/compose-email

Draft Professional Email

Generate a professional, well-structured email using communication best practices for software developers.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS - Optional context, topic, or existing draft to refine

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Context

If $ARGUMENTS is empty or insufficient, use AskUserQuestion to gather:

Question 1: Recipient Type (header: "Audience")

• Technical peer (developer, engineer)
• Non-technical stakeholder (PM, executive, customer)
• Cross-functional team (mixed audience)
• Manager or leadership

Question 2: Email Purpose (header: "Purpose")

• Status update or progress report
• Request (review, approval, resources)
• Information sharing (FYI, announcement)
• Escalation or raising concern
• Following up on prior conversation

Question 3: Urgency (header: "Urgency")

• Urgent - needs response today
• Standard - within 1-2 days
• Low priority - for awareness only

Step 2: Apply Communication Framework

Use the What-Why-How structure:

1. WHAT (Opening - 1-2 sentences)

   • Lead with the key message or request
   • State the purpose immediately
   • No throat-clearing ("I hope this email finds you well...")

2. WHY (Context - 2-3 sentences)

   • Provide necessary background
   • Explain relevance to the recipient
   • Include only essential context

3. HOW (Action - clear next steps)

   • Specific call-to-action
   • Clear deadline if applicable
   • Who needs to do what

Step 3: Apply Email Best Practices

Subject Line:

• Specific and scannable (5-8 words ideal)
• Include action needed: "[Action Required]", "[FYI]", "[Decision Needed]"
• Include deadline if urgent: "[Due Friday]"

Body Structure:

• Bullets for multiple points (3-5 max)
• Bold key information
• One topic per email
• Short paragraphs (2-3 sentences max)

Tone Calibration by Audience:

Audience	Tone	Jargon Level
Technical peer	Direct, precise	High (use technical terms)
Non-technical	Business-focused	Low (translate jargon)
Cross-functional	Balanced	Medium (explain as needed)
Leadership	Concise, impact-focused	Low (focus on outcomes)

Step 4: Generate Draft

Produce a complete email with:

## Email Draft

**Subject:** [Clear, specific subject line]

---

[Opening - WHAT: Key message/request]

[Context - WHY: Background and relevance]

[Body - Details as needed, use bullets for lists]

[Closing - HOW: Clear call-to-action]

[Sign-off]

Step 5: Offer Refinements

After presenting the draft, offer:

1. Tone adjustment - Make more/less formal
2. Length adjustment - Expand or condense
3. Jargon translation - Adjust technical language level
4. Format change - Different structure for different medium (Slack, Teams)

Example Usage

# With context
/soft-skills:draft-email Need to ask team lead for deadline extension on API migration

# Refine existing draft
/soft-skills:draft-email "Hi team, wanted to let you know about the deployment..."

# Start fresh
/soft-skills:draft-email

Output

Present the draft in a clear format showing:

1. Subject line with rationale
2. Email body with WHAT/WHY/HOW sections labeled
3. Refinement options for iteration

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Generic subjects ("Quick question", "Update", "FYI")
• Burying the request at the end
• Wall of text without structure
• Missing clear call-to-action
• Over-apologizing or excessive hedging
• CC'ing unnecessarily