Quick Start

Instead of "Where should we begin?", try:

I need help creating a marketing plan for my small bakery. 
I have a $2000 monthly budget and want to focus on local customers.
Can you outline the key steps?

Workflow

• What specific outcome do you want?
• What's the scope (time, budget, audience)?

• Your situation/background
• Any constraints or requirements
• Resources available

• Use action verbs: "Create", "Analyze", "Explain", "Compare"
• Include format preferences: "Give me 5 bullet points", "Write a 200-word summary"

Progress:

• Clarify objective
• Gather relevant context
• Frame specific request
• Review for clarity

Examples

Example 1: Input: "Help me with my resume" Better: "I'm a software engineer with 3 years experience applying for senior roles at tech startups. Can you review this resume section and suggest improvements for highlighting leadership experience?"

Example 2: Input: "I need business advice" Better: "I'm launching a dog walking service in Portland, Oregon. What are the top 3 legal requirements I should handle first, and what's a reasonable hourly rate for this market?"

Example 3: Input: "Explain machine learning" Better: "I'm a marketing manager who needs to understand how recommendation algorithms work to better collaborate with our data science team. Can you explain it using non-technical language with retail examples?"

Best Practices

• Be specific about your role/context - helps tailor the response
• Include constraints - time, budget, skill level, tools available
• Ask for structured output - bullet points, numbered steps, tables
• Request examples - especially for abstract concepts
• Specify length - "brief overview" vs "comprehensive guide"

Common Pitfalls

• Avoiding the "hello, how are you" trap - jump straight into your request
• Don't ask multiple unrelated questions at once
• Avoid vague qualifiers like "good", "best", "better" without context
• Don't assume the AI knows your previous conversations - provide context each time