👋 Hi, I’m Teacher Rob!

Do you write long emails because you are afraid the reader will not understand you? Many English learners do this. Every extra sentence feels like extra safety.

Today we look at one skill: how to shorten an email with AI so the short version keeps your request, your deadline and your tone.

Why Long Emails Get Ignored (and Why “Make It Shorter” Is Not Enough)

A busy reader opens your email and looks for one answer: what do you want from me? In a long email, that answer sits in the middle of background, apologies and extra thanks. The reader may miss it, or may plan to reply later and forget.

Many people type “Make it shorter” into an AI tool. The AI then decides by itself what to cut. It does not know which sentence is your request and which is only background, so it may remove your deadline and keep your greeting.

You have to tell the AI what to keep. That is the whole skill.

Less Effective vs More Effective: How to Write the Prompt

Compare these two prompts.

Less Effective:

Make this email shorter.

This prompt gives no length, no tone and no list of what must stay.

More Effective:

Shorten this email to about 50 words. Keep my request, the deadline, and all dates and times. Keep the tone polite and professional. Use simple English. Here is the email:

The second prompt works better for four reasons:

• It gives a number, so the AI knows how much to cut.
• It names what must stay.
• It names the tone.
• It asks for simple English, so you can read and check the result easily.

Four Details to Tell AI Before It Cuts Anything

Add these four details to your prompt every time.

1. The length. Write “about 50 words” or “no more than four sentences”. A number is clearer than the word “short”.
2. What must stay. Name your request and your deadline. For example: “Keep the question about the budget and the deadline of Friday.”
3. The reader and the tone. Write “The reader is my manager. Polite and direct.” A client, a manager and a close colleague need different tones.
4. What can go. Write “You can remove background, apologies and repeated thanks.” Now the AI knows where to cut.

You do not need long instructions. Four short sentences are enough.

From 120 Words to 50: A Before and After Email

Here is a long email of about 120 words. Anna wants Mr. Davies to say a few words at a training session.

Before (about 120 words):

Hello Mr. Davies,

I am writing to you because I wanted to speak with you about the training session for the new sales team, which we discussed briefly in the meeting last Tuesday. I know that you are very busy at the moment, and I am sorry to disturb you, but I think it is important that we decide the details soon.

I also need to know if you can join us at the start to say a few words to the team. Could you please let me know by Friday 13 November if you can attend? The session is planned for Wednesday 18 November at 10:00.

Thank you very much for your time and understanding.

Best regards, Anna

The request is hidden in the second paragraph. The date and time come after it. Mr. Davies must read every sentence to find what Anna needs.

Anna uses this prompt:

Shorten this email to about 50 words. Keep my request to Mr. Davies, the deadline of Friday 13 November, and the session date and time. Remove the background and the apologies. Keep the tone polite and professional. Use simple English. Here is the email:

After (about 50 words):

Hello Mr. Davies,

Following last Tuesday’s meeting, our training session for the new sales team is on Wednesday 18 November at 10:00. Could you join us and say a few words to the team at the start? Please let me know by Friday 13 November.

Thank you, Anna

The request, the deadline and the session time are all still there. The apology and the background are gone. The tone is still polite because of “Could you” and “Please”.

Three Things AI Often Removes by Mistake

AI cuts quickly, and it sometimes removes details that matter. Check for these three.

1. The deadline or the exact time. The AI may change a date into a vague phrase.
   • Less Effective: “Please let me know soon.”
   • More Effective: “Please let me know by Friday 13 November.”
2. Polite words. The AI may change a polite question into an order, because the order is shorter.
   • Less Effective: “Send me the report by Monday.”
   • More Effective: “Could you send me the report by Monday?”
3. Names, numbers and attachments. The AI may remove the details that help the reader find the right thing.
   • Less Effective: “Please check the invoice.”
   • More Effective: “Please check invoice 2031, attached to this email.”

You can protect all three with one extra sentence in your prompt: “Do not remove dates, times, numbers, names or mentions of attachments. Keep polite words such as please and could you.”

Ready-to-Use Prompts for a Manager, a Client and a Long Reply

Copy these prompts and paste your email after them.

For a manager:

Shorten this email to my manager to about 60 words. Keep my question, the deadline and the reason it is important. Use a respectful, direct tone and simple English. Here is the email:

For a client:

Shorten this email to a client to about 70 words. Keep the price, the dates and the next step. Keep the tone warm and professional. Do not make it sound like an order. Here is the email:

For a long reply:

Shorten this reply to about 80 words. Answer every question from the original message in the same order. Keep dates, names and numbers. Remove background and repeated thanks. Here is my reply:

Change the word count if your email is very short or very long. Choose a target length that keeps the important information while removing unnecessary words.

How to Check the Short Version Before You Send It

Never send the AI version without reading it. Use this list. It takes about one minute.

1. Find the request. Can you point to the sentence where you ask for something?
2. Find the deadline. Is the exact date or time still there?
3. Check the details. Are all names, numbers, dates and attachment mentions correct?
4. Read the tone. Does it sound polite, or does it sound like an order?
5. Check the words. Do you understand every word? If you do not, ask the AI for a simpler version.

If something is missing, do not rewrite the whole email. Tell the AI: “Add the deadline back in one short sentence.” Then check again.

Your Next Step

Open your sent folder and find your longest email. Ask AI to shorten it using the strong prompt from this article. Then check the deadline and the request before you send anything.

To keep growing your business vocabulary, try the free Business English Booster daily idiom course. It has more than 700 idioms, and you learn one expression at a time.

Related articles on the site:

• More prompts to copy: 12 AI Prompts for Business Emails in English You Can Copy and Paste
• Checking tone after you shorten: How to Check the Tone of Your Business Email With AI Before You Hit Send
• Keeping your own voice: How to Use AI to Write Better Business Emails in English

Enjoy the lesson, and I’ll see you in the next one! 😊

Teacher Rob