Which Gemini prompts should I start with at work?

Three steps. Five minutes.

On Google Workspace Business Starter, Standard or Plus? Then you have it. It is in every Google Workspace Business plan. Nothing to buy. On another plan, ask your IT admin.

1. Open it Go to gemini.google.com and sign in with your work Google account, the one you use for Gmail at work. On your phone, get the Gemini app.
2. Give it your stuff Press Add files next to the chat box. Upload from your computer, or pick Add from Drive. A PDF, a spreadsheet, a photo of a whiteboard: all fine. Up to 10 files in one message, up to 100 MB each. Drive missing? Your Google admin turns it on.
3. Ask in plain words Say who you are, what you need and how you want it back. Then read the answer, and ask again until it is right.

Your first one

Paste it and fill in the parts in square brackets:

"I'm a [your role] at a [type] company. I attached [the file]. Tell me the 5 things I most need to know from it, bottom line first. Say where in the file each one is. If you're not sure, say so."

It drafts, you decide. Check every number and date against the file before it goes anywhere. That habit is the whole trick.

The ten prompts

Fill in the parts in square brackets. Add the file when it asks for one.

1. A long contract I attached a [type] contract. List what a [my role] must know: dates, money, notice periods, renewals, anything unusual. Give the clause number for each. Flag anything you're not sure of.
2. Vendor quotes Here are [3] quotes. Put them in a table: price, what's included, terms, delivery, risks. Then say which one fits [our priority] best, and why.
3. Competitors Deep Research Research the top [5] companies that sell [product] to [customers] in [region]. For each: what they sell, price signals, who they target, recent news. Cite every source.
4. A hard email Rewrite this email so it's kind but firm. Keep the deadline. Under [120] words. [paste it]
5. Notes into a plan Turn these notes into a plan: each step with an owner and a date. Ask me about anything that's missing. [paste notes]
6. A spreadsheet I attached [the file]. What are the 3 biggest changes since [last month]? Show the numbers you used.
7. A whiteboard photo This is a photo of our whiteboard. Type it up as a clean list: decisions, then to-dos with names.
8. Meeting prep Tomorrow I meet [who] about [topic]. Give me the 5 questions they'll most likely ask, and a short answer to each.
9. Something new to you Explain [topic] like I run a [industry] company. Then give one example from a company like mine.
10. Your first Gem Help me write instructions for a Gem that [does this job] for my team. Ask me 5 questions first, one at a time.

Who it helps, step by step

The manager: an 80-page contract, read for you

1. Press Add files and upload the contract.
2. Paste prompt 1.
3. Open the file at each clause it names and read that part yourself.

You get: the dates, money and traps, each with its clause.

The owner: research that used to take a week

1. In the chat box, pick Deep Research.
2. Paste prompt 3. It shows you its research plan: change it or press start.
3. It reads up to hundreds of websites and writes a report with its sources, in minutes. Open the sources it cites before you act on it.

You get: a multi-page report, every source linked.

The new AI lead: one Gem, the whole team on the same playbook

1. Open the side menu, press Gems, then New Gem.
2. Give it a name and instructions (prompt 10 writes them with you). Add your files under Knowledge.
3. Press Save, try it, then share it with your team.

You get: your best instructions, saved once, used by everyone.

What a good one looks like

Jordan (a made-up example) runs operations at a $90M parts distributor. A freight contract renews soon. Notice how specific Jordan gets.

• Vague: "Summarize this contract."
• Specific (prompt 1, filled in): "I attached a freight contract. List what an operations manager must know: dates, money, notice periods, renewals, anything unusual. Give the clause number for each. Flag anything you're not sure of."

What Jordan gets back: the renewal date and the notice window to cancel, with the clause. Fuel surcharge rules and when rates can change. Who pays for damage, and the claim deadline. One flag: a minimum-volume clause worth a call to the carrier. Jordan opens each clause, checks it, and calls the carrier that day.

• Say who you are. The role decides what "important" means.
• Name the format. "Clause number for each," so you can check.
• Ask for doubts. "Flag what you're not sure of" stops guessing.

Your turn. Pick one long file you had to read this week. Upload it, paste prompt 1, and time it.

What it won't do for you

• It can be wrong. It drafts fast and sounds sure. You check the numbers, the dates and the names.
• Your plan sets the limits. Business Starter gets 5 Deep Research reports a month; Standard and Plus get 20 a day.
• Work account, not personal. The privacy line below is for Google Workspace business accounts. A personal Gmail account runs on different terms.
• It doesn't send anything. It drafts. Sending, signing and deciding stay with you.

"Your data … is not reviewed by humans or otherwise used for generative AI model training outside your domain without permission." Google Workspace, Generative AI Privacy Hub, checked 10 Oct 2026.

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