Talking to AI · Lesson 5 of 7
How to communicate with AI
Treat the AI like a brilliant new colleague who knows nothing about your situation. Learn to give it a clear goal, context, audience, and constraints.
You're learning as a guest — everything is open. Sign in to save progress, earn XP and pick up where you left off.
The smart new colleague
Here's the single most useful mental model for working with AI:
Tip: Imagine you're briefing a brilliant new colleague on their first day. They're well-read, fast, and eager to help, but they know nothing about your company, your project, your audience, or what you've already tried.
If you told that colleague "Write the newsletter," they'd have a dozen questions. Who reads it? What's in it this month? How long? What tone? Last month's was too long, so is that a concern? A human colleague would ask. An AI assistant usually won't; it will just guess. Your job is to answer those questions before they're asked.
The four things every good brief includes
1. Goal: what are you trying to achieve?
Not just the task, but the purpose behind it. "Write an email to a customer" is a task. "Write an email that apologizes for a late delivery and keeps the customer from canceling" is a goal. The goal tells the AI what success looks like.
2. Context: what does it need to know?
Background the AI can't possibly guess: the situation, relevant facts, what has already happened, constraints you're working within. If you have source material, such as notes, a draft, or data, paste it in (minus anything sensitive).
3. Audience: who is this for?
The same information should be written very differently for a CEO, a customer, a child, or an expert. Naming the audience quietly sets vocabulary, depth, and tone all at once.
4. Format and constraints: what should the result look like?
Length, structure (bullets, table, paragraphs, steps), tone, things to include, things to avoid. If you know what you want, say so.
Seeing the difference
Write something for our newsletter about the new parking rules.
Write a short item for our monthly employee newsletter about new parking rules starting March 1. Context: Staff can no longer park in the front lot, which is now reserved for visitors. Employees should use the north lot, and a free shuttle runs every 10 minutes from 7–10 a.m. Many people are annoyed about this change. Audience: All office staff, from interns to directors. Goal: Explain the change clearly, acknowledge it's an inconvenience, and make sure people know about the shuttle. Format: About 120 words, friendly and straightforward, with the key details (date, north lot, shuttle times) easy to spot.
The second version is longer, but every line is doing work. The AI now knows the facts, the mood, the readers, and the shape, which is exactly what a new colleague would need.
Be specific, not vague
Words that feel clear to you are often vague to the AI. Swap fuzzy terms for concrete ones:
| Vague | Specific |
|---|---|
| "Make it short" | "Keep it under 100 words" |
| "Make it professional" | "Formal but warm, like a note from a senior manager to a client" |
| "Explain it simply" | "Explain it for someone with no finance background" |
| "Give me some ideas" | "Give me 8 ideas, each with a one-line description" |
| "Fix this" | "Fix spelling and grammar only; don't change my wording or tone" |
Say what to do, not only what to avoid
"Don't be boring" doesn't tell the AI what to do. "Open with a surprising fact and use short, punchy sentences" does. When you do need a restriction, pair it with a positive instruction: "Avoid jargon; use everyday words a high schooler would know."
Keep the conversation going
Communication is two-way. After the first answer, react like you would to a colleague's draft:
- "Good, but the second paragraph is too long. Cut it in half."
- "Keep the structure, but make the tone warmer."
- "What questions would you need answered to do this better?"
That last one is a great trick: invite the AI to ask you clarifying questions before it starts on a complex task.
I need help writing a wedding toast for my sister. Before you write anything, ask me up to five questions about the couple, the audience, and the tone I want. Then write the toast based on my answers.
A real-world example
James runs a small bakery and wants social media captions. His first attempt, "Write Instagram captions for my bakery," produced generic lines about "fresh baked goodness." His second attempt explained that the bakery is family-run, known for sourdough, has a playful brand voice, and is promoting a new cardamom bun this week. He asked for five captions under 30 words with one emoji each. The results sounded like his bakery, not every bakery.
Watch out: More words isn't automatically better. Rambling, contradictory, or irrelevant details can confuse the AI just like they'd confuse a person. Aim for complete and relevant, not long.
Quick recap
Brief the AI like a smart colleague on day one: state the goal, provide context, name the audience, and describe the format. Use specific language, say what to do rather than only what to avoid, and keep refining through conversation.
Common mistakes
Mistake: Assuming the AI knows your company, project, or audience.
Fix: Include the key background facts and name who the result is for.
Mistake: Using subjective words like 'better', 'nicer', or 'more professional' without explanation.
Fix: Describe the change concretely: length, tone, word choice, or a comparison to a familiar style.
Mistake: Writing long, rambling prompts packed with irrelevant details.
Fix: Include only information that changes what a good answer looks like, organized into clear parts.
Practice exercise
Write a colleague-style brief
Rewrite the starter prompt as if you were briefing a smart new colleague on their first day.
Make sure your brief clearly includes all four parts:
- Goal — what the result should achieve
- Context — the facts and situation
- Audience — who will read it
- Format — length, structure, and tone
You may invent realistic details for the situation.
Your draft stays in this browser tab — it isn't sent anywhere.Try your draft in the Playground
Hints
You can do the whole exercise as a guest.Sign in to save progress
Knowledge check