Better Prompts. Smarter Work. The DECENA Method™ in Action at ALA
What an AI workday sidekick taught us about communication, human judgment, and working smarter with artificial intelligence.
By Leilani Decena, SHRM-SCP | Founder, AI x HR Studios
What if you could create your ideal workday sidekick?
Someone who could help you prepare for meetings, organize competing priorities, keep track of deadlines, or finally make sense of those notes you've been meaning to revisit.
That's the question I brought to a room of legal professionals at the First State Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) on September 14, 2026.
I was there to present Prompt Like a Pro: Turn Better Prompts into Smarter Legal Workflows, an interactive workshop designed to help legal administrators use artificial intelligence more effectively and responsibly.
But I didn't want to begin with complicated technology, elaborate prompts, or a list of AI tools.
I wanted to begin with something everyone in that room could relate to.
A busy workday. Too many responsibilities. And the possibility of having a little extra help.
So I introduced the idea of an AI workday sidekick.
And from there, we explored a lesson that applies to nearly every profession:
AI may be remarkably capable, but it still needs a good briefing.
Think of AI as a Very Fast Intern
Imagine hiring a new intern who can read, summarize, organize, research, and draft information at remarkable speed.
Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?
But this intern has never worked for your organization. It doesn't know your priorities, your clients, your processes, or what you consider a successful outcome.
It can also make mistakes, sometimes quite confidently.
Would you simply hand over an assignment and say, "Work on this," without explaining what you needed?
Probably not.
You'd describe the task, provide context, identify the resources to use, explain any restrictions, and establish expectations.
Yet when we use AI, we sometimes do exactly the opposite.
We type a few words into a chat window, press Enter, and hope the technology figures out the rest.
Then we're disappointed when the answer is generic, incomplete, or misses the point.
That isn't always an AI capability problem. Sometimes it's a communication problem.
Prompting is clear workplace communication translated into AI.
And communication is something we already know how to do. We just need to apply those skills more intentionally.
The Workday Sidekick Experiment
During the workshop, I used a simple exercise to demonstrate how the instructions we give AI can shape its responses.
We started with one prompt:
"Create a workday sidekick for me."
That's it.
No explanation of the person's job. No description of what the sidekick should do. No personality, preferences, or responsibilities.
AI had very little to work with.
Then we explored what happens when we give it more information.
What if the sidekick were supporting a legal administrator responsible for meetings,
deadlines, attorney onboarding, and administrative operations?
What if we described its personality as calm, professional, capable, and just a little humorous?
What if we explained what problems it should help solve?
Now AI had something meaningful to work with.
The exercise was intentionally creative. But beneath the playful sidekick concept was a serious professional skill: learning to communicate expectations clearly.
Because whether you're creating an imaginary assistant, drafting a client communication, preparing a leadership briefing, or improving an operational process, the principle is the same.
Better instructions give AI a better opportunity to deliver useful work.
And that's where the DECENA Method™ comes in.
Introducing the DECENA Method™
Over the course of my career, I've worked in television journalism, communications, human resources, and learning and development.
Those experiences have shaped how I approach AI.
In a newsroom, a producer needs a clear assignment. In HR, employees need well-defined expectations. In organizational learning, people need context, examples, and feedback to succeed.
AI isn't human, of course. But many of the communication practices that help people work effectively can also help us give AI clearer instructions.
That's the thinking behind the DECENA Method™, a six-step framework I developed to help people brief AI more effectively.
It's designed to be practical, memorable, and adaptable across professions and AI platforms.
D — Define the Role
Who should AI act as?
You might need a research assistant, communications strategist, project coordinator, or critical reviewer.
Give AI a role that fits the work rather than assuming it understands the perspective you need.
E — Explain the Task
What exactly should AI do?
"Help me prepare" is vague.
"Create a one-page briefing identifying unresolved decisions, approaching deadlines, and follow-up responsibilities" gives AI a clearer assignment.
C — Context
What does AI need to know?
Explain the audience, objectives, work environment, relevant background, and circumstances that could influence the response.
Context helps AI tailor its output to the situation.
E — Evidence
What information should AI rely on?
Provide approved documents, credible sources, relevant examples, or reference materials.
Tell AI when it must use only the information supplied and when it should identify missing evidence rather than invent details.
N — Name Boundaries
What must AI not assume, invent, or decide?
Identify confidentiality requirements, source restrictions, decisions requiring human approval, and anything the technology should avoid.
This step is particularly important when dealing with sensitive organizational information.
A — Ask for Action
What should the result look like?
Specify the deliverable, format, level of detail, and intended use.
Do you want a checklist, summary, email draft, action plan, or leadership briefing?
The clearer the expected result, the easier it becomes to evaluate the response.
The DECENA Method™ isn't about writing longer prompts for the sake of it.
It's about providing the right instructions for the work.
And it travels with you, whether you're using ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, or another AI platform.
See the Difference: One Meeting, Two Prompts
Let's take an example from the workshop.
Imagine you're a legal administrator preparing for an operations meeting.
You open your AI tool and type:
"Prepare me for the meeting."
You might receive a response suggesting that you review the agenda, gather relevant documents, prepare questions, and take notes.
Useful?
Perhaps.
Specific to your situation?
Not particularly.
Now consider what happens when we apply the DECENA Method™.
D — Define the Role: Act as an operations coordinator supporting a law firm's administrative leadership team.
E — Explain the Task: Prepare a one-page leadership briefing for our upcoming operations meeting.
C — Context: The meeting will focus on operational priorities, unresolved issues, upcoming deadlines, and decisions requiring leadership attention.
E — Evidence: Use only the approved, sanitized meeting notes and status updates I provide.
N — Name Boundaries: Don't invent missing information, make legal interpretations, or make decisions on behalf of leadership. Clearly flag anything requiring clarification.
A — Ask for Action: Organize the briefing into four sections: decisions needed, open issues, upcoming deadlines, and action items. Identify missing information and indicate where human review is required.
Now AI has a much better understanding of the assignment.
Instead of relying on generic advice, it can organize the approved information into something designed for the actual meeting.
The goal isn't simply to produce more words.
It's to create an output that's relevant, structured, actionable, and easier for a person to review.
And that brings us to something even more important.
Don't Start With the Tool. Start With the Work.
As AI capabilities expand, it's tempting to jump immediately to the newest tool, automation, or AI agent.
But one of the messages I emphasized during the ALA presentation was this:
Don't start with the tool. Start with the work.
Where are people experiencing friction?
Are they repeatedly searching for information?
Rewriting similar communications?
Following up on missing documents?
Preparing the same report every week?
Tracking deadlines across several systems?
Before deciding which AI capability to use, understand the task or process you're trying to improve.
Sometimes a simple chat is enough to produce a useful first draft.
Sometimes a scheduled task can help with recurring work.
A project workspace may help maintain instructions and approved reference materials across related tasks.
More complex work may benefit from a defined workflow or an AI agent operating within approved limits.
But those aren't interchangeable solutions, and their capabilities vary by platform and organizational setup.
The right approach depends on what the work actually requires.
Not every problem needs AI.
And not every AI problem needs an agent.
Sometimes the simplest solution is the smartest one.
Augment Before You Automate
Another concept I shared with ALA participants was the importance of augmenting human capabilities before automating work.
We often hear that AI will eliminate repetitive tasks, transform entire departments, or take over complex processes.
But I believe we need to be more thoughtful about what we're asking technology to do.
Consider these examples:
AI prepares information. A person makes the decision.
AI organizes materials. A person determines priorities.
AI compares details. A person evaluates risks.
AI drafts communications. A person reviews and approves them.
AI identifies potential issues. A person determines how to address them.
The goal isn't to remove human involvement from everything.
It's to use technology where it adds value while preserving the experience, expertise, and accountability that people bring to their work.
That distinction is particularly important in legal environments, where confidentiality, accuracy, professional obligations, and sound judgment are essential.
During the workshop, I shared three principles:
Protect. Verify. Escalate.
Protect sensitive and restricted information by following organizational policies and using approved tools.
Verify important facts, dates, names, sources, calculations, and citations.
Escalate legal interpretations, confidentiality concerns, policy exceptions, and other matters requiring qualified human judgment.
These practices aren't limited to law firms. They apply to HR, healthcare, finance, communications, and many other industries.
AI can help with the work.
Humans remain accountable for the decisions.
What This Experience Reinforced for Me
One of the things I enjoy most about teaching AI is connecting unfamiliar technology to experiences people already understand.
We know what it's like to receive unclear instructions.
We know how frustrating it is to redo work because expectations weren't communicated.
And we know the difference between having someone simply complete a task and having someone understand what we're actually trying to accomplish.
Those experiences give us a familiar starting point for learning to work with AI.
That's why I designed Prompt Like a Pro around realistic workplace challenges, practical exercises, and a little creativity.
I wanted participants to see AI as something they could explore thoughtfully, not another technology they had to master overnight.
And I wanted them to leave with more than a list of prompts.
My goal was for each participant to identify one real task, create a stronger AI briefing, and understand where human judgment should remain part of the process.
It's an approach I bring to my work through AI x HR Studios.
The technology matters. But so do the people using it, the processes surrounding it, and the purpose behind the work.
Your Turn: Try the DECENA Method™
You don't need to attend an AI conference or learn to build an agent to get started.
Think about one task you handle regularly.
Maybe it's preparing for a meeting, organizing research, developing communications, summarizing information, or planning a project.
Before opening your favorite AI tool, ask yourself six questions:
Define: What role do I need AI to play?
Explain: What exactly am I asking it to accomplish?
Context: What does it need to understand?
Evidence: What information should it use?
Name: What boundaries or restrictions matter?
Action: What result do I want it to produce?
Then review the result.
Is it accurate? Is it useful? Does it reflect the information you provided? What still requires your judgment?
Revise your briefing as needed.
You might be surprised by how much difference a little clarity can make.
Better Prompts Are Just the Beginning
I'm grateful to the First State Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators for the opportunity to share Prompt Like a Pro and explore practical AI applications for legal operations.
As AI continues to evolve, we'll see more sophisticated tools, new capabilities, and new ways to organize work.
But I'm convinced that some of the most important skills for working with AI are ones we already recognize: communicating clearly, asking good questions, exercising judgment, and knowing when to seek more information.
The DECENA Method™ brings those principles into a repeatable framework anyone can begin practicing.
And that's what excites me about this work.
Not simply what AI can do.
But what people can accomplish when they learn to use it thoughtfully.
Better prompts are the entry point. Smarter workflows are the payoff.
And the ultimate goal?
Better work.
Bring Practical AI Training to Your Organization
At AI x HR Studios, I help leaders, professionals, and teams understand how to use AI responsibly, improve everyday workflows, and redesign work around the strengths of people and technology.
From interactive workshops like Prompt Like a Pro to customized AI training and workflow strategy sessions, the focus is always on practical application.
Explore workshops, speaking engagements, and consulting services at www.aixhrstudios.com.
Leilani Decena, SHRM-SCP, holds the SHRM AI+HI Specialty Credential and is the founder of AI x HR Studios. Her background spans award-winning television journalism, communications, human resources, and organizational learning.
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