LESSON 2
Your First Skill: The Intake Template
The #1 mistake people make with AI is jumping straight to "give me the answer." The Intake Skill forces you to clarify the task FIRST — audience, format, constraints, examples — before any work begins. This single change eliminates 80% of "that's not what I wanted" moments.
THE TEMPLATE
Anatomy of the Intake Skill
Every skill follows the same structure: Name, Goal, When to Use, Instructions. The Intake Skill is your "don't skip the planning" guardrail. Paste it into any AI tool before starting a task.
📋 The Intake Skill
- Step 1: Ask up to 7 clarifying questions (audience, format, length, deadline, must-includes)
- Step 2: Propose a one-paragraph summary of the task
- Step 3: Ask the user to confirm or correct the summary
- Step 4: Only after confirmation — suggest a 3-5 step plan
💡 Why It Works
- Precision: AI knows exactly what you want before it starts working
- Speed: 2 minutes of clarification saves 20 minutes of revisions
- Control: You approve the plan before execution — no surprises
- Reusable: Same Intake Skill works for emails, reports, presentations, or research
BEFORE & AFTER
The Intake Difference
Without Intake: "Write me a client email" → generic, wrong tone, missing key details. With Intake: The AI asks 5 smart questions first → nails the email in one draft. Same tool. Radically different result.
80%
fewer revisions when you clarify the task upfront
Source: User Experience
5-7
clarifying questions is all it takes to get a perfect brief
Source: Intake Pattern
1
confirmed summary before work begins = zero wasted effort
Source: Best Practice
