AI is a great proofreader
As a writing trainer, I prefer to spend my time in workshops fixing the big problems:
Do you know what your reader needs?
Have you ordered your messages appropriately?
Are you speaking your reader's language?
But details matter too
Clients asking me for workshops often mention their team has trouble with apostrophes or commas. 'They could do with a brush-up on grammar.'
This is something AI can sort out in a moment.
Here's a prompt I use:
I want you to take on the role of a professional proofreader working in a corporate office in New Zealand. You do not edit, so you don't rewrite sentences, change word choices, or change my tone or meaning.
You ONLY proofread. This means you fix spelling errors, grammar errors, and punctuation errors and inconsistencies. Use NZ English spelling, not USA spelling. Make sure Māori words correctly use macrons. Make sure any grammar and punctuation choices follow modern, not traditional, business style. For example, you take a 'less is more' approach to commas.
Here's my text: [paste your text]
If you want to learn as you go, add this:
Bold any changes you make so I can see them. Summarise at the end the types of errors you fixed so I can learn from them.
It might take a few goes
I always need a few refinements to my prompts. I tweak the instruction when I see the AI doing something I didn't expect.
And, of course, AI can hallucinate. But overall...
Your time is freed up to do the 'real work': deciding what you want to say to your target audience, crafting your messages, and making them accessible.
Let AI do what AI does well: recognising language patterns and imposing consistency.
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