AI WORLD HQDrafting Clear Instructions for a New Team Member Using Le Chat
How to turn your team knowledge into a friendly, step-by-step onboarding guide your new colleague will actually read.
Hook: By the end of this guide, you'll have a complete, friendly onboarding document for a new colleague — drafted in under 20 minutes using Le Chat, Mistral's AI chat assistant. This is for team leaders, managers, and anyone who keeps being asked the same questions by new starters.
💡 Tip: tap a step’s number when you finish it — a green tick appears and your browser remembers how far you got.
- A Mistral account — the free plan is enough for this task; sign up at chat.mistral.ai using your email or a single-sign-on option.
- The Le Chat web app or mobile app — whichever you find easier to type on. The mobile app is the same product, just a smaller screen.
- Rough notes about the role — even messy bullet points work. Think: who they meet, what tools they use, what they should read first.
- About 15–20 minutes for your first draft, plus a few minutes for review. You can come back later to polish.
One honest note: Le Chat can draft the instructions beautifully, but it can't verify your workplace-specific facts (names, logins, room numbers, dates). Always check the final document yourself before sharing.
Open Le Chat and start a fresh chat
Go to chat.mistral.ai in your browser, or open the Mistral AI app on your phone or desktop. Look for a large text box near the bottom of the screen — that's where you'll type your message. Click or tap inside it. What you'll see: a clean chat window with a blinking cursor in the input area, ready for typing. If you've chatted with Le Chat before, your old conversations may be listed in a sidebar on the left. Look for a "New chat" button or a "+" icon to start a fresh conversation — otherwise you'll keep adding to an old thread. If your screen looks different, look for any text input field near the bottom of the page with a send button beside it. 💬 Example: (no typing needed yet — just get to an empty chat). You'll know it worked when you see an empty chat box with no messages above it and the input area is ready.
Tell Le Chat your goal in plain words
In the text box, type a short message explaining what you want to make and who it's for. Then press Enter or tap the send button (usually an arrow or paper plane icon). What happens next: Le Chat reads your message and replies within a few seconds — usually acknowledging the task and asking one or two clarifying questions. Don't worry if it asks things back; that's normal and helps it write better instructions later. If your screen looks different on mobile, look for a send button with an upward arrow inside the text field. 💬 Example: "I'm onboarding a new marketing assistant next week. Help me write clear step-by-step instructions for their first day — how to log in, who to meet, and how to set up their workstation." You'll know it worked when Le Chat replies with a relevant follow-up question or a short plan.
Paste in your rough notes or scribbles
Now copy whatever notes you already have — even messy bullet points — and paste them into the same chat. Press send. What happens: Le Chat reads your notes and confirms what it understood. It might point out missing pieces (like "you haven't mentioned how to get a parking permit") or suggest a clearer order. If you don't have notes yet, just describe the process out loud in your next message instead — that's also fine. 💬 Example: "Here's what I have so far: 1) HR email arrives Monday morning 2) pick up laptop from IT desk 3) meet the team at 10am 4) read the style guide 5) shadow Sarah on a campaign. Please fill in the gaps and turn this into proper instructions." You'll know it worked when Le Chat shows you a structured list or asks which gaps it should fill first.
Ask Le Chat to write the full step-by-step guide
Type a clear request for the final version. Ask for numbered steps, friendly language, and a short welcome note at the top. Press send. What happens: Le Chat drafts the instructions in a few seconds — usually as a numbered list with short sentences, headings for each section, and a friendly intro paragraph. The first draft won't be perfect; that's okay — we polish it in the next step. If the response seems too short or too long, mention the word count you want in your prompt. 💬 Example: "Great. Now please write the full onboarding guide as numbered steps, with a short welcome message at the top, friendly tone, and clear headings for each day. Keep sentences short and explain any jargon the new starter might not know." You'll know it worked when you see a complete draft with numbered steps and headings you can copy straight away.
Review and ask for adjustments
Read through the draft carefully. Mark anything that's missing, confusing, or wrong for your workplace — wrong names, missing tools, unrealistic timing. Then send a follow-up message asking for changes. What happens: Le Chat rewrites just the parts you flagged, usually keeping the rest the same. You can do this as many times as you like — each adjustment typically takes only a few seconds. If something feels off but you can't explain why, just say so in plain words; Le Chat works well with vague feedback too. 💬 Example: "Please make these changes: add a step for setting up the VPN, change the welcome message to mention our team name 'Bright Studio', and put the lunch break info in its own section called 'Breaks and meals'." You'll know it worked when the new version includes your specific edits and the rest of the guide still reads smoothly.
Save and share with your new team member
When you're happy with the draft, copy the final text out of Le Chat. Paste it into a Google Doc, Notion page, email, or wherever your team keeps documents. What happens: the instructions are now ready to send. Le Chat can draft a friendly email introducing the guide, but it can't send it for you — that's still your job. Also, double-check anything workplace-specific (room numbers, IT system names, dates) before you hit send; Le Chat may have invented a plausible-sounding detail that doesn't exist at your company. 💬 Example: "Thanks, this is perfect! Can you also write a short email to send to the new starter on Friday with the link to this guide and a friendly hello?" You'll know it worked when you have a finished guide saved somewhere your team can find it, and (optionally) a friendly intro email ready to copy into your inbox.
- Vague prompts — typing "write onboarding docs" gives vague results. Fix: always name the role, the day or week, and what the person should achieve by the end.
- Accepting the first draft — Le Chat is fast but not perfect. Fix: always read through and ask for specific edits; one extra round usually doubles the quality.
- Sharing without checking workplace facts — names, logins, room numbers and tool names can be made up. Fix: have someone from your team proofread before you send it to the new starter.
Open Le Chat, paste this in, and see what comes back: "I'm a café manager. Help me write 4 simple steps for a new barista on their first shift — covering opening the till, the morning coffee routine, when to take breaks, and how to handle a customer complaint. Keep the tone friendly and the sentences short." Then read the draft and ask for one small change. You'll have a working onboarding snippet in under two minutes.
❓ Quick questions
How long does this take?
About 6 minutes — the guide has 6 steps, and you can tick each one off as you go.
Which tool do I need?
This guide uses Mistral Le Chat — but the approach works very similarly in other AI assistants.
Do I need to prepare anything?
- A Mistral account — the free plan is enough for this task; sign up at chat.mistral.ai using your email or a single-sign-on option.
- The Le Chat web app or mobile app — whichever you find easier to type on. The mobile app is the same product, just a smaller screen.
- Rough notes about the role — even messy bullet points work. Think: who they meet, what tools they use, what they should read first.
- About 15–20 minutes for your first draft, plus a few minutes for review. You can come back later to polish.
One honest note: Le Chat can draft the instructions beautifully, but it can't verify your workplace-specific facts (names, logins, room numbers, dates). Always check the final document yourself before sharing.
What mistakes should I avoid?
- Vague prompts — typing "write onboarding docs" gives vague results. Fix: always name the role, the day or week, and what the person should achieve by the end.
- Accepting the first draft — Le Chat is fast but not perfect. Fix: always read through and ask for specific edits; one extra round usually doubles the quality.
- Sharing without checking workplace facts — names, logins, room numbers and tool names can be made up. Fix: have someone from your team proofread before you send it to the new starter.
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✦ Original step-by-step guide by AI World HQ's AI editorial team. Written in plain language, reviewed for accuracy.
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