Turn an Article into an Action Memo
Stop summarizing. Start deciding. This prompt transforms any article into a memo with the decision, key facts, risks, options, and next steps — ready to share.
Why Summaries Fail at Work (And What to Do Instead)
You’ve read the article. You understood it. But when your manager asks “so what should we do?” — you freeze. The problem isn’t comprehension. It’s that summaries answer the wrong question.
A summary tells you what the article says. An action memo tells you what to do about it. That shift — from passive understanding to active decision-making — is what separates useful reading from wasted time.
The prompt above (PR043) forces AI to extract decision-relevant information: the key takeaway, which data matters, what assumptions are baked in, and what questions remain unanswered. That’s the raw material for a memo that actually moves things forward.
The Anatomy of an Action Memo
Every action memo needs five components. When you use PR043, you’re gathering the inputs for each:
The Decision — What choice are we facing? This comes from understanding the key takeaway and why it matters to your context.
Key Facts — The 3-5 data points that anyone making this decision needs to know. PR043’s “what data matters vs. noise” question isolates these.
Risks — What could go wrong? The “assumptions” question surfaces hidden dependencies and blind spots.
Options — What are the alternatives? The “questions to ask” output often reveals paths the article didn’t explicitly cover.
Recommendation — What do you think we should do? This is where you add your judgment to AI’s analysis.
After running PR043, follow up with: “Now format this as a one-page memo for [specific audience], with a clear recommendation in the first paragraph.” This structures the output for immediate use.
How to Use the Prompt (Step by Step)
Skim the article first. Understand what it’s about and why it landed on your desk. You need context to evaluate AI’s output.
Copy the full text. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or your preferred AI. Don’t share just a URL — paste the actual content.
Add your context. Before or after the prompt, tell AI who the memo is for and what decision is at stake. Example: “This memo is for our product team deciding whether to enter the European market.”
Run PR043. Let AI extract the decision-relevant components.
Build the memo. Use AI’s output to draft your five-part structure. Add your own recommendation based on factors AI can’t know (budget, team capacity, strategic priorities).
You read an industry report on supply chain disruptions. Running PR043 gives you: the key takeaway (diversification reduces risk but costs 15% more), the relevant data (3 supplier failures in Q2 among single-source companies), the assumptions (assumes current geopolitical stability continues), and the questions (what’s our current supplier concentration?). Your memo now has everything it needs — you just add the recommendation based on your company’s risk tolerance.
When to Use an Action Memo vs. Other Formats
Not every piece of reading needs a full memo. Here’s when the action memo format earns its overhead:
Use an action memo when reading feeds a decision that involves multiple stakeholders, tradeoffs, or significant resources. The structure forces clarity.
Use an executive summary when leadership needs to be informed but isn’t the decision-maker. Summaries update; memos request action.
Use talking points when you need to discuss the reading verbally, not document it. Talking points are oral; memos are written records.
The Reading for Work pillar covers all these formats with dedicated prompts.
AI can extract and structure, but it can’t make the final call. Your recommendation should incorporate factors AI doesn’t have access to: organizational politics, budget constraints, team morale, and strategic priorities. Use AI for the analysis leg work, but own the decision.
Next Steps: Build Your Work Reading Stack
The action memo is the cornerstone of professional reading — but it’s not the only format you need. Explore the rest of the Reading for Work pillar to add meeting prep, stakeholder updates, and decision matrices to your toolkit.
Frequently Asked Questions
From Reading to Results
These prompts turn reading into decisions. The course gives you 365 articles with RC questions, expert analysis, and structured practice — the material to make business reading second nature.
Start Learning →5 More Work Reading Guides Await
You’ve added the Action Memo to your toolkit. Next, learn meeting prep, stakeholder updates, decision matrices, competitive intel, and research briefs — all with copy-paste prompts.
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