When he speaks, name feeling: "sounds frustrated" — labeling calms emotions.

Repeat last 3 words in questioning tone — opponent elaborates.

Repeat the last three words your speaker said with curious tone; they will continue deeper without you asking.

Paraphrase what you heard before responding — speaker confirms you heard.

When he opens sensitive topic, say "tell me more" vs reply.

Before sending an emotional message, read it aloud in three tones and adjust.

Replace investigative "why?" questions with the invitation "tell me more" to open the story.

Name your child's feeling precisely before you try to fix the situation.

Assign the model a specific background and expertise so its answer matches a real expert level.

State explicitly what you do not want in the output (words, styles, assumptions) to cut later editing.

Use an LLM to draft an email in 30 seconds, then edit by hand for personal tone.

"Max 80 words, don't use 'innovative', start with imperative" beats "make it short and clear".