[Intro music fades in, then under] This is “I Am GPTed,” I’m your host Mal – the Misfit Master of AI, here to help you talk to robots without feeling like you need a PhD… or a ring light. Today we’re going to fix one of the biggest problems people have with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, all of them: you type something in, it spits something out, and you go, “That’s… not what I meant at all.” So let’s walk through one simple prompting technique, a sneaky use case you probably haven’t tried, a mistake you are absolutely making, a quick practice exercise, and a way to judge whether the AI just gave you gold… or recycling. --- First up: **the prompting technique** – I call it *“Do it, then fix it.”* Instead of asking for perfection in one shot, you ask the AI to give you a rough draft, then immediately tell it how to improve it. Before: “Write a professional email to my boss about needing tomorrow off.” You get: stiff, generic, possibly written by a 1998 fax machine. After: “Write a casual but respectful email to my boss asking for tomorrow off. Step 1: Give me a short rough draft. Step 2: I’ll give feedback. Step 3: Rewrite it based on my feedback.” Then you say: “Too formal, shorter, and mention I’ve already cleared my tasks.” Now the AI rewrites with your preferences baked in. Same model, same brain, wildly better output because you *iterated* instead of begging for magic. --- Practical use case you probably haven’t tried: **decision comparison.** Instead of “Which laptop should I buy?”, try: “I’m choosing between these three laptops: [list]. Make a table comparing them for: price, battery, weight, and what matters most for someone who travels a lot and does video calls all day. Then recommend one and explain why in plain English.” Boom: instant, transparent pros and cons. It’s like having that one nerdy friend who loves specs, without having to buy them pizza. --- Common beginner mistake: **one-and-done prompts.** You fire off a vague question, get a vague answer, sigh, and decide AI is overrated. I did this for weeks. My early prompts were basically: “Explain AI.” That’s not a prompt, that’s a cry for help. Fix it by treating AI like a *conversation*, not a vending machine. If the first answer is off, follow up: “Less technical.” “Give an example from everyday life.” “Now explain like I’m 12.” Every follow-up is a free upgrade. Use it. --- Simple exercise to build your AI muscles: **the “three passes” drill.** Pick one small task – say, writing a message to a client, or planning a workout. Pass 1: “Draft a quick message to my client explaining I’ll deliver their report on Friday instead of Thursday. Keep it friendly and confident.” Pass 2: “Now shorten it by 30% and make it a bit more casual.” Pass 3: “Now give me one alternative version with a slightly more formal tone.” Read all three. Notice which one *feels* right. You’re training two things: giving clearer instructions, and recognizing what “good” looks like for you. --- Tip for evaluating and improving AI-generated content: **check it like you’d check a co-worker’s work on their first week.** Ask yourself five questions: 1. Is anything obviously wrong or made up? 2. Is the tone right for the person who’ll read this? 3. Is anything missing that I *know* should be there? 4. Is anything extra that I don’t need? 5. Can I ask the AI to fix this in one line? Then give it a punchy follow-up: “Great start. Now: - simplify the language, - remove any fluff, - and add one concrete example.” You don’t rewrite it yourself; you *manage* it. You’re the boss, the AI is the intern with infinite coffee. --- If this helped you feel 2% less lost in AI land, do the traditional podcast ritual: **subscribe to “I Am GPTed”** so you don’t miss future episodes. Thanks for listening – I’m Mal, the Misfit Master of AI, and this has been a Quiet Please production. To learn more, head over to **quietplease dot ai**. For more check out https://www.quietperiodplease.com/ and for some great deals go to https://amzn.to/4nidg0P This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
