SHRM developed this guide using the same general-purpose AI tools it describes. The prompts are intended as starting points and may need to be adapted, reviewed, and validated for your specific use case.
AI can help you get more done with the HR work you already do, from drafting and summarizing to organizing information and generating ideas. But it does not know your organization, your people, your policies, or your obligations unless you provide that context. This prompt gives you a starting point, with space to add the unique information AI needs to support your work.
Prompt 1 — Build Your House Style Guide
Correct whatever it gets wrong, save the result, and paste that into every future request instead of re-uploading your sample messages.
I am going to paste several internal HR messages my organization has sent. Read them and write a short style guide describing how we write, so I can reuse it.
Cover:
- Typical length and sentence length.
- Level of formality, and how it shifts by audience.
- How we open a message, and how we close one.
- How we phrase a request or a deadline.
- Words, phrases, or constructions we clearly favor.
- Words, phrases, or constructions we clearly avoid.
- How we handle bad news or a change people will not like.
- Anything distinctive a stranger would notice.
Rules:
- Describe what these messages actually do, not what good HR writing generally does.
- Where the samples are inconsistent, say so rather than averaging them.
- Keep it under 300 words — this needs to be pasteable.
- Do not suggest improvements. I want a description of our voice, not a critique of it.
Here are the messages:
[PASTE 3-5 MESSAGES, WITH NAMES AND FIGURES REMOVED]
Prompt 2 — Create Routine HR Communications in Your Organization’s Voice
Replace everything in brackets before you run the prompt.
You are drafting an internal HR communication for [ORGANIZATION], a [SIZE]-person [INDUSTRY] organization.
Match this house style exactly:
[PASTE YOUR CORRECTED STYLE GUIDE]
Audience: [e.g., all US-based employees / people managers only]
Purpose: [what they need to know]
Action required: [what they must do, and by when]
Tone: [e.g., warm but businesslike; this is routine, not urgent]
Length: [e.g., under 250 words]
Facts to include. Do not add any others, and do not invent dates, figures, policy details, or eligibility rules:
- [bullet]
- [bullet]
- [bullet]
Deliver:
- Three subject lines
- The full message
- A 40-word version for Slack or Teams
Flag anything in my notes that is ambiguous or missing rather than guessing at it.
Write in plain, everyday language. Do not use jargon or invented terms; if a simpler word exists, use it.
Optional, if available: give the AI your organization's style guide, brand voice guide, or writing standards document alongside this prompt so the output matches how we write.
Check Before You Publish
Before you publish, review the AI-generated draft carefully. You are responsible for the final version.
- Check facts, figures, dates, requirements, and other details against the information you supplied or the original source.
- Paste in any legally required or compliance-sensitive language yourself. Do not let AI generate it.
- Confirm nothing was invented, assumed, or taken out of context.
- Verify that the final version reflects your organization, your audience, and the purpose of the work.
Use your judgement as an HR professional. AI can assist with the work, but you make the final call. Looking for more prompts? Explore the AI Prompts Guide for HR for more prompts and templates to support your HR work.
Combine AI with Human Intelligence
Explore SHRM’s AI+HI Specialty Credential to learn how to use AI strategically while applying the human judgment HR work requires.
Was this resource helpful?
Validate your HR expertise
Earning your SHRM-CP credential makes you a recognized expert and leader in the HR field.
Related Content
Learn how Marsh McLennan successfully boosts staff well-being with digital tools, improving productivity and work satisfaction for more than 20,000 employees.
The proliferation of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and the ensuing expected increase in productivity and efficiency, could help usher in the four-day workweek, some experts predict.
As artificial intelligence technology continues to develop, the demand for workers with the ability to work alongside and manage AI systems will increase. This means that workers who are not able to adapt and learn these new skills will be left behind in the job market.