Zalel AIZALEL AI

Lesson 3 of 10 · About 10 minutes

Asking well: the three tricks

Two people can ask the same AI the "same" question and get wildly different answers. The difference is almost never luck — it's these three habits.

Trick 1 — Give background

The AI knows nothing about your situation. The more context you give — who it's for, what's going on, what you need it for — the better the answer fits you.

Weak: "Write a birthday message."

Strong: "Write a short, warm birthday message for my 8-year-old granddaughter. She loves drawing and pandas. Funny is good, and keep it under five sentences."

Same AI. Very different result.

Trick 2 — Show an example

If you know what "good" looks like, show it. Paste a message, a paragraph, or a style you like, and say "Write it like this one." The AI is excellent at following a pattern — it's much better than trying to describe a style in abstract words like "nicer" or "more professional".

Trick 3 — Steer with follow-ups

Your first question rarely needs to be perfect, because you can steer the answer afterwards — like directing a helpful assistant:

  • "Too long — cut it in half."
  • "Too formal. Make it sound like a friend."
  • "The second point is wrong — I meant next Tuesday, not this Tuesday."
  • "Give me three versions: one polite, one firm, one funny."

The AI doesn't get annoyed, tired, or offended. Steer as many times as you need.

Putting it together

A good first message sounds like: background + what you want + any example. Then you steer. That's the whole method — everything else in this course is built on it.

Try it now (5 minutes)

Pick a real message you need to write this week — a thank-you note, a question to your landlord, a reply to a customer. Use all three tricks:

"I need to write to [who] about [what]. The situation is [background]. Please draft a message that is [polite / short / firm]. Here is a message style I like: [paste an example, or skip this part]."

Then steer it twice — make it shorter, then make it warmer. Watch a rough request become a message you'd actually send.

Remember

  • Background: tell the AI the situation, not just the task.
  • An example beats a description, every time.
  • Steer freely — shorter, warmer, firmer, three versions. It never minds.

That's the foundation. From Lesson 4 on, we put these tricks to work: writing, translating, photos, summaries — and in Lesson 10, your small business. New lessons are added as they're ready; check the course page anytime.