Imagine having a whip-smart, creative summer intern who only fetches coffee while managers solve all the problems. That’s how many organizations employ AI assistants today.
To help you get more from this underutilized resource literally at your fingertips, here are five hacks to elevate your chatbot responses.
1. Ask Me Questions
Chatbots can do much more than provide responses to your queries. At the end of a chatbot prompt, include a sentence like this: “Feel free to ask me questions to clarify this request and ensure your response is not constrained by the way I framed my question.”
This simple invitation transforms a one-way interaction into a collaborative dialogue. Instead of accepting a potentially limited response, you’re opening the door to deeper, more nuanced insights.
2. Play Devil’s Advocate
Chatbots are unfailingly polite and supportive. But sometimes, you need a thought partner to pressure test your thinking or identify potential pitfalls.
Instead of posing a straightforward question, try this approach: Enter your conclusion or plan of action, then invite opposition. Use a prompt like: “Please play ‘devil’s advocate’ in response to what I’ve shared. I’m interested in what I might be missing and what flaws you detect in my reasoning.”
3. What Would (Insert Expert Here) Do?
Chatbots can adopt personas based on their extensive training data about well-known experts. Want to brainstorm with Thomas Edison or get Indra Nooyi’s take on a thorny investment option? Here’s a powerful prompt:
“I’m trying to figure out X. I would like you to coach and advise me as if you were [expert]. Please use what you know about [expert] to inform the questions you ask and the perspectives you share.”
4. Role-Play a Difficult Conversation
Remember those awkward role-play exercises in training workshops? Now you can practice challenging interactions in private. Start by providing the chatbot with relevant information about the person and situation. Include any anticipated challenging behaviors.
You can even explain your goals and have the chatbot ask you questions to help realistically portray the other person. It’s like having a personal communication coach available 24/7.
5. Get the Image You Want
AI image generation can be frustratingly hit-or-miss. While it feels magical to create images with a few words, getting exactly what you want can be challenging.
If you’re unhappy with the initial image, get the chatbot to help you craft a better prompt. Try this approach: “Looking at the image you’ve generated, here are a few things I want to change. Before regenerating an image, I’ll list the changes. Then, I want you to provide a complete prompt that will generate a new, improved image.”
These hacks aren’t about replacing human creativity and decision-making. They’re about amplifying your capabilities, providing new perspectives, and helping you work smarter, not harder.
