This June 2023 article presents eight ChatGPT prompts for preparation, writing and learning tasks. An AI assistant can help produce a first draft or explore ideas, but time saved varies by task and the review required. It does not remove the need for skilled human assistance when expertise or accountability matters.
Rowan Cheung, the founder of The Rundown, an AI newsletter focused on the latest developments in the field, understands the transformative potential of technology. Jodie Cook’s June 20, 2023 Forbes article described more than 170,000 subscribers in under four months; that is a historical reported figure, not a current subscriber count or an independently audited metric. Cheung’s dedication lies in enlightening millions of people about the remarkable ways technology is reshaping our world. His AI database, Supertools, diligently records the best tools featured in his newsletter.
ChatGPT Prompts
The retained GPTOnline cover is a historical editorial design with a 2023 ChatGPT capabilities panel. It is not a screenshot of the current interface or proof of measured productivity gains.
The eight examples below adapt Jodie Cook’s June 20, 2023 article featuring Rowan Cheung; they are not all verbatim quotations. Adapt them to your own workflow. Treat generated answers as drafts to review, not verified results:
Explain like I’m a beginner
If you encounter a concept that seems elusive or complex, rather than struggling to comprehend it on your own, let ChatGPT find an explanation that resonates. Use the prompt: “Explain [topic] in simple terms. Explain to me as if I’m a beginner.” This approach can produce basic concepts and analogies; check that simplifications have not introduced errors.
Unleash Creative Content Ideas
When embarking on your content creation journey, it’s crucial to have captivating ideas tailored to the platform you’re targeting. ChatGPT can suggest ideas for you to evaluate. The viral wording in the historical example below is a requested goal, not a prediction or guarantee of audience response. Utilize the prompt suggested by Cheung: “Topic: How to [go viral on Twitter, write a viral blog post] talking about [your topic]. Come up with unique and innovative content ideas that are unconventional for this topic for the medium of [Twitter, article, LinkedIn, etc].”
Assess and Quiz Yourself
To gauge your understanding of a subject, request ChatGPT to create a quiz that tests your knowledge. Whether you wish to identify knowledge gaps in a topic you’ve been studying or simply challenge yourself to conquer new domains, ChatGPT can assist. Use the straightforward prompt: “Give me a short quiz that tests me on [what you want to learn].” Be sure to fact-check, as the program may occasionally deviate from accurate information.
Transform Writing Style or Tone
If you find that the tone or style of your writing needs adjustment, ChatGPT can suggest a revision. Simply use the prompt: “Change the writing style of the text below to [style or tone].” Paste the text, hit return, and witness the new version. Feel free to request further edits if needed.
Seek Expert Critique
When seeking improvement in your written work, ChatGPT can simulate an editorial perspective, but a role prompt does not give it professional credentials. Whether you desire feedback from a specific perspective, such as a lawyer or subject matter expert, or simply need proofreading assistance, ChatGPT is ready to lend a critical eye. Prompt ChatGPT with: “I will give you a sample of my writing. I want you to criticize it as if you were [role].” Incorporate the text and brace yourself for its critique. Check the critique against your goals and reliable references before requesting a rewrite. Obtain qualified professional review for consequential legal or specialist decisions.
Use Examples of Your Writing Style
Provide a sample you have permission to share so ChatGPT can describe its style and draft reusable instructions. This is prompting with examples, not proof that the underlying model has been retrained or will remember the style in another conversation. Review whether the result actually matches your voice. The prompt is as simple as: “Analyze the text below for style, voice, and tone. Create a prompt to write a new paragraph in the same style, voice, and tone.” After providing your text, ChatGPT will generate the desired prompt, which you can use in future instructions to maintain consistency in your writing.
Specify Audience and Purpose
To refine your content to better resonate with your intended audience, employ more specific prompts. Whether you’ve asked ChatGPT to write articles or have composed the content yourself but feel it could be enhanced, targeted prompts can yield more compelling work. For instance, you can specify the audience, tone, and goal for an article. Cheung’s example focused on growing a Twitter following: “Topic: How to grow your Twitter following. Audience: Twitter users trying to grow their accounts. Tone: Inspiring. Goal: Inspire the audience to feel excited about growing their Twitter following and teach them how to do it in simple terms.” With this input, ChatGPT can attempt a revision toward the stated goal; you still need to check accuracy, suitability and tone.
Summarize Lengthy Articles
As much of the internet’s content revolves around curating vast studies into easily digestible pieces, ChatGPT can assist in summarizing lengthy articles into beginner-friendly bullet points. This summary can be repurposed as a social media post, a LinkedIn carousel, or serve as a foundation for paraphrasing while aligning with your personal style and medium. Use the following prompt, as recommended by Cheung: “Summarize this paragraph into bullet points that a beginner would understand.” Supply text you are authorized to share, then compare the summary with the original for missing context, changed meaning and unsupported additions. Keep attribution when reusing source material.
Conclusion
Choose one task, provide relevant context and compare the result with your requirements before using it. These prompts can help structure a conversation, but output volume is not a substitute for accuracy or useful work. OpenAI’s original ChatGPT announcement explicitly noted that plausible-sounding answers can be incorrect.
[…] This exercise exposes practical weaknesses cheaply. Did the answer preserve the kit labels? Did it invent a shortage? Could another teammate reproduce the calculation? Measure review effort as well as drafting speed before expanding the task. For additional prompt structures, see our workflow prompt examples. […]