Talk to Jack
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Lesson 4 of 6 · about 8 minutes

Improve the first answer

By the end: a better draft, improved with a couple of follow-up messages.

What's in this 20-second intro
  1. It's a first draft. Treat the answer as a starting point.
  2. Stay in the same chat. It remembers what you've told it.
  3. Name the change. Shorter. Friendlier. Less salesy.
  4. Let it ask you. "Ask me any questions first."

By the end: A better draft. (The video has no sound.)

Lesson 4Start here

Improve the first answer

The first answer is a draft, not the finished thing. The real skill is steering it. Stay in the same chat, say what to change, and add the detail it was missing. Two or three short follow-ups usually do more than rewriting your whole prompt.

Lesson 4Read

Refine, don't restart

AI tools remember what you've said earlier in the same chat. So instead of starting again, reply with what's wrong: "Shorter." "Less salesy." "Make the opening line about the cold weather." Starting a new chat throws away the context you've built up.

Lesson 4Read

Say what, not just "better"

"Make it better" leaves the AI guessing. Name the change: the tone, the length, the audience, the one thing it got wrong. If it invented something, say so and give it the right fact.

Lesson 4Read

Let it ask you questions

Stuck? Reply: "Before you rewrite it, ask me any questions you need answered." The AI then fills gaps with your facts instead of guesses.

Lesson 4Your turn

Improve your first answer

  1. Go back to the chat where you used your prompt from lesson 3. (Haven't got one yet? Build it in lesson 3.)
  2. Read the answer and decide on the one thing you'd change first.
  3. Copy a follow-up below, or write your own, and send it in the same chat.
  4. Repeat once or twice until it's nearly there.

Follow-ups that work

  • Make it shorter: no more than 80 words.
  • Make the tone friendlier and less formal, like you're chatting to a neighbour.
  • Remove anything that sounds like a sales pitch.
  • You said we offer free quotes. We don't. Please remove that.
  • Give me three different opening lines to choose from.
  • Rewrite it for someone who's never used a service like ours before.
  • Before you rewrite it, ask me any questions you need answered.

Lesson 4Quick check

Quick check

2 quick questions

No scores and no penalties. Pick an answer to see why it's right or not, and change it as often as you like.

1The AI's email is fine but far too long. What's the best reply?

2The draft says you've been "trading for 20 years". You started in 2019. What do you do?

Lesson 4Wrap up

Lesson 4 takeaway

Takeaway

Treat the first answer as a draft. Name the change you want and stay in the same chat.

Want it all on paper? Download the course workbook (PDF, 678 KB)