Workshop: Your First AI Conversation
A 60-minute hands-on workshop for complete beginners. You'll write your first prompt, learn role assignment, chain-of-thought reasoning, iterative refinement, and the critique loop — then leave with a personal 'First 5 Prompts' reference card.
This workshop walks you through your very first interaction with a large-language model (like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini). No prior AI experience is needed. By the end you will have practiced five distinct prompting techniques and built a reusable reference card.
Before You Start
- ✓A free account on any AI chatbot (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.)
- ✓A web browser — no coding required
Steps
Start by asking the AI something you genuinely want to know. Keep it conversational — no special formatting needed. The goal is to see how the model interprets a casual, unstructured question and to notice its default tone, length, and level of detail.
What are three practical ways I can use AI to save time at work this week?
- •Read the full response before reacting — notice its structure.
- •Ask yourself: Did it answer what I actually meant?
- •Try the exact same prompt in a second AI tool and compare.
Role assignment is one of the highest-leverage prompt techniques. By telling the model *who* it should be, you shift its vocabulary, priorities, and level of expertise. This step teaches you to frame every future prompt with a clear role.
You are an experienced productivity coach who specialises in helping office workers. I have 30 minutes free each morning before meetings start. Suggest a focused routine that uses AI tools to prepare me for the day.
- •Experiment with different roles: "senior data analyst", "friendly tutor", "skeptical journalist".
- •Notice how the same question produces very different answers with different roles.
- •Role assignment works in every AI tool — it's not model-specific.
Large language models are more accurate when you ask them to think step by step. This technique — called chain-of-thought prompting — makes the reasoning visible, which helps you spot errors and understand *why* the model reached a particular conclusion.
I want to decide whether to learn Python or JavaScript first for automating work tasks. Think step by step: list the pros and cons of each, consider my context (I work in marketing with lots of spreadsheets and emails), and recommend one with your reasoning.
- •The phrase "think step by step" is surprisingly powerful — it measurably improves accuracy.
- •Use it for any decision, comparison, or analysis prompt.
- •If the reasoning feels off, point to the specific step and ask the AI to reconsider.
Great AI results rarely come from a single prompt. Iterative refinement means sending follow-up messages that narrow, expand, or redirect the AI's output. Think of it like editing a document with a collaborator — each round gets closer to what you need.
That's a good start. Now make it more concise — limit each suggestion to two sentences max. Add a specific AI tool recommendation for each one and format the result as a numbered list.
- •Be specific about what to change: length, format, tone, audience, or depth.
- •You can use refinement across multiple turns — there's no limit.
- •Save your best "refinement phrases" for future sessions.
One of the most underused techniques: ask the AI to critique what it just wrote. This surfaces weaknesses, missing perspectives, and logical gaps. You can then ask it to rewrite based on its own feedback, creating a rapid improvement cycle.
Now review your previous answer critically. Identify any assumptions, gaps, or weaknesses. Then rewrite an improved version that addresses those issues.
- •You can chain multiple critique rounds for complex tasks.
- •Try asking: "What would a skeptic say about this answer?"
- •The critique loop works especially well for persuasive writing and business proposals.
Take a few minutes to look back at the five techniques you practiced. Which one surprised you? Which one will be most useful in your daily work? Use the take-home reference card below to capture your best prompts and keep them within reach.
- •Write down the single technique that gave you the biggest "aha" moment.
- •Bookmark or screenshot your best AI conversation from today.
- •Schedule 10 minutes tomorrow to use one technique on a real task.
Take-Home Assets
A pocket reference of the five techniques you learned today. Keep it next to your AI tool for quick recall.
- 1.Simple Question — Ask a clear, plain-English question to get oriented.
- 2.Role Assignment — "You are a [role]…" to shift expertise and tone.
- 3.Chain-of-Thought — "Think step by step…" to surface reasoning.
- 4.Iterative Refinement — Follow up with specific edits (length, format, depth).
- 5.Critique Loop — "Review your answer critically and rewrite…" to self-correct.