Great tips for using ChatGPT and other AI chatbots effectively

Generative AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, or Anthropic’s Claude are increasingly prevalent, permeating many aspects of our digital lives, from work, to school, to entertainment. They are powerful tools capable of assisting with a wide range of tasks, from text editing and data analysis to coding and planning.

However, the important thing that many users often overlook is that the quality of the chatbot’s response depends largely on how you ask the question, i.e., the prompt. In other words, good input will give quality output. And you can absolutely learn how to “talk” more effectively to the chatbot to maximize its capabilities.

Here are some simple yet useful tips, drawn from the people who build AI models themselves, to help you improve your prompts and get better quality answers from your chatbot.

Be specific with your request, the more specific it is, the better the chatbot will understand it.

ChatGPT can’t read your mind, so if you want a quality response, you need to give clear and detailed instructions on what you want. Unlike a Google search where a few keywords will yield results, chatbots need more than that because they need context.

For example, if you just type “design a logo”, the answer may be too general and not satisfying. Instead, provide more information such as what company the logo is for, what industry it belongs to, what style of design is it – modern, minimalist or classic?

Effective prompts should be “clear, specific, and provide enough context for the model to understand your request,” recommends OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. Avoid vague statements; the more specific, the more likely you are to get the desired result.

Don't be afraid to tweak your prompts, the more your chatbot "talks", the better the results.

Interacting with a chatbot is like chatting with a knowledgeable friend, you rarely get the perfect answer the first time. Instead of stopping after the first response, continue by asking a follow-up question, clarifying the original request, or adjusting your phrasing to guide the chatbot in the right direction.

OpenAI recommends “adjusting the wording, adding context, or simplifying the request as needed” to improve the quality of the response. Not only will refining the prompt help the chatbot understand better, it will also open up deeper possibilities from the model.

Google has similar advice for Gemini users, if the results aren’t what you’d expect, try “a few different approaches.” Sometimes it takes a series of back-and-forth conversations, reviewing, adjusting, and rephrasing the question to get to the answer that really resonates.

In other words, don’t just send a command and leave it at that. Chatbots work best when you treat them as a collaborative process, not a one-way search engine.

Identifying Tone and Audience: The Key to Tailored Responses

When interacting with an AI chatbot, you can not only enter a content request, but also specify the style and tone of the response you want. This is an important technique to personalize the results and make the response more relevant to the actual usage context.

According to OpenAI, stylistic words like “formal,” “friendly,” “humorous,” “professional,” or “serious” can shape how a chatbot presents its answers.

You should also clearly define who your audience is, for example: secondary school students, office workers or technical experts. These factors will influence the language, level of detail and approach to the content.

For example, you can ask ChatGPT to explain quantum physics in the style of a professor lecturing to a graduate class. Or for the same topic, you can ask for a casual tone, like a teacher telling a story to middle school students.

However, AI experts are still debating the impact of “character shaping” in prompts. On the one hand, this helps create more natural, relatable, and on-point responses. But on the other hand, if the tone is too sympathetic or authoritative, it can make the text seem manipulative and leaden.

Still, when used properly, identifying tone and audience can turn chatbots into truly versatile and effective voice assistants.

Context and concrete examples: “Spices” help chatbots understand what you mean

Want a more useful and targeted response from your chatbot? Provide more context and specific examples. Don’t just ask, “Help me plan a week-long trip to London.” That prompt will only return a list of popular destinations like Big Ben, the British Museum, Hyde Park, a few famous neighborhoods, and a suggestion to visit Windsor Castle, which any guidebook or travel website can provide.

Instead, tell the chatbot who you are, what your actual needs are, and what should be your priorities. For example: “Help me plan a week-long trip to London in August for my family of four. We love theatre, don’t care much about historical sites, don’t drink alcohol, and need mid-range accommodation and cheap dining.”

With this context, ChatGPT can suggest a much more tailored itinerary, such as hotel suggestions near the West End, a daily theater schedule, cheap and fun family activities, and a variety of budget-friendly dining options.

The more specific it is, the easier it is for the chatbot to understand what you need and the response will not only be “more accurate” but also “truly useful”.

Setting Limits: A Simple Way to Get More Concise, Understandable Feedback

One of the most effective ways to improve your chatbot’s response is to be specific with your request. Longer and more detailed isn’t always better, sometimes shorter is better.

You can absolutely ask ChatGPT or any AI chatbot to answer within a certain framework such as word limit, paragraph limit or key points. For example, instead of asking “explain quantum physics”, try: “Explain quantum physics in 150 words, with 3 core points”. Then, instead of a complex explanation filled with terms like wave functions, qubits or uncertainty principle, you will get an easy-to-understand summary, focusing on practical applications like lasers or smartphones.

OpenAI and Google both recommend using limits as a tool to control the length and level of detail of responses. It’s a way to avoid being overwhelmed by information, especially when you just need a quick, clear, and relevant answer.