Content Blueprint: Claude Skills for Independent Consultants

Page Structure Overview

Estimated total per page: ~1,100-2,500 words

Section Details

Section 1: Skill Name

Type: heading_1 Word count: — Variable dependencies: Name Content rules:

• Use the exact skill name from the database
• Action-oriented naming (verb + noun pattern preferred) Format:
• Notion heading_1 block

Section 2: Quick Reference Table

Type: table (2 columns) Word count: — Variable dependencies: Category, Time to Run, Difficulty, Output Type, Client-Facing Content rules:

• Scannable at a glance — the buyer decides whether to read further based on this
• Client-Facing displays as "Yes — goes directly to client" or "No — internal use" Format:

Section 3: When to Use

Type: paragraph Word count: 80-150 Variable dependencies: Trigger Moment Content rules:

• Opens with the specific situation, not a generic description
• Names the trigger moment — the exact point in the consultant's week/engagement where this skill becomes relevant
• Uses second person ("You just...," "When you...," "The morning of...")
• Ends with a clear action: "Run this when..."
• No fluff, no setup — drop the reader directly into the situation Format:
• 1-2 short paragraphs, no bullets Example: "You just sent a proposal three days ago. No response. Your instinct is to wait — you don't want to seem pushy. Here's the problem: silence after a proposal almost never means 'I'm still thinking.' Run this the morning after your 72-hour follow-up window closes."

Section 4: What You'll Need

Type: bullets Word count: 30-60 Variable dependencies: Inputs Needed Content rules:

• Specific inputs the user must provide before running the skill
• Each bullet is one input — name it clearly
• Include format hints where helpful ("paste the email," "list 3-5 items")
• If the skill works with minimal input, say so — "Just a client name and the situation in 2-3 sentences" Format:
• Bulleted list, 3-7 items
• Bold the input name, plain text for the description Example:
• Client name and engagement type
• Last session notes (rough is fine)
• Open action items from previous sessions
• Recent client messages (paste the last 1-2 emails if available)

Section 5: The Skill

Type: full .md content (the product) Word count: 800-2000 Variable dependencies: All — this is the core content Content rules:

• This is the actual .md file the buyer uploads to Claude as a project skill
• Modeled on the Client Intelligence Brief structure:

1. YAML frontmatter — name, description (including triggers), metadata (author, version, date)
2. One-line positioning — what this skill does in one sentence
3. Core Principle — 1-2 sentences, the operating philosophy
4. What This Skill Does — the jobs it performs, written as prose not bullets
5. Named sections with detailed instructions — each section the skill produces, with:

• What goes in it
• Why it matters
• Formatting rules (table vs. bullets vs. prose)
• What to look for in the inputs

1. Quality Check — internal gate, never shown to user. 3-5 checks with enforcement rules
2. Rules — failure mode prevention. Formatting constraints, evidence requirements, what to never do
3. Output Format — complete markdown template showing the exact structure of the output
4. What Makes This Different — 1 paragraph, pattern-reveal positioning. What other approaches get wrong, what this skill gets right.

• Every section must have specific enough instructions that Claude produces consistent, high-quality output across different inputs
• No generic instructions — "write a good summary" fails. "Write a 3-sentence status summary covering: engagement phase, last milestone completed, next milestone due" succeeds.
• The quality check must include evidence-based verification, specificity check, and output usability test Format:
• Full markdown with YAML frontmatter
• Uses heading levels: ## for major sections, ### for subsections
• Tables for structured data sections
• Blockquotes for example language
• Code blocks for the output format template NOT:
• A one-liner prompt
• A paragraph of instructions
• A generic template with blanks

Section 6: Expected Output

Type: paragraph Word count: 40-80 Variable dependencies: Output Type Content rules:

• Concrete description of what the user will have after running the skill
• Names the format (email, document, analysis, script, template)
• Names the length or scope ("a one-page brief," "a 3-email sequence," "a 5-row analysis table")
• Sets expectations so the user knows when the skill has worked Format:
• 2-3 sentences, no bullets Example: "A one-page session brief with status summary, accountability check, prioritized agenda, opening question, and risk flags. Formatted as a markdown file ready to pull up on your second monitor during the call."

Section 7: Pro Tip

Type: callout Word count: 40-80 Variable dependencies: Category, Difficulty Content rules:

• One practitioner insight that elevates the output from good to great
• Specific and actionable — not generic advice
• Written from experience, not theory
• Should be the kind of thing you only learn after doing this 50+ times Format:
• Notion callout block (💡 emoji)
• 2-3 sentences max Example: "Paste the client's most recent email or Slack message — the skill catches tone shifts you might miss when you're moving fast between clients. A client who writes shorter than usual is often frustrated. The skill surfaces that; your memory won't."

Section 8: Related Skills

Type: bullets Word count: 20-40 Variable dependencies: Related Skills Content rules:

• 2-4 related skills that pair naturally with this one
• Brief explanation of how they connect — not just names
• Creates browsing paths through the product Format:
• Bulleted list with skill name in bold and one-line connection description Example:
• Session Recap Writer — run this immediately after the session this skill helped you prep for
• Action Item Tracker — consolidates the open items this brief surfaces
• Scope Creep Response — use when the brief flags scope drift in the risk section

Sample Page Skeleton: Session Prep Brief

Session Prep Brief

When to Use

You have a client session in 24-48 hours. You've been heads-down on other work all week. You know you should review your notes, but there are three other clients competing for your attention and you're tempted to just wing it. Don't. The difference between a session where you walk in cold and one where you walk in briefed is the difference between reactive and strategic. Your client can feel it.

Run this 24-48 hours before any client session.

What You'll Need

• Client name and engagement type (ongoing advisory, project, sprint)
• Last session notes (rough is fine — even bullet points from your notebook)
• Open action items from previous sessions
• Recent client messages (paste the last 1-2 emails or Slack messages if available)

The Skill

---
name: session-prep-brief
description: >
  Build a focused session brief so you walk into every client meeting
  prepared, not winging it. Paste your last session notes, open action
  items, and recent client messages — get back a one-page brief with
  status, accountability check, prioritized agenda, opening question,
  and risk flags. Use 24-48 hours before any client session.
  Triggers: "prep for session", "client meeting tomorrow", "session prep",
  "brief me on this client", "what's open with [client name]"
metadata:
  author: [Product Author]
  version: "1.0.0"
  updated: "[Date]"
---

# Session Prep Brief

Build the brief you wish someone on your team produced for you before every call.

## Core Principle

**Prepared beats brilliant.** The consultant who walks in knowing what's open,
what matters, and what to watch for outperforms the one who wings it every time.

## What This Skill Does

You paste last session notes, open action items, and recent client messages.
The skill reads everything and produces a brief that does three jobs:

**Job 1: Status & Accountability** — Where are we in this engagement? What did
the client commit to? What did I commit to? What got done and what didn't?

**Job 2: Session Agenda** — Top 3 topics for this session, prioritized by
urgency. An opening question that shows you've been paying attention. Landmines
to watch for.

**Job 3: Risk Flags** — Anything in the notes or messages that signals
frustration, confusion, scope drift, or disengagement. The things you'd catch
if you had 30 minutes to think.

## The Brief: Section by Section

### 1. Orientation
Two to three sentences. Client name, engagement phase, session cadence. Mental
reset — clear out whatever you were doing and lock in on this client.

### 2. Accountability Check
Two-column table:

| Their Commitments | Status |
|---|---|
| [Item from last session] | Done / Not done / Partial |

| My Commitments | Status |
|---|---|
| [Item from last session] | Done / Not done / Partial |

If items are carrying forward from multiple sessions, flag them: "[Rolling —
2nd session without completion]"

### 3. Priority Agenda
Top 3 topics for this session, ranked by urgency. Each gets:
- **Topic** — one line
- **Why now** — what makes this urgent for this session
- **Desired outcome** — what "done" looks like by end of session

### 4. Opening Question
One specific question to open the session that demonstrates you know where
things stand. Not "how are you?" — something tied to their last commitment,
their last message, or a specific milestone.

Format: "Last time we [specific thing]. I want to check on [specific item]
before we get into [priority topic]."

### 5. Risk Flags
Anything in the notes or messages that signals:
- **Frustration** — tone shifts, shorter responses, repeated questions
- **Scope drift** — new topics appearing that weren't in the original engagement
- **Capacity** — client overwhelmed with action items, things slipping
- **Disengagement** — longer response times, missed sessions, going through motions

If nothing is developing, say "No risk flags identified."

## Quality Check (Internal — never shown to the user)

| Check | Question |
|---|---|
| Evidence-backed | Does every risk flag cite specific language from the inputs? |
| Accountability accurate | Do commitment statuses match what the inputs actually show? |
| Opening usable | Could the user say the opening question verbatim on a call? |
| Agenda specific | Does each agenda topic have a clear "desired outcome"? |

Fix any failures before presenting. User sees only the finished brief.

## Rules

- One client per brief
- No paragraphs longer than 3 sentences
- Tables for structured data, bullets for lists, short prose for analysis
- If inputs don't contain enough to assess risk, say so — don't fabricate
- Opening question must be in natural conversational language, not consultant-speak
- The entire brief should be scannable in under 2 minutes
- Output as markdown

## Output Format

# Session Prep Brief: [Client Name]

| | |
|---|---|
| **Client** | [Name] |
| **Session Date** | [Date] |
| **Engagement Type** | [Type] |
| **Based on** | [What inputs were provided] |

---

## Accountability Check

| Their Commitments | Status |
|---|---|
| [Item] | [Status] |

| My Commitments | Status |
|---|---|
| [Item] | [Status] |

**Rolling items:** [Count and list, or "None"]

---

## Priority Agenda

**1. [Topic]**
Why now: [Reason]
Desired outcome: [What done looks like]

**2. [Topic]**
Why now: [Reason]
Desired outcome: [What done looks like]

**3. [Topic]**
Why now: [Reason]
Desired outcome: [What done looks like]

---

## Opening Question

"[Specific, conversational opening language]"

---

## Risk Flags

- **[Flag]** — [Evidence from inputs]
- **[Flag]** — [Evidence from inputs]

---

## What Makes This Different

Most session prep is a 30-second scan of your last email while the call is
ringing. This brief does the thinking you'd do if you had 30 minutes between
clients — accountability tracking, agenda prioritization, risk detection — in
the time it takes to paste your notes. You walk in knowing what matters, not
remembering what you can.

Expected Output

A one-page session brief with status summary, accountability check, prioritized 3-topic agenda, a specific opening question, and risk flags. Formatted as a markdown file ready to pull up during the call.

💡 Pro Tip

Paste the client's most recent email or Slack message — the skill catches tone shifts you might miss when you're moving fast between clients. A client who writes shorter than usual is often frustrated. The skill surfaces that; your memory won't.

Related Skills

• Session Recap Writer — run immediately after the session this skill helped you prep for
• Action Item Tracker — consolidates the open items this brief surfaces across all clients
• Scope Creep Response — use when the brief flags scope drift in the risk section