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Advanced Formatting Techniques

Unlock the full power of Cleft’s AI processing with sophisticated formatting techniques that transform raw voice notes into polished, professional content.
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Formatting Principles

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Structure Over Style

Focus on logical organization that serves your workflow:
  • Hierarchical information - Most important points first
  • Scannable layout - Easy to quickly find key information
  • Consistent patterns - Same format for similar content types
  • Action-oriented - Emphasis on what to do next

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Content Types and Their Formats

  • Decision Records
  • Problem-Solution Records
  • Learning Records
Use when: Documenting important choices and their rationale
DECISION: [Clear statement of what was decided]

CONTEXT: [Why this decision was needed]

OPTIONS CONSIDERED:
- Option A: [Brief description] - Pros: X, Cons: Y
- Option B: [Brief description] - Pros: X, Cons: Y

CHOSEN APPROACH: [Selected option with reasoning]

IMPLICATIONS: [What changes because of this decision]

REVIEW DATE: [When to revisit this decision]

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Advanced Formatting Techniques

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Visual Hierarchy with Emojis and Symbols

Create clear visual scanning patterns: 
TASK STATUS SYSTEM:
✅ COMPLETED - Task is done
🔄 IN PROGRESS - Currently working on this
⏸️ PAUSED - Temporarily stopped
🚫 BLOCKED - Cannot proceed without help
📋 PLANNED - Ready to start
💡 IDEA - Potential future task

PRIORITY SYSTEM:
🔥 URGENT - Drop everything else
⭐ HIGH - This week
📋 MEDIUM - This month
💡 LOW - Someday/maybe
❄️ FROZEN - On hold indefinitely

CONTENT TYPE SYSTEM:
💬 QUOTE - Direct quotes or key phrases
📊 DATA - Numbers, metrics, statistics  
🎯 GOAL - Objectives and targets
⚠️ RISK - Potential problems or concerns
🔗 LINK - Connections to other projects/ideas
📅 DEADLINE - Time-sensitive information
💰 COST - Budget or financial information
👤 PERSON - People-related information

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Advanced Sectioning Patterns

The SOAR Framework

Strengths | Opportunities | Aspirations | ResultsPerfect for strategic thinking and planning sessions
💪 STRENGTHS: [What's working well]
🎯 OPPORTUNITIES: [What we could do]
🌟 ASPIRATIONS: [What we want to achieve]
📈 RESULTS: [Specific outcomes to measure]

The 5W1H Framework

Who | What | When | Where | Why | HowComprehensive information capture
👤 WHO: [People involved]
📋 WHAT: [What needs to happen]  
📅 WHEN: [Timeline and deadlines]
📍 WHERE: [Location or context]
🤔 WHY: [Purpose and motivation]
🔧 HOW: [Methods and approach]

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Dynamic Section Headers

Create headers that adapt to content type: 
For 1:1 Meetings:
🤝 RELATIONSHIP CHECK-IN: [How things are going]
📈 PERFORMANCE DISCUSSION: [Growth and feedback]  
🎯 GOAL ALIGNMENT: [Priorities and objectives]
🚧 OBSTACLE REMOVAL: [What's blocking progress]

For Team Meetings:
🔄 STATUS UPDATES: [Progress reports]
🤝 COORDINATION NEEDS: [Cross-team dependencies]
🎯 DECISION ITEMS: [What needs group input]
📊 METRICS REVIEW: [Performance indicators]

For Client Meetings:  
💼 BUSINESS CONTEXT: [Client situation update]
📋 PROJECT STATUS: [Work completed and next steps]
💡 RECOMMENDATIONS: [Advice and suggestions]
💰 COMMERCIAL DISCUSSION: [Budget and contract items]

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Conditional Formatting

Teach Cleft to format based on content patterns: 
Custom Instruction Addition:

"When processing action items, format as:

📋 ACTION ITEMS:
- [IF deadline mentioned] ⏰ [Task] - Due: [Date] - Owner: [Person]
- [IF no deadline] 📅 [Task] - Owner: [Person] - Timeline: TBD  
- [IF waiting on others] ⏸️ [Task] - Blocked by: [Person/Thing]
- [IF high priority mentioned] 🔥 [Task] - URGENT - Owner: [Person]

Always include owner and timeline context for each action."

"Adapt summary format based on content type:

FOR CREATIVE SESSIONS:
💡 INSPIRATION: [What sparked ideas]
🎨 CONCEPTS DEVELOPED: [New creative directions]
🔧 TECHNIQUES TRIED: [Methods explored]
⏭️ NEXT CREATIVE STEPS: [How to build forward]

FOR PROBLEM-SOLVING:
🎯 PROBLEM DEFINED: [Issue being addressed]
🔍 ANALYSIS: [Root cause investigation]  
💡 SOLUTIONS EXPLORED: [Options considered]
✅ PATH FORWARD: [Chosen approach and rationale]

FOR LEARNING:
📚 SOURCE: [Where information came from]
🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS: [Most important insights]
🔧 APPLICATIONS: [How to use this knowledge]
📋 FOLLOW-UP: [What to explore next]"

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Professional Document Formatting

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Executive Summary Pattern

For high-stakes communications: 
📊 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

SITUATION: [Current state in one sentence]
RECOMMENDATION: [What should be done]  
RATIONALE: [Why this is the right approach]
IMPACT: [Expected outcomes and benefits]
TIMELINE: [Key milestones and completion]
RESOURCES: [What's needed to succeed]

📋 DETAILED BREAKDOWN
[Comprehensive information organized by topic]

⏭️ NEXT STEPS
[Immediate actions with owners and dates]

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Project Communication Template

🚀 PROJECT UPDATE: [Project Name]

📊 HEADLINE STATUS: [Green/Yellow/Red with brief reason]

✅ COMPLETED:
- [Specific accomplishments with dates]

🎯 CURRENT FOCUS:  
- [What team is working on now]

📅 UPCOMING MILESTONES:
- [Date]: [Deliverable] - [Owner]

⚠️ ISSUES & MITIGATION:
- [Problem]: [Impact] - [Solution/Owner]

🆘 ESCALATION NEEDED:
- [Item requiring senior attention]

📈 KEY METRICS:
- [Metric]: [Current value] [Trend: ↑↓→]

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Decision Briefing Format

For important choices requiring stakeholder input: 
🎯 DECISION BRIEF: [Decision Title]

⏰ DECISION NEEDED BY: [Date and why]

📋 BACKGROUND:
[Context that led to this decision point]

📊 OPTIONS ANALYSIS:

OPTION A: [Name]
✅ Pros: [Benefits]
❌ Cons: [Drawbacks]  
💰 Cost: [Financial impact]
⏱️ Timeline: [Implementation time]

OPTION B: [Name]
[Same format as Option A]

🎯 RECOMMENDATION: [Preferred option]
REASONING: [Why this option is best]

🤝 STAKEHOLDER INPUT NEEDED:
- [Person]: [What input you need from them]

📅 IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE:
[If recommendation accepted, what happens when]

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Advanced Customization Techniques

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Persona-Based Formatting

Adjust tone and detail level based on audience:
  • Executive Audience
  • Technical Team
  • Client Communication
"Format for senior leadership consumption:
- Lead with business impact and ROI
- Include risk assessment
- Provide clear recommendations
- Limit to key points only
- Use metrics and data to support points
- Include competitive/market context where relevant"

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Multi-Document Formatting

When creating content that feeds into different systems: 
"Process this content for multiple outputs:

PRIMARY SUMMARY (for main documentation):
[Standard detailed format]

QUICK REFERENCE (for team dashboard):
Status: [Green/Yellow/Red]
Key Point: [One sentence summary]
Next Action: [Immediate priority]
Deadline: [Most urgent timeline]

EMAIL UPDATE (for stakeholders):
Subject: [Clear subject line]
Brief: [2-3 sentence summary]  
Action Needed: [What recipients should do]
Timeline: [When response/action needed]

TASK LIST (for project management):
- [Specific actionable task] - [Owner] - [Date]
[Continue with all actionable items]"

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Quality Control Patterns

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Self-Checking Instructions

Build quality assurance into your custom instructions: 
"Before finalizing, verify:

COMPLETENESS CHECK:
✅ All key points from voice note included
✅ Action items have owners and dates  
✅ Important context preserved
✅ Nothing critical missed

CLARITY CHECK:
✅ Headers clearly indicate content
✅ Sections are logically organized
✅ Language is appropriate for audience
✅ Acronyms and jargon explained

ACTIONABILITY CHECK:
✅ Next steps are specific and concrete
✅ Responsibilities are clearly assigned
✅ Timelines are realistic and stated
✅ Success criteria are defined

If any check fails, revise that section before presenting output."

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Consistency Enforcement

Maintain formatting standards across all notes: 
"Apply these style standards consistently:

HEADERS: Always use emoji + ALL CAPS format
DATES: Use format: Month DD, YYYY  
TIMES: Use 24-hour format (14:30) or specify AM/PM
PEOPLE: Use full names on first reference, then last name
PROJECTS: Use official project names in consistent format
CURRENCIES: Always include currency symbol and full amount
PERCENTAGES: Round to one decimal place unless precision matters

ACTION ITEMS FORMAT:
- 📋 [Specific action] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]

STATUS INDICATORS:
✅ Complete | 🔄 In Progress | ⏸️ Paused | 🚫 Blocked | 📋 Not Started"

Custom Instructions Library

Apply these formatting techniques to ready-made templates

Prompt Templates

See formatting techniques in action with copy-paste templates