One Hacker News reader uses ChatGPT to reword emotionally loaded messages so they come across as kind, clear and as fair as possible. To get honest pushback rather than agreement, he asked it to find flaws, including by imagining it was the person receiving the letter, and he still asked friends for feedback too.
Here's a message I want to send to [WHO THEY ARE TO ME] about [SITUATION]: [PASTE DRAFT]. Help me make it kind, clear and fair without losing what I need to say. First, read it as if you were the person receiving it and tell me honestly how it might land and what feels unfair or unclear. Then suggest a revised version, and point out anything I should think about before sending.
Replace the [PLACEHOLDERS] with your own details before you send it.
How to try it
- Write your draft first, in your own words, even if it’s messy.
- Ask ChatGPT to read it as the recipient and point out flaws before it rewrites anything.
- Edit the result so it still sounds like you, and talk it over with a trusted friend if it’s a big conversation.
More writing use cases
Condense a long list of work experience for an application with ChatGPT
Applying for a PhD in physical therapy, columnist Joy Schwabach's niece used ChatGPT to pull a list of 20 very varied work experiences into something manageable. When she hit the free plan's limits, the advice was to keep chats light or switch to another assistant such as Gemini or Copilot.
I'm applying for [COURSE OR JOB]. Here's my full list of work and volunteer experience: [PASTE LIST]. Group these into [NUMBER] clear themes that matter for this application, pick the strongest examples for each, and rewrite them as short, specific bullet points. Don't invent anything; if a detail is missing, ask me for it.
Write a best man or maid of honour speech with ChatGPT
Two days before his brother's wedding, one best man wrote his speech with ChatGPT's help and was delighted with the result.
Help me write a [BEST MAN/MAID OF HONOUR] speech, about [MINUTES] minutes long. About the couple: [NAMES, HOW THEY MET, WHAT THEY'RE LIKE]. My stories: [2-3 STORIES OR MEMORIES]. Tone: [E.G. WARM AND FUNNY, NOTHING EMBARRASSING IN FRONT OF GRANDPARENTS]. Structure it with an opening, stories, a heartfelt bit and a toast.
Draft personalised thank-you notes from a spreadsheet with ChatGPT
Facing 50 wedding thank-you notes, a PCMag writer made a sheet with each guest's name, gift and a special memory, and had ChatGPT draft five notes first so she could approve the tone before it wrote the rest. She and her husband then edited every note, had some translated for non-English-speaking guests, and printed them into cards.
I need to write thank-you notes for [OCCASION]. I'm attaching a list with each person's name, what they gave or did, and a memory to mention. Draft the first five notes so I can check the tone: warm, [LENGTH, E.G. 3-4 SENTENCES], sounding like me rather than formal, and signed '[SIGN-OFF]'. Once I approve, do the rest in the same style.
Reference: Hacker News