Working with ChatGPT: Create Something Better than Either of You Could Create Alone
- jeanna55
- 4 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Chat works best as a collaborator when you stay engaged in the process instead of handing everything off. As we all know, defining the problem (or the task) if often the hardest and most critical aspect of successfully tackling it. Chat is not going to be very helpful here. No matter how detailed the prompt, Chat will never understand the situation as well as you.
Once you have a clear understanding of the problem, and before you even think about creating a prompt, use Chat to brainstorm, for example, “What are your “thoughts” on X”? Determine what resonates with you in the response.
Chat will almost always suggest a next step—at the early stages, it’s best to ignore it or it may start sending you down a rabbit hole.
Spend the bulk of your time creating a VERY detailed prompt. Most prompts are just a sentence or two. However, the quality of the response Chat generates will be in direct proportion to the information you give it. As a collaborator, you need to give Chat as much information as possible. You’ll be very surprised at the response Chat generates when your prompt is detailed and spans multiple paragraphs. The prompt doesn’t have to be perfect—it can be you just “talking off the top of your head.”
Even so, expect that whatever you are trying to accomplish will require multiple prompts. I have noticed that Chat does get confused if there are too many prompts—too many requests for clarification—in the same way a friend would get confused if you tried to clarify yourself too many times. A friend would say in exasperation, “What do you mean”? Chat won’t say that, it will just keep creating responses that are less and less relevant. So, start with a very strong prompt with the idea that you will limit requests for clarification to three.
If you are an expert in your field, always bear in mind that Chat is not. This means that it’s your job to deliver the deep context to Chat and Chat’s job to bring structure and polish. When it comes to fact-checking, ask Chat for references for the material it sends you. That will allow you to review the resources and judge accuracy. Chat makes no claims of infallibility.
Assume that you will need to rewrite the Chat-generated draft. The final version of whatever you and Chat co-create needs to be in your own voice. The best Chat collaborators are strong writers themselves. And I would say that this is especially true for journalists, who know how to write with clarity and accuracy.
Know what you don’t do well (I’m not great at creating transitions between paragraphs) and ask Chat to do it for you. I sometimes attach something that is complete and ask Chat to create an executive summary or even a cover letter for the publication. Chat is really good at taking over what most writers would call nuisance tasks like these.
If you attach something you’ve already written to a Chat prompt, Chat will sometimes ask, “Do you want me to make this better”? The answer is no.
Ultimately, your mindset should be: Chat and I will co-create something better, faster, and more engaging than either of us could create alone.
For a no cost discussion of your situation and how we can leverage metrics-based marketing to grow your business call 630-363-8081 or email jeanna@smartprcommunications.com.
