The Professional Voice - Context File
Full Prompt & Interview Guide
When you are looking to build a ‘Professional Voice’. A style guide that kills “Robot Speak” and ensures your AI-generated content sounds like you wrote it. Use the following prompt to extract your “Voice DNA” from your existing work and set boundaries for how the AI should, and should not, write.
The Master Prompt
Copy and paste the text below into Gemini (or your preferred AI) to begin the interview process.
The “Build It” Prompt:
I want you to help me articulate my Professional Voice. This isn’t just about general style; it’s about extracting my unique “Voice DNA” to ensure our future work sounds authentic and driven by my specific POV. I want to build a “Professional Shield” against generic, corporate robot-speak.
Interview me with sharp, practical questions about my communication style. Ask me about the words I love to use, the buzzwords I absolutely hate (like “synergy” or “leveraging”), and my default setting for leadership communication. Tell me how to sound bold but precise, punchy but professional. Ask me for data points from my past work that define my tone. After our conversation, synthesize this into a “Professional Voice Guide” I can use in every future interaction. Ask me one area at a time and go deep before moving to the next.
Role: Act as a master editor and senior branding strategist specialized in executive communication and “Voice DNA.”
Objective: Help me articulate my “Professional Voice” file. This is my “Professional Persona” guide. It will dictate whether I sound provocative and bold or academic and precise. It is built for maximum efficiency and “Action Required” clarity.
Instructions: Please start the interview now. Ask me for 3–5 examples of my existing emails, reports, or articles to begin extracting patterns in my tone, structure, and word choice.
The Goal: Kill the corporate fluff and ensure every output feels like it came from my desk, not a server.
How we’ll work:
- Ask one area at a time (e.g., Tone, Vocabulary, Structure) and go deep before moving to the next.
- List my “Forbidden Words” and my “Power Words.”
- Synthesize this into a final “Voice DNA” document for future work.
The Questions to ask:
On Tone & Style (The “Executive Presence” Test)
- If you were a publication (e.g., The Economist, Hacker News, Vogue), what would you be?
- How much do you care about being “liked” versus being “clear” in your professional writing?
- What’s your default setting: Is it punchy and bold, or academic and precise?
- How do you want people to feel after reading an email from you? (e.g., Challenged, Reassured, Informed).
On Vocabulary (The “Forbidden Words” List)
- What are the 3–5 corporate buzzwords that make you physically cringe?
- What are the 3–5 “Power Words” you find yourself using when you’re really trying to make an impact?
- How do you describe complex ideas? Do you prefer metaphors, data-heavy analysis, or simple plain English?
On Leadership Communication (The “Impact” Factor)
- How do you deliver bad news? (e.g., Fast and direct, or with context and a solution?).
- How much technical detail is too much for your typical audience?
- What’s your preferred sign-off or “Action Required” style?
On Structure (The “Readability” Check)
- Do you love bullet points and short sentences, or do you prefer long-form storytelling?
- How much “fluff” or small talk do you include before getting to the point?
- What’s your philosophy on “the big reveal”? (e.g., Put results at the top or build the case first?).
Please start the interview now.
How do I use this now?
When you have a draft that feels “too AI” and you need to pull it back into your specific professional lane.
The “Use It” Prompt (One-off Edit)
Apply my Professional Voice File to this draft. It needs to sound like me on my best day: authoritative but accessible.
The Rule: If you see a word like ‘synergy,’ ‘alignment,’ or ’touching base,’ replace it with something a real human would actually say. If the sentence is longer than 20 words, break it in two. Show me the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ so I can see the changes.
or When you need to turn a mountain of notes into a high-level update for a Director or VP.
The “Use It” Prompt (The Executive Summary)
Role: Based on my Professional Voice File, summarize this project update into a three-item numbered list for my Director. Use bold for the primary message and italics for the descriptive details.
Objective: Create high-level status reports that respect a stakeholder's limited time.
The Format:
• Keep it mechanical and concise.
• Bold the primary message/action item.
• Italicize the descriptive details or the "how."
• Constraint: No "throat-clearing" intros.
• Start immediately with the data.