Most people use ChatGPT or Claude the same way: type a question, read the answer, and either use it or give up on it. The first answer is rarely the best one the assistant can give. It's a first draft, written with guesses filled in wherever you left something out.
The fix is the follow-up line, typed in the same chat. A short one changes the next answer more than a long, carefully worded first question does.
Five Lines Worth Memorizing
- "Ask me questions one at a time until you have what you need." Put this at the start, and the assistant stops guessing at the details.
- "What did you assume that I didn't tell you?" This shows you the guesses so you can correct them.
- "Make this shorter without losing anything important." Most first drafts are longer than they need to be.
- "Fix the spelling and grammar only. Don't change my wording." You get a proofread, and your email still sounds like you.
- "Which parts of your answer are you least sure about?" That tells you exactly what to double-check.
The Habit That Matters More Than Any Line
Paste the real thing. If you want help with an email, paste the email. If you want a quote compared, paste both quotes. An assistant that has to work from your description of a document will describe a document that doesn't exist.
And treat every number, name, date and quote in an answer as a draft until you've checked it yourself. These tools are very good at sounding sure.
The Full List
The full sheet has twenty-five of these lines, grouped by what you're doing: starting a chat, writing, checking the answer, formatting, and everyday business jobs like pulling deadlines out of a contract. They work the same way in ChatGPT, Claude and the other chat assistants.