Draft correspondence without changing commitments
Improve a message’s tone without adding a commitment.
Reviewed: 2026-10-03
Source-based teaching example · Fictional data
Narration: Microsoft Mark · locally synthesized

00:00:00.000 — What you will learn

Improve a message’s tone without adding a commitment.

Visual description:
Improve a message’s tone without adding a commitment.

00:00:05.917 — The idea

Keep promises, conditions and unknowns intact when rewriting. A friendlier sentence can still change the obligation. Compare the new wording with the original note.

Visual description:
Keep promises, conditions and unknowns intact when rewriting. A friendlier sentence can still change the obligation. Compare the new wording with the original note.

00:00:19.583 — One useful term

Conditional commitment. A possible action that depends on a stated condition.

Visual description:
A possible action that depends on a stated condition.

00:00:27.500 — A worked example

The note says a prototype may be delivered by 4 September if the test environment is ready. Readiness is unknown. “We guarantee delivery” removes the condition and adds a promise.

Visual description:
The note says a prototype may be delivered by 4 September if the test environment is ready. Readiness is unknown. “We guarantee delivery” removes the condition and adds a promise.

00:00:42.125 — Your turn to think

Can you remove the readiness condition just to make the email sound confident? Pause and decide before continuing.

Visual description:
Can you remove the readiness condition just to make the email sound confident?
Pause the video if you need more time.

00:01:00.042 — Why this answer works

No. Keep the possible date conditional and request confirmation without inventing a new promised action.

Visual description:
No. Keep the possible date conditional and request confirmation without inventing a new promised action.

00:01:09.500 — Check 1

Preserve conditions and requested dates.

Visual description:
Preserve conditions and requested dates.

00:01:15.042 — Check 2

Do not invent owners or confirmations.

Visual description:
Do not invent owners or confirmations.

00:01:20.625 — Check 3

Check obligations after editing tone.

Visual description:
Check obligations after editing tone.

00:01:26.083 — Now try a different case

Open the lesson and try its different practice case. Use every check in the full task. Watching alone does not mark the lesson complete.

Visual description:
Open the lesson
Try the new case
Check and revise
The full task and its requirements are in the linked lesson.