ChatGPT is rapidly becoming one of the most popular tools to assist us with our writing, brainstorming, and research. It can even be a source of entertainment. But if you’re new to it — or have only used it casually — getting the most out of ChatGPT can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, with a few key tips, anyone can use it effectively and confidently. 

Here are three things you need to know to get started.

1. Be clear and specific in your prompts.

How well ChatGPT can help you is influenced mainly by the prompt you give it. The “prompt” is the question you ask or the instruction you give the AI tool, and if you are vague (“Tell me about history”), you’ll likely get vague in return — a general, surface-level response. But if you’re clear and detailed (“Summarize the causes and consequences of the American Civil War in under 300 words for use with a class of high school students enrolled in Advanced Placement American History”), the output will be much more useful.

When I first started using ChatGPT, I always used vague prompts, because I didn’t know any better. What I got in return for my murky instructions was useless content, and I almost wrote the tool off. Fortunately, I sat in on a 1-hour informational session an associate was leading, and she helped me see where I was going wrong. Think of it like your GPS. If you are driving to a friend’s house, you don’t punch in the city only and then hope the device lands you safely in the appropriate driveway. You put in city AND the street address. ChatGPT needs to know your precise destination so it can help you navigate.

Tip:

• Include the purpose, audience, tone, and format you want in your prompt.
• Ask follow-up questions if the first answer isn’t exactly what you need.

2. Understand its strengths — and its limits.

ChatGPT is a powerful tool, to be sure, but it is not a magic wand. It’s great at:

• Generating ideas and outlines
• Summarizing content
• Helping with your research
• Creating first drafts of short pieces like emails, letters, and brief essays
• Explaining complex topics in simple terms

While it is a great resource, it can make mistakes or provide outdated information. It can even “hallucinate,” which is AI’s euphemistic way of saying it, on occasion, makes up stuff. Yep, you read that correctly. Sometimes, AI tells nonsensical, untrue tales and passes them off to you as facts. 

When I asked ChatGPT for a list of nonprofits that address the needs of a specific client population, it made up a few that don’t exist. When I asked it to write me a history of an organization for which I was consulting, what it gave me was only 85% correct and it made up the name of the founder. You have heard the phrase “don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.” Well, the same goes for AI.

Tip:

• Always fact-check information before using it.
• Treat ChatGPT as an assistant, not an all-knowing expert.

3. Use it as a collaborator – not a replacement.

A common beginner mistake is treating pieces generated by ChatGPT as finished products. It’s far better to collaborate with AI. Use it to create an outline or first draft. Ask it to brainstorm with you or suggest ways you can think differently. But always evaluate what it gives you and apply your own ideas and writing.

ChatGPT is not supposed to do your homework for you. Think of it as a co-writer, a brainstorming partner, or a second set of eyes, a mindset that will lead to better work, more creativity, and fewer mistakes.

You may have guessed that I used ChatGPT to help me with this article. My prompt was: “please give me a list of three things someone with little or no experience using ChatGPT needs to know to be able to begin using it effectively.” I then asked follow-up questions to refine the list, and I reviewed all the information it provided for accuracy. Then I began to write. My time on this article was roughly an hour, but it would have been two if I hadn’t used this tool to help me narrow my focus and organize my thinking. 

PS: There are writing purists out there who gasped at my admission that I use AI in my work. The ethics of using a tool like ChatGPT are being heatedly debated as you read this, and there are not a lot of clear answers as of yet. The field of education alone is scrambling to figure out how to keep students from ChatGPT-ing all of their work, and teachers are not the only ones who have concerns.

Here’s my personal philosophy. I don’t pass off work that was generated by AI as my own, and I would not write a novel with it or any other creative writing piece. However, I do find value in using it to help my clients to build capacity and be more successful. ChatGPT is my intern. It performs background research, helps generate outlines, and even checks my work for errors (which I then have to check to make sure it’s not hallucinating. Sigh.) You can wash your clothes by beating them on a rock down by the river, or you can throw them into your top-load washer, set the dial, and use the found time to do something else productive. 

Tip:

• Review and refine what ChatGPT gives you.
• Use the AI suggestions to enhance your own ideas and work for better results.

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Final Thoughts

You don’t have to be an expert to use ChatGPT, and the best way to learn is to play around with it. There is a paid version, but the free version is more than adequate to get you started. By practicing you will learn how to write effective prompts and begin to understand its limitations and how it can best help you. 

As the saying goes, do it badly enough times and you’ll accidentally do it right. Actually, the saying does not go that way (thank goodness), but when I asked ChatGPT to give me a humorous alternative to practice makes perfect, that’s what it came up with. It’s all in the prompt, people.