It may be Spooky Season, but don't be spooked by AI! Here is how I'm using ChatGPT to be more efficient at work.

If you’re like me, AI is all over your LinkedIn news and Instagram feeds. It’s all moving so fast, and there are thousands of people and businesses already drafting off of the opportunities and challenges that AI provides. What we know is, just like the move to digital, it’s iterating fast and the longer you resist it, the harder it gets.

While there are hundreds of AI-driven apps and tools, I have tried to keep it simple so that I don’t get overwhelmed, and have been focused on the LLM (large language models) ChatGPT and Google Gemini for months, and am still finding more ways I can use it every day.?(For me, I have more experience with ChatGPT and feel more comfortable there, but you do you!)

It's a topic of discussion in meetings every week, so I wanted to take this week to try and demystify it if you’re not playing with it yet by sharing 1) best practices for writing prompts that produce results and 2) how I currently use ChatGPT to help me be more efficient as a leader, (including sample prompts that you can revise for your situations.)?

So let's start with the prompt... Because it is ALL about the prompt! And, just like a CRM, garbage in, garbage out! So, here are five considerations for writing effective prompts:?

1. Be specific and clear! Include specifics like target audience, tone, length of response (3 paragraphs, 5-7 slides, 500 words or less, etc)
2. Provide step by step instructions
3. Provide context, if needed
4. Provide desired format or structure (ie: bullet points, paragraphs, script, graph, etc)
5. Iterate and revise your prompts to get more and more specific.

Here’s a perfect example- those five prompts were generated from a prompt that I typed into ChatGPT! “Write 5 tips on writing effective and productive prompts in chatGPT.” It’s that simple! It won’t always get you all the way there, but it will sure save a ton of time. And remember, the more you use it, the better you will get!?

Now, here are 10 ways I’m currently using ChatGPT to be a more efficient leader:

1. Create/Revise Job Descriptions- Attach a file or insert URL for a current JDs or other JD that you want to create or revise, then write prompt. Sample Prompt: "Create a job description for a Senior Marketing Manager. The key responsibilities should include managing digital marketing strategies, overseeing a marketing team, and driving brand awareness. Include the necessary qualifications and preferred skills."
2. Check Salary Ranges & Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA)- Sample Prompt: "Provide an estimated salary range for a Senior Software Engineer in San Francisco. Include considerations for cost of living adjustments compared to other major cities like Austin, Texas. Cite at least two sources."
3. Coaching & Development- Sample Prompt- “Summarize the profile of an employee named Alex, who is a Sales Account Executive. Alex excels at customer relationships and generating new business appointments, but needs improvement in closing deals. Write a 5-step development plan for Alex, with specific benchmarks, the employee's and manager’s roles, and a focus on improving sales conversions. Include three book or podcast recommendations to support Alex’s growth as well.”
4. Create Meeting Agenda + Decks- Include target audience, purpose of meeting and specific guidelines, such as how many slides. Sample Prompt for Google Slides- “Create a slide deck for the quarterly sales review meeting using Google Slides. Use headings like 'Team Achievements,' 'Sales Performance,' 'Next Quarter Goals,' and 'New Strategies.' Provide Python code to generate these slides. Limit to no more than 9 slides.” Sample Prompt for Microsoft Powerpoint- “Generate a PowerPoint slide deck for the same meeting. Include the same structure and provide Python code instructions to create it using the python-pptx library. Limit to no more than 9 slides.”
5. Summarize Emails, Docs and Memos- Copy and paste email thread into chatGPT message. Sample Prompt- “Summarize the following email thread between the product team and the marketing team. Include key decisions made, any action items, and deadlines.”
6. Write emails, docs and memos- Sample Prompt- “Write an email to communicate an upcoming organizational restructuring to my team. <Insert Specifics> Please draft a message that is transparent, empathetic, and encourages trust and teamwork during this period of change.”
7. Competitive Market Analysis- Sample Prompt- “Conduct a competitive market overview and analysis for the virtual assistant industry in no more than 3 paragraphs. Compare the top 3 companies in annual revenue, in terms of pricing, user base and demographics, and key differentiators. Limit the comparison to five paragraphs. Use a professional, but simple tone that could be understood by a high school student.”
8. Call or Meeting Prep- Profile a prospective client’s business and background to prepare for a meeting. Sample Prompt- “Create a detailed profile of a prospective client, XYZ Corporation. Include their industry, key services, leadership team, recent financial performance, and any notable challenges or opportunities in their market.”
9. Sales Landscaping,?Prospecting & Outreach- Identify sales prospects and opportunities and write scripts. Describe your business and include the URL. Describe the ideal target. Ask for sample phone and email scripts. Sample Prompt- “I’m a salesperson in the [industry] sector, and I need to landscape the industry to target 20 prospects. Please provide a sample email script to introduce our product/service, a sample phone script for follow-up calls, and a list of 20 potential target prospects (companies or individuals). The product/service we sell is [brief description of product/service], and our target market is [describe target market, such as 'mid-sized retail businesses' or 'technology startups']”
10. Compare two documents- Sample Prompt- “Compare the following two versions of a service contract. Highlight any differences in terms of payment terms, service level agreements, and termination clauses. List potential concerns or risks that I should consider.”

I hope this helps show how simple it can be, and also encourages you to dive into the world of AI and ChatGPT (or Google Gemini.) Most of us have more work than day; these LLMs can drastically reduce time on preparation, administrative tasks, etc., so that we have more capacity for the very important, not urgent strategic work that we know we are needed for. It’s an opportunity for us as leaders to increase our ability to get back to working on the business, not just in it!?

Go ahead, give it a try! And let me know what you think!

I’d also love to hear what prompts are helping you and any other recommendations on AI-tools that are helping simplify your life and make it more efficient.

Because remember, the rising tide lifts all boats!