In the previous lesson, you chose a task before choosing an AI tool. Now you will use ChatGPT for three common tasks: drafting a message, learning something new and organising a plan.
ChatGPT can give you a useful starting point quickly. The skill is knowing what to ask, how to improve its first response and what you need to check before using it.
Task one: draft a message
Imagine you need to rearrange a meeting. You could ask:
Write a polite email asking to move a meeting from Tuesday to Thursday.
That will produce a draft, but ChatGPT does not know who the message is for or why you need the change. Add the details that matter:
Draft a short, polite email to a colleague asking to move our Tuesday meeting to Thursday afternoon. Apologise for the change and ask whether 2 pm works. Keep it friendly rather than formal.
Read the result before sending it. Check the day and time, remove anything you would not normally say and make sure the request is clear. You can then ask ChatGPT to shorten the draft or change its tone.
This is often a good use of AI: it helps you get past the blank page, while you remain the author of the final message.
Task two: learn something new
Suppose you want to understand how solar panels work. You could ask:
Explain how solar panels generate electricity in simple terms.
If the answer uses unfamiliar words, do not start again. Ask a follow-up question:
What does “inverter” mean in that explanation? Give me an everyday comparison.
You can also test your understanding:
Ask me three questions about what you have explained. Tell me where my answers need improvement.
That turns a quick explanation into a learning exercise. Try answering in your own words before asking ChatGPT to correct you. If you are studying for a course, compare its explanation with your course materials rather than treating it as the final authority.
Task three: make a workable plan
ChatGPT can help turn a vague goal into a list of manageable steps. For example:
Help me plan three short study sessions this week to learn the basics of spreadsheets. I have 30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Give each session one practical exercise.
The available time and learning goal help it produce a more useful plan. If the first version is too ambitious, say:
Make the exercises easier. I have never used formulas before.
A plan is only helpful if it fits your circumstances. Adjust the suggestions to suit your time, energy and priorities.
Improve the first answer
You do not need a special set of prompt words. If a response is not useful, tell ChatGPT what is wrong with it. You can ask it to:
- make the answer shorter or clearer
- give a practical example
- explain one step at a time
- offer two different approaches
- state what information it is missing
- identify which claims you should check
The first response is often a draft. A short follow-up can be more effective than writing a long, complicated first prompt.
Know when to check
For a message, check names, dates and tone. For a learning explanation, check important facts against a reliable source. For a plan, decide whether it is realistic for you.
ChatGPT may also need current information for a task such as planning travel. If it uses web search and gives you sources, open them to confirm details such as opening times, prices and availability. Those details can change.
Avoid sharing private information about yourself or someone else unless you understand the tool’s settings and have a good reason to include it. You can often replace a real name with “my colleague” or describe a situation without including identifying details.
Try it yourself
Pick one of the three tasks in this lesson. Give ChatGPT an initial request, then make at least one follow-up request to improve the answer.
Before you use the result, ask yourself: “What would I need to change or verify?” You will get more value from that habit than from collecting elaborate prompts you never use.
Key takeaway
ChatGPT can help you draft, learn and plan, but its first response rarely needs to be the final one. Give it relevant context, ask for changes and check the result for your purpose.
Next, we will move beyond text and explore AI tools that can create and edit images and designs.