Google Docs: Writing with Gemini

Google Docs is where ideas become documents — reports, proposals, blog posts, plans. Gemini makes the hardest part (the blank page) dramatically easier.

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you learned to draft and polish emails in Gmail using “Help me write” and refine options. The same principles work in Docs, with more power: longer content, multiple formats, and source grounding.

Two Ways to Use Gemini in Docs

1. Inline: Help Me Write

Click on an empty line in your document. The “Help me write” prompt appears. Type what you want:

“Write a one-page project proposal for migrating our customer database to Supabase. Include: business justification, timeline (6 weeks), resource needs (2 engineers), risks, and success metrics.”

Gemini generates the content directly into your document. Click Insert to keep it, Refine to iterate, or Close to discard.

2. Side Panel: Gemini Chat

Click the ✨ icon in the upper right. The side panel opens a conversational interface where you can:

• Ask questions about your document: “What are the main arguments in this doc?”
• Get suggestions: “How could I make the introduction more compelling?”
• Generate content: “Write a conclusion that summarizes the three key recommendations”
• Reference files: “Compare this proposal with @Last-Quarter-Proposal”

When to use which:

• Inline for generating and replacing text directly in the document
• Side panel for asking questions, getting feedback, or referencing external files

✅ Quick Check: You have writer’s block on the introduction of a report. Should you use inline “Help me write” or the side panel? (Answer: Either works, but for different approaches. Inline is better if you want to generate the intro directly: “Write a compelling introduction for a report on AI adoption in healthcare. Hook the reader with a statistic.” Side panel is better if you want to brainstorm first: “Give me 3 possible opening hooks for a report on AI in healthcare” — then pick one and refine it inline.)

Generating Full Documents

Gemini can create entire documents from a single prompt. The key is being specific about structure:

Prompt: “Create a project post-mortem document for our failed mobile app launch. Structure:

1. Executive summary (2 paragraphs)
2. Timeline of events (bullet points)
3. What went wrong (3-4 root causes)
4. What we learned
5. Recommended changes for next launch

Context: We launched on March 15, the app crashed for 40% of users due to a server scaling issue, user reviews dropped to 2.1 stars, we pulled the app on March 17 and relaunched March 22.”

This produces a structured, context-rich document that needs minimal editing.

Document Types That Work Well

Refining Existing Text

Already written something? Gemini can refine it:

Select Text → Help Me Write

Select any text in your document, then use Help me write to transform it:

• “Make this more concise — cut it to half the length without losing key points”
• “Rewrite this for a C-level audience — remove technical details, focus on business impact”
• “Add transition sentences between these paragraphs”
• “Convert this paragraph into bullet points”
• “Expand this outline into full paragraphs”

Tone Adjustment

Gemini handles tone shifts well:

✅ Quick Check: You wrote a draft report and your manager says “too long, make it executive-friendly.” What’s the most efficient approach? (Answer: Select the entire document (Ctrl+A), use Help me write with the prompt: “Condense this into a one-page executive summary. Lead with the recommendation, then key data points, then risks. Remove methodology details.” This is faster than manually cutting paragraphs because Gemini restructures the content, not just shortens it.)

Source Grounding with @

Since October 2025, Gemini in Docs can reference your linked sources and Google Drive files:

1. Link relevant documents in your text (or paste them into the side panel)
2. In the side panel, type @ and select a file
3. Ask Gemini to use those sources

Example: “Based on @Annual-Report-2025 and @Customer-Survey-Results, write a section about customer satisfaction trends. Include specific numbers from both sources.”

Why this matters: Without source grounding, Gemini generates plausible-sounding but potentially inaccurate content. With source grounding, it pulls real data from your files — making the output verifiable and specific to your organization.

Practical Workflow: Report Writing

Here’s a real workflow combining multiple Docs AI features:

1. Outline first: “Create an outline for a competitive analysis report covering [three competitors]. Include sections for: market positioning, pricing, features, strengths, weaknesses, and our recommended response.”

2. Fill sections: Select each outline heading, use Help me write to expand: “Write the market positioning section for Competitor A based on @Competitor-A-Research”

3. Refine tone: Select the full draft: “Make this consistently professional. Remove any speculative language — use only claims supported by data.”

4. Executive summary: At the top: “Write a 3-paragraph executive summary of this report. Lead with the most important finding.”

Practice Exercise

1. Open a new Google Doc
2. Use “Help me write” to generate a one-page project proposal on any topic
3. Select the introduction — refine it to be more compelling
4. Open the side panel and ask Gemini for feedback: “How could this proposal be stronger?”
5. Reference a Drive file using @ and ask Gemini to incorporate data from it

Key Takeaways

• Inline “Help me write” generates and refines text directly in your document
• The side panel is for conversational interaction — questions, feedback, brainstorming
• Specific prompts with structure produce dramatically better results than vague ones
• Source grounding (@) connects Gemini to your actual files for accurate, data-rich content
• AI-generated documents need review — treat them as strong first drafts, not final products
• The workflow: outline → fill sections → refine tone → add executive summary

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll move from words to numbers. Google Sheets’ AI features can write formulas, analyze data, and answer questions about your spreadsheets in plain English.