6DuckLearn Skills

executive file grounded reply

Use this when an executive needs to reply to an email about a project or deliverable and has a status report or briefing document in Drive to reference. Trigger when someone says: 'reply using my project file', 'respond with the status report', 'draft an executive email referencing [document]'.

productivity Tags: curated, google-workspace, executive, email, gmail

Attribution: Prepared by 6DuckLearn. Inspired by Google Workspace with Gemini Prompting Guide 101 (2025).

When to use this

You're an executive replying to a message about a project, timeline, or deliverable — and the best answer lives in a Drive document. Instead of digging through files, tag the doc and let Gemini pull the right details into your reply.

What you'll get

A professional email reply that includes specific details from your Drive document — deliverables, timelines, status — tailored to the email you're responding to.

Prompt template

Use this in Gemini in Gmail (open the email you're replying to, then open the Gemini side panel):

Generate a response to [person] about [topic]. Include details on [deliverable] and [timeline] using @[Project Status Report].

Fill in the variables:

  • [person] — the recipient's name or role, e.g. "the board", "Marcus", "the client team"
  • [topic] — e.g. "the product launch timeline", "Q3 budget status", "the integration project"
  • [deliverable] — the specific output they need to know about
  • [timeline] — key dates or milestones to mention
  • @[Project Status Report] — type @ and start typing to find your Drive file

Customisation tips

  • Multiple files: Tag up to 3 files with @ — e.g. @[Status Report] and @[Budget Summary]
  • Specify length: "Keep the reply to 3 short paragraphs" or "Write a brief executive summary"
  • After Gemini drafts, use Refine → Formalize if sending to board-level or external stakeholders
  • Combine with a commitment: Append "and close with a commitment to send the full report by [date]"

Iteration suggestions

After Gemini returns the draft:

  1. Too long? → Click Refine → Shorten in Gmail's side panel
  2. Needs a formal sign-off? → Click Refine → Formalize
  3. Delegate the follow-up? → use delegate-meeting-with-assignments to assign next steps

Related skills in this workflow

Step Skill What it does
1 board-meeting-confirmation-email Confirm attendance and request agenda change
2 → You are here executive-file-grounded-reply Reply to exec emails with file-grounded context
3 delegate-meeting-with-assignments Delegate a meeting and assign action items
4 executive-presentation-outline Create a detailed presentation outline by voice
5 daily-briefing-notebooklm Generate a commute-ready audio briefing

Related skills

  • board meeting confirmation email — Use this when an executive needs to confirm attendance at a board meeting and request an agenda change — drafted and sent from Gmail with a single prompt. Trigger when someone says: 'confirm board meeting', 'reply to board invite', 'adjust board agenda', or 'add item to board agenda'.
  • daily briefing notebooklm — Use this when an executive wants a hands-free audio summary of their day's key documents, reports, and schedule — ideal for commutes or pre-meeting prep. Trigger when someone says: 'morning briefing', 'commute briefing', 'audio summary of my reports', 'NotebookLM overview', or 'brief me on today's docs'.
  • delegate meeting with assignments — Use this when an executive cannot attend a meeting and needs to delegate attendance, assign note-taking, specify a required decision, and assign ownership of follow-up work — all in one email. Trigger when someone says: 'I can't make the meeting', 'delegate the meeting', 'assign someone to attend in my place', or 'draft a meeting delegation email'.
  • executive presentation outline — Use this when a C-suite executive needs to create a detailed presentation outline for an industry event, investor briefing, or keynote — including a customer Q&A section. Works by voice. Trigger when someone says: 'create a presentation outline', 'prepare my keynote', 'draft talking points for [event]', or 'I need a CEO presentation structure'.
  • email acknowledge commit — Use this when you need to send a quick, professional reply that confirms receipt of an email and commits to a specific action by a deadline. Trigger when someone says: 'acknowledge this email', 'reply that I received it', 'confirm I'll take action', or 'send a holding reply'.
  • email thread action items — Use this when you're looking at a long email thread and need to know what tasks, deadlines, and owners came out of it — without reading every reply. Trigger when someone says: 'extract action items', 'what are the next steps in this thread', 'summarise this email chain', or 'what's due from this email'.