# Get three different ways to deliver a hard message

Three distinct versions of a difficult message (direct, empathetic, and collaborative) with when each one works best.

- Topic: Email & Workplace Communication
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Communication, Write, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/get-three-different-ways-to-deliver-a-hard-message

## Prompt

```text
Give me three different ways to communicate a difficult message, so I can choose the right approach.

**The message I need to get across:** [WHAT I need to say]
**Who will hear it:** [PERSON or group, and our relationship]
**What I know about how they take news:** [e.g. "prefers bluntness", "anxious", "very senior and busy"]
**Channel:** [face to face / video call / email / Teams or Slack]
**Outcome I need:** [e.g. acceptance, a change in behavior, a decision, keeping the relationship]

Write three versions of the core message (spoken or written, to match the channel):
1. **Direct** - the point in the first sentence, minimal cushioning.
2. **Empathetic** - acknowledges the impact on them first, then the message, without diluting it.
3. **Collaborative** - frames it as a shared problem and invites them into the solution.

For each version, add:
- When it works best and when it could backfire with this person.
- The likely first reaction and a one-line response to it.

Then give me:
- **Your recommendation** for this situation, and why.
- **What must stay the same in all three** - the facts and the ask that can't be softened away.

Rules: all three must deliver the same substance - only the framing changes. No hedging that makes the message unclear, and no invented details. Keep each version under 150 words.
```

## What to fill in

- WHAT I need to say
- PERSON or group, and our relationship
- e.g. "prefers bluntness", "anxious", "very senior and busy"
- face to face / video call / email / Teams or Slack

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