More guides · from the first edition of Issue #1

Find the Right Words When It Matters

A toast at a grandchild's wedding, a few words at a retirement party, or a eulogy for an old friend. Give the AI your true stories and it'll help shape them into something that sounds like you on your best day. The memories are yours; it just helps with the arranging.

Why it's useful

Most of us know exactly how we feel and have no idea how to start. An AI chatbot is a patient writing partner: give it real details, and it'll organize them into a draft you can read aloud, then make it shorter, funnier, or gentler as many times as you like. No judgment, no deadline panic.

Which free AI to use

Best free pick: Claude — type claude.ai into your web browser, or install the free “Claude” app from your phone’s app store.

Free plan, honestly: Free, but you must sign in with a free account before you can chat. Photos and voice work on the free plan, but there's an overall usage cap that resets every 5 hours.

How to open it: Go to claude.ai and sign in (free account), or open the Claude app.

Also works in: ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot are all good writing partners on their free plans.

Step by step

Gather 3 true details: a memory, something you admire about the person, and maybe a funny habit or story. Real details are what make a toast land.
Open Claude at claude.ai and sign in (a free account is required).
Copy the prompt below with the blue button and paste it in.
Fill in the brackets with the occasion, the person, how long it should be, and your details.
Press Send and read the draft out loud. Anything that doesn't sound like you, cut it.
Ask for changes in plain words: “Shorter.” “Less sappy.” “Add the fishing story near the end.” “Make the ending stronger.”
Print it in big type (ask: “Format this as large-print cue cards”) and practice twice.

The prompt to copy and paste

Press the button to copy it. Then paste it into Claude's message box. Replace anything in [square brackets] with your own details.

Copy-paste prompt

Please help me write a [toast / short eulogy / retirement speech] for [who they are to me, e.g., my grandson Jake at his wedding].

It should take about [2] minutes to say out loud, and the tone should be [warm and lightly funny / heartfelt and gentle / both].

Here are some true details to include:
- [a favorite memory]
- [a quality I admire about them]
- [a funny habit or story]

Please don't invent stories or facts I didn't give you. Write it in my voice: plain-spoken, not flowery. Then give me two different opening lines and two different closing lines to choose from.

What the AI might say back

EXAMPLE ONLY This is a made-up sample to show the kind of answer you'll get. Your answer will be worded differently and based on your own situation.

(A 2-minute wedding toast for a grandson, warm and lightly funny.)

“Good evening, everyone. For those who don't know me, I'm Jake's grandfather, the man who taught him to fish, and the man he out-fished by the time he was nine. I've never fully recovered.

Jake has always been the one who shows up. When my furnace quit two winters ago, he was at my door before the repairman, with a space heater and a bag of donuts. That's who he is.

And Sarah, the first time Jake brought you to dinner, he didn't check his phone once. I'd never seen that before. I knew right then…”

Alternate opening: “I've been told to keep this short, which is a first for me…”

Tips

The phrase “don't invent stories” in the prompt matters. Chatbots sometimes fill gaps with made-up details. Read every line and make sure it's true.
For a eulogy, it's okay to go slowly. You can type memories over several sittings, and the AI will help you weave them together.
Try: “Read this like a 2-minute speech and tell me which line to pause after for laughs.”

Privacy note

Share stories, not sensitive details. There's no need to include anyone's health information, addresses, or financial matters. And because these words carry weight, you're the final editor. Every sentence should be true and sound like you.