# Check my message for anything that could be misunderstood

Stress-tests a draft before you send it: ambiguous phrases, tone risks, and the questions readers will come back with.

- Topic: Email & Workplace Communication
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Communication, Analyze, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/check-my-message-for-anything-that-could-be-misunderstood

## Prompt

```text
Review my message before I send it and find anything that could be misunderstood or prompt follow-up questions.

**My message:** [PASTE]
**Readers:** [WHO - roles, seniority, how familiar they are with the topic, native language if relevant]
**What I want them to understand or do:** [GOAL]
**Sensitivities:** [e.g. "reorg rumors", "recent missed deadline", "new manager"]

Check for:
1. **Ambiguity** - words or sentences with two reasonable readings (e.g. "next Friday", "we", "soon", "the issue", "should").
2. **Missing context** - things I know that the reader doesn't.
3. **Tone risks** - phrases that could read as blunt, passive-aggressive, alarming, or dismissive, especially in writing without facial cues.
4. **Hidden implications** - what a nervous or skeptical reader might infer (e.g. job security, blame, a change being final).
5. **Likely questions** - the 3 to 6 questions readers will ask after reading, in order of likelihood.

Return a table: | Phrase or issue | How it could be read | Risk (High/Med/Low) | Suggested fix |

Then:
- **Answers to the likely questions** that I could add to the message, or prepare for, using only the information I've given; mark gaps [ADD].
- **A revised version** with the high-risk fixes applied.

Keep my meaning and voice; flag rather than change anything that alters my intent.
```

## What to fill in

- PASTE
- GOAL
- e.g. "reorg rumors", "recent missed deadline", "new manager"
- ADD

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.