The First 5 ChatGPT Prompts Everyone Should Know
I know all this already
I'm not going to bore you with what ChatGPT is. You already know it.
You use it on your phone. You use it on your computer. You might even chat to it while you're driving. If you're walking down the street talking to it, people probably think you're talking to yourself. Then again, that's nothing unusual in London!
The real question isn't what ChatGPT is.
It's...
"What on earth should I ask it?"
And that's where most people get stuck.
You don't need hundreds of prompts. You just need a handful of really useful ones.
Even better, start building yourself a prompt library. Save your favourites in Microsoft OneNote, a notes app, or if you're using Microsoft Copilot, save them directly so you can reuse them later.
1. Explain it simply
Whenever you're trying to understand something technical, ask AI to simplify it.
Explain this document as if I were 12 years old.
Or even:
Explain this as if I were 5 years old.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with asking AI to simplify things. Whether it's legal wording, technical documents, software, or even Mandarin Chinese, simpler explanations often make everything much clearer.
2. Improve my writing
This is probably one of the prompts I use most.
Rewrite this email so it sounds professional, friendly and concise. Don't change the meaning.
You can also ask it to write in a particular style:
Rewrite this as if it were written by a senior manager.
Or:
Improve this introduction so it creates curiosity and makes people want to keep reading.
Sometimes your writing is already good. It just needs a little polish.
3. Summarise this
Lots of people simply write:
Summarise this.
It works, but it could work much better.
Instead, tell AI exactly how you'd like the summary presented.
Summarise this using:
- A heading
- A short introduction
- Five key points
- Two sub-points under each
- A one-line conclusion
- A list of actions
The more specific you are, the more useful the summary becomes.
4. Brainstorm ideas
Sometimes you don't need answers. You need ideas.
AI is brilliant at helping you think.
Give me ten ideas for improving customer onboarding for an IT training business.
Or:
Give me five ideas for finding cheaper family days out this summer.
If you're using Microsoft Copilot, have a look at the Idea Coach agent. It's specifically designed to help generate and develop ideas.
Generate plenty of ideas first. You can always narrow them down afterwards.
5. Become an expert
One of the easiest ways to improve your prompts is to give AI a role.
Instead of asking:
Explain XLOOKUP.
Try this instead:
Act as an experienced Microsoft Excel trainer. Explain XLOOKUP to a complete beginner and give me two everyday examples.
You'll usually get a much richer answer because AI knows the perspective you want it to take.
Bonus Prompt: Let AI Interview You
This is one that many people never think about.
Sometimes you don't know what information AI needs. So instead of trying to write the perfect prompt, get AI to ask you the questions.
I'm thinking about installing air conditioning in my house. Ask me at least eight questions, one at a time, so you fully understand my situation before making any recommendations.
That is much easier than trying to think of everything yourself.
One little tip if you're talking to ChatGPT while driving: ask it to ask one question at a time. Otherwise it will happily fire eight questions at you in one go, and by question number three you've forgotten what question number one was.
Final thoughts
Those are my five everyday prompts, plus one bonus that I think is hugely underrated.
They're not complicated. They don't need pages of instructions. But they'll help you start getting far better answers from AI straight away.
AI isn't about replacing people. It's about helping people spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time doing the work that really matters.
Give one or two of these prompts a try this week and see how you get on.
I'd genuinely love to hear which one you found the most useful. If you're reading this on LinkedIn or social media, leave a comment. Or if you're reading it on the Computer Tutoring website, drop us an email and let us know how you've been getting on with AI.