit deadline, concrete response option (“reply with yes/no”). An AI can build this in consistently if you ask.

Rule of thumb

A good internal email is scannable: a colleague should know within 5 seconds what you need from him or her.

Live exercise 2.1: Two versions, pick one

Open ChatGPT and Claude in two tabs. Paste the prompt in both. Read the answers side by side. Keep the version you would send.

Role: experienced staff secretary cardiology. Context: I need to ask 6 cardiologists whether they're available for an extra staff meeting in a week. Task: write a short internal email. The email must: - already make clear in the subject what it's about; - max 5 lines in the body; - put the question on the first line; - offer two suggested time slots (Tuesday 13:00 and Thursday 16:00); - ask people to respond by Monday 17:00 with "yes [time]" or "no"; - close friendly without "kind regards" cliché. No patient data; no patient-specific examples. Deliver subject + body, nothing around it.
Open in ChatGPT ↗ Open in Claude ↗

Do a quick second round: ask the tool you picked: “Make it a touch shorter and more direct; remove all ‘please’ and ‘could you’ softeners.” Do you feel how the second version is tighter?

Question for lesson 2.1

1. What's the smartest way to work with AI on an email?

Lesson 2.2: Polite refusal (without being clumsy)

Goal: an email that refuses without leaving the recipient feeling slighted.

An email saying “no, unfortunately not” is needed more often in a hospital than we think: a request that doesn't fit, an appointment to cancel, an external party for which you don't have extra capacity. Claude is known to write calmly and neatly, that's the tool we pick here.

Live exercise 2.2: Refusal email in Claude

Open Claude. Paste the prompt below. Iterate a few times (“too formal”, “too warm”) to feel where your final version lands.

Role: experienced staff secretary cardiology. Context: a colleague from a neighbouring specialism (pulmonology) emailed asking whether they can structurally join our weekly MDT meeting from next month. Our department feels that's not appropriate now (too busy, slows down our own case discussions). The cardiologist wants me to politely refuse. Task: write the refusal email. Requirements: - max 8 lines; - start with thanks for the initiative; - one clear sentence refusing structural participation; - name one constructive alternative (e.g.: occasionally add a targeted case, or schedule a separate short clinic discussion); - friendly, business-like tone, no formal "dear sir/madam" jargon; - sign off: "On behalf of the cardiology department, [Name]". No patient data; do not name a specific patient case. Deliver only subject + text.
Open in Claude ↗

Iteration tips: “Make it 20% shorter.” “Remove all assuming sentences (‘I understand’, ‘I can imagine’).” “Add one sentence saying we're open to revisit in six months.”

Lesson 2.3: Onboarding email to a new staff member in plain language

Goal: write a welcome email that is immediately clear to someone who doesn't yet know the hospital.

Every time a new resident, fellow or nurse practitioner starts, the secretariat has a short list of practical things ready: badge, parking, IT access, first-week schedule, date of the first annual review. A new staff member reads that email between 30 other messages, often for the first time in the hospital, so: short sentences, no jargon, one clear action per paragraph. ChatGPT and Claude can both do it, with different tendencies: ChatGPT sometimes comes across as slightly too brisk, Claude is more formal and patient. Feel it yourself.

Live exercise 2.3: Onboarding email new resident

Paste in both tools and pick which one you keep.

Role: staff secretary cardiology. Context: a new resident starts on our department next month. I'm writing an onboarding email on behalf of the secretariat. The resident has never worked here and doesn't know the hospital. I've been asked to write a clear, friendly email. Task: write the email. Requirements: - Short sentences (max 12 words), no hospital jargon a new staff member wouldn't know; - Use "[FirstName]" as placeholder, don't invent specific names; - Four short paragraphs, each with one action: (1) start date + where to report + which floor; (2) badge and parking (where to pick up, when); (3) IT access (which request forms the resident will receive, and the lead time); (4) first-week schedule and when the first annual review with the training supervisor is scheduled; - Offer the option to reply if anything is unclear; - Friendly close with secretariat phone number as placeholder. Deliver subject + body, nothing around it.
Open in ChatGPT ↗ Open in Claude ↗

Compare: which tool makes the email least overwhelming for a first day? Stick to one version, then ask: “Read again; is there still a sentence with more than 12 words? Split it.” A handy final polish step.

Questions for lesson 2.3

2. What's the difference between “plain language” for a new staff member and “simplifying until you leave something out”?

3. May an AI-generated email going out on behalf of the department head or training supervisor be sent immediately after generation?

Lesson 2.4: Tone shift (from warm to business and back)

Goal: quickly take an existing text to a different tone without rewriting it from scratch.

In practice you often write something quickly from memory and then realise: too formal, or too casual. AI is strong here. The trick is to paste the text first, then clearly state which tone you want and what must stay.

Live exercise 2.4: Three tone versions of the same email

Open Claude and paste. We'll let Claude make three versions: business-short, warm-helpful, and very short & informal.

Below is a rough email I wrote. Make three versions of it while keeping all content. A) Business and short (max 5 lines). B) Warm and helpful (max 7 lines). C) Very short and informal, as if to an immediate colleague (max 3 lines). Deliver the three versions one below the other with headings A, B, C. Don't invent anything; use only what's in my text. My rough email: "Hi, I wanted to let you know that Friday's MDT is being moved to Monday 11:00 because a number of us are at the symposium on Thursday. The agenda itself remains as agreed. If that's a problem for you, let me know and we'll look at alternatives."
Open in Claude ↗ Open in ChatGPT ↗

Important: the line “Don't invent anything; use only what's in my text” is a great habit. Without it, models sometimes invent a fictional date, location or agenda item, classic hallucination behaviour.

Lesson 2.5: Good subject lines (that people open)

Goal: a subject line that, in 30 characters, says what the email is about and what's expected of the recipient.

Three quarters of an hour on the clinic floor, phone beeping, and you get an email with subject “Quick question”. Do you open it? Maybe later. A good subject line does three things:

  1. Tells what the content is (not how the sender feels about it).
  2. Contains the action expected of the recipient (FYI, to decide, deadline).
  3. Fits in 50–60 characters, in most inboxes the rest gets cut off.

AI is surprisingly strong at this if you give it the right task. Let's practise.

Bad

“Question”
“Quick something”
“Update on the meeting”
“FW: FW: FW: Re:”

Better

“Availability MDT 12/3, reply before Mon 17:00”
“Draft minutes last Fri, OK?”
“To decide: new clinic slots Tuesday”
“Reminder: agenda input needed before 15:00”

Live exercise 2.5: Ten subject lines in one prompt

Open Claude. Paste. Save the three best for your library.

Role: experienced staff secretary cardiology. Context: I have 10 typical mail situations from my work week. I want one subject line per situation. Situations: 1. Collecting agenda items for a staff meeting in two weeks; 2. Announcing that a cardiologist is on leave and who's covering; 3. Email to IT to request account permissions for a new resident; 4. Draft minutes circulated for comment (deadline Thursday); 5. Reminder for a training day or annual review; 6. Notifying the team of a sick leave (cover to follow); 7. Reply to a student request for a short observation visit; 8. Internal email about broken coffee machine (humour allowed, but not corny); 9. Announcement that a new resident starts; 10. Notice that the weekly staff meeting is being moved. Requirements per subject line: - Max 60 characters. - Contains the content (not "Question"). - Contains the action or deadline where possible. - No jargon non-medical staff won't recognise. - No question marks in subject (looks uncertain). Deliver numbered, one line per topic.
Open in Claude ↗

Bonus: Ask as a follow-up: “Make the three best ones a touch shorter, max 50 characters.” Feel how sharp it can get.

Question for lesson 2.5

What does most of the work in a subject line?

Lesson 2.6: Responding to a difficult email to the department head

Goal: write a first response to a tough email with understanding, clarity, and without the department head committing to anything that still needs investigating.

Staff secretaries often manage the inbox of the department head or training supervisor. That inbox gets pointed emails: a resident unhappy about supervision, a neighbouring specialty complaining about MDT collaboration, an external party saying promises weren't kept. Your first response is always: a friendly acknowledgement of receipt, routing to the right person (department head, training supervisor or HR), and stating a deadline.

This is exactly where Claude shines. Friendly, not over-formal, no admission of fault on the department head's behalf, but acknowledgement of inconvenience. Important: this email does not replace the substantive reply, it is the first response from which the department head can take it further.

What you never put in a first response (especially not on behalf of a manager)

No admission of fault (“you are completely right that it went wrong”). No blame shifting (“the training supervisor should have…”). No commitment the department head hasn't personally approved (“we'll schedule a meeting right away”). Limit yourself to: receipt acknowledged, who's picking it up, within what timeframe someone will come back.

Live exercise 2.6: First response to a complaint to the department head

Open Claude. Paste the prompt with an idealised, fictional complaint. Don't use real names.

Role: experienced staff secretary cardiology managing the department head's inbox. Context: An email has come in from a resident unhappy with the collaboration with one of the cardiologists over the past two weeks on the ward. The resident asks for a meeting with the department head. The hospital has a formal route via training supervisor and HR. The department head is at a conference for two days and can only respond substantively from Monday. Task: write a short first response of max 10 lines on behalf of the department head. Requirements: - Acknowledge the inconvenience in one sentence (don't overdo it, don't downplay). - No admission of fault (we are still investigating what happened). - No blame shifting to the cardiologist concerned or another colleague. - No commitments the department head hasn't personally approved (no specific outcome, no meeting promised in advance). - Clear note: the department head will personally come back by Tuesday at the latest; training supervisor and HR are copied as the formal route. - Offer the option to send additional context in writing in the meantime. - Friendly, non-legal tone. No "dear sir/madam". - Deliver subject + body. Nothing around it. Complaint (anonymised, fictional): "Dear department head, I'm writing because over the past two weeks I have felt uncomfortable several times with the supervision on the ward. My questions were brushed aside and on Thursday I was told in front of a nurse that I ‘needed to learn how things work here’. I would like a meeting because this affects my training."
Open in Claude ↗

Iteration: “Make it 10% shorter without losing the acknowledgement.” “Add one sentence suggesting a phone call before Monday, only if you think that's appropriate.”

Question for lesson 2.6

What does a good first response to a difficult email to the department head do?

Lesson 2.7: Batch email: the same email personalised for 10 people

Goal: send ten personalised reminders without typing ten times.

Classic situation: ten external referrers each receive a tailored reminder for the quarterly meeting. Everyone has a different background (some attended last time, others didn't). This is exactly where AI saves time.

Live exercise 2.7: Ten reminders in one prompt

Open Claude. Paste.

Role: experienced staff secretary cardiology. Task: produce 10 personalised reminder emails for external referrers about the upcoming quarterly meeting (date [DATE]). Per email: 3-5 lines, friendly-business, with an appropriate reference to their specific situation. Format per email: - Header: [Name] - Subject: <subject line> - Body text. Referrers and their context: 1. Dr. A, attended last time and presented a case. 2. Dr. B, absent last time, excused twice in a row. 3. Dr. C, new referrer, this is their first time. 4. Dr. D, attended last time and remarked the meeting ran too long. 5. Dr. E, referrer from a neighbouring specialism, attends only by invitation. 6. Dr. F, absent last time due to congress. 7. Dr. G, regular referrer, attended last time. 8. Dr. H, absent last time without notice. 9. Dr. I, referrer from a GP practice, attended the last two times. 10. Dr. J, referrer who indicated not wanting to continue next quarter, but still in for this one. Requirements: - Don't invent further details; use [DATE], [LOCATION], [TIME] as placeholders. - No patient data. - Tone: friendly-business; tone variation allowed, but not jolly. - The reminder is recognisable as a reminder, not as a new invitation. Deliver numbered. No commentary around it.
Open in Claude ↗

Time: 10 tailored emails in one prompt. Typing manually would take 25-30 minutes; with this technique about 5. Important: you do read them all and tweak one sentence per piece before sending. AI provides the first draft; you remain the editor.

Lesson 2.8: Template prompt for mail (for your library)

Goal: you have one fixed template that you use for 80% of your mail work.

A template isn't a finished email; it's an empty prompt where you fill in the four things: role, context, task, format. Below is the template you may take for free. Save it in a text file, OneNote, Notion or inside a Claude Project. Looking ahead: in module 3 we'll actually start working with those Claude Projects, you'll pin this template in a fixed place so every new chat already knows it.

Live exercise 2.8: Test the template in Claude

Paste in Claude. Fill in where ‘[ ... ]’ appears. This is the standard prompt you use from now on for 80% of your AI mail work.

Role: experienced staff secretary [specialism, e.g. cardiology]. Context: [in 1-2 sentences what's going on: to whom you're writing, why, what the issue is]. Task: write an [internal email / email on behalf of department head or training supervisor / external email / Teams message] in which [short description of what should come across]. Requirements: - max [number] lines; - tone: [business-friendly / warm-helpful / formal / informal]; - format: [running text / bullets / with headings]; - explicit deadline or response form: [e.g. "reply with yes/no by Monday 17:00"]; - no patient data; no invented facts; only what I tell you here. Deliver: only [subject + body / body only], nothing around it.
Open in Claude ↗

Save this template. It works in all three tools. You never have to phrase from scratch again, you fill in.

Take-home of module 2

Iterative working

First output is draft. One or two iteration rounds (“shorter”, “more direct”) make the difference.

Don't invent

The line “use only what I tell you” in your prompt prevents invented data, names and agenda items.

Claude for tone & onboarding language

For polite refusals and onboarding mail (new staff member), Claude often lands calmer and more patient; ChatGPT is faster but sometimes more direct.

Subject lines work

Content + action/deadline in <60 characters. Higher open rate, faster reply. Three sentences in one prompt yields ten.

Complaint to manager: timeframe, no blame

Confirm receipt + refer to department head / training supervisor / HR + name the timeframe. No blame, no commitments on someone else's behalf.

Batch with personal layer

Ten personalised emails in one prompt, you read through, tweak one sentence each, send.

Template now in library

Save the mail template from lesson 2.8. In module 3 you'll put it in a Claude Project; module 5 closes with it.

← Module 1 On to module 3 →