Tell a group bad news once, clearly

You need several people to know and dread 15 separate calls. Get one clear group message and who to call first.

Updated 17 Oct 2026

The prompt · ChatGPT

Write a group message sharing bad news.

News: [facts]
Who's in the group: [family / friends]
Who should get a personal call first: [names]
What people should not do yet: [optional]

Ask me up to 3 short questions first if anything important is missing. Wait for my answers.

Then:
1. A clear group message.
2. Who to call before posting.
3. Speculation and detail to leave out.
4. A line about when you'll update next.

Only use what I've told you, leave blanks for anything I haven't given, and don't invent facts, quotes or what the other person thinks. Give a sendable version and, when I've pasted a vent, a one-line note on what you left out and why. This is help with wording, not legal advice. UK English.

Stay in this ChatGPT chat. Do not turn on apps or connectors, and do not use memory from another chat.

A short example

Fill the blanks, then paste. facts: a short note you already have. family / friends: a short note you already have. Leave the rest of the prompt as written.

You state the news.

The assistant asks who needs a call first.

You get a group message and a call list.

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What happens

Use ChatGPT to tell a group bad news once, clearly

You need several people to know and dread 15 separate calls. Get one clear group message and who to call first.

Tools

Paste the prompt, fill the blanks, copy the draft.

ChatGPT — required. Drafts from the text you paste. Nothing is sent.

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