ChatGPT Problem-Solving Strategies

The longer your ChatGPT conversations go, the better your outcome will be. 11 months ago, I thought prompt templates would be a panacea for shortcutting long processes into small repeatable copy and pastes but this approach yielded lots of basic, half-baked output. Template limitations become evident with complex tasks, such as long-form video script generation, where it lacks depth and nuance. Better use of ChatGPT involves engaging in iterative dialogues and chaining thoughts together in a sequence, treating it as a collaborative partner to progressively refine and expand content. So, steps: Research - seed the chat with context and info. If you don't have it, you can ask ChatGPT to source it. Organization - have it outline or sequence your content in whatever logic you need. Format - ask it to spit out the content in the format and style you need it in. Expand / Refine - ask it questions to build, expand, or trim specific aspects. This process allows for more context accumulation, like rolling a snowball downhill, enabling more insightful and tailored responses and ultimately better deliverables. Link to example in the comments. 👇

Anyone can think better if you explore perspectives: That's what Edward de Bono figured out. At Microsoft, I needed a way to run better meetings, manage conflict, make better decisions, and basically think better in any situation. I turned to Six Thinking Hats, and I consumed Edward de Bono's shelf of books. Six Thinking Hats is a way to think better, together. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 Each imaginary "hat" represents a perspective to explore and exploit: 1. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Facts & Data (Focuses on objective information) 2. 𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Emotions & Intuition (Focuses on feelings and gut reactions) 3. 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Caution & Criticism (Focuses on potential risks and drawbacks) 4. 𝗬𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Benefits & Optimism (Focuses on positive aspects and opportunities) 5. 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Creativity & New Ideas (Focuses on generating innovative solutions) 6. 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Control & Process (Focuses on managing the discussion and thinking process) You can use the Six Thinking Hats to think better by yourself. But the power comes when you think better together and swarm through a topic. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 By default, people tend to argue a point or favor a side or one perspective. With Six Thinking Hats, you do Parallel Thinking. With Parallel Thinking, everyone involved considers the situation or problem from the same perspective at the same time. I've used Six Thinking Hats to turn hostile meetings at Microsoft into true team collaboration. 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜 / 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧 The beauty now is that you can use AI to help you with Six Thinking Hats. First practice so you know how to use the Six Hats, then apply to meetings. Here's how to prompt ChatGPT to help you with Six Thinking Hats: 1. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲: • Introduce the Problem: Briefly explain the situation or problem you're facing. • Introduce Six Thinking Hats: Provide a high-level overview of the Six Thinking Hats method and its different perspectives (White, Red, Black, Yellow, Green, Blue). 2. 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝘁: • 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Clearly state which thinking hat you want ChatGPT to use for its response. (e.g., "Using the White Hat, summarize the key facts and data relevant to this issue.") • 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 (Optional): If necessary, offer additional details or questions specific to the chosen hat. (e.g., "For the Black Hat, consider the potential impact on the budget and timeline.") 3. 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀: • 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁: "Building on the Black Hat perspective, what are some mitigation strategies we could consider?" • 𝗥𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀: Repeat the process for each hat, allowing ChatGPT to generate responses from different viewpoints. Think better my friend, with skill!

As Generative AI (GenAI) becomes more common place, a new Human superpower will emerge. There will be those with expert ability at getting quality information from LLMs (large language models), and those without. This post provides simple tips and tricks to help you gain that superpower. TL; DR: To better interact with specific #GenAI tools, bring focused problems, provide sufficient context, engage in interactive and iterative conversations, and utilize spoken audio for a more natural interaction. Couple background notes. I'm an applied linguist by education; historically, a communicator by trade (human-to-human communication); and passionate about responsibly guiding the future of AI at Honeywell. When we announced a pilot program last year to trial use of LLMs in our daily work, I jumped on the opportunity. The potential for increased productivity and creativity was of course a large draw, but the opportunity to explore an area of linguistics I haven't touched in over a decade: human-computer interaction and communication (computational linguistics) was as well. Words are essential elements of effective communication, shaping how messages are perceived, understood, and acted upon. Similar to H2H communication, words we use in conversation with LLMs largely impact the output of the interaction, from both user experience and quality. A drawback is that we often approach an LLM like a search engine, just looking for answers. Instead, we must approach like a conversation partner. This will feel like more work for a human, which is often discouraging. ChatGPT has a reputation of being a "magical" tool or solution. When we find out it's not an easy button but actually requires work and input, we're demotivated. But in reality, the AI tool is pulling your best thinking from you. How to have an effective conversation with AI: 1. Bring a focused problem. Instead of asking, "What recommendations would you make for using ChatGPT?" Start with, "I'm writing a blog post and I'd like to give concrete, tangible suggestions to professionals who haven't had much exposure to ChatGPT." 2. Provide good and enough context. Hot Tip: Ask #ChatGPT to ask you for the context. "I'm writing a LinkedIn post on human-computer interaction. Ask me 3 questions to would help me provide you with sufficient context to assist me with writing this post." 3. Make your conversation interactive and iterative, just as you would with a human. Never accept the first response. (Imagine if we did this in H2H conversation.) 4. Interact via an app versus web. Some web browsers mimic a search box, which influences *how we interact with the tool. Try to use spoken audio. Talk naturally. And try using different models, just as you would speak with different friends for advice. What tips can you share? A special shout out to Stanford Graduate School of Business' Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast for some of the input exchanged here. Sapan Shah Laura Kelleher Tena Mueller Adam O'Neill

I was interviewed by Martine Paris for this article in Entrepreneur Media - it’s the small businesses making the greatest strides in generative AI, driven by sheer necessity. An excerpt: https://lnkd.in/dQad-5W7 Most people think of ChatGPT as a tool for external communications: It writes some marketing copy, you refine its work, and then you share that with your customers. But ChatGPT can also help you refine ideas internally, says Conor Grennan, head of generative AI and dean of students at NYU Stern School of Business — especially if you engage it in role play. "Ask ChatGPT to be a difficult customer who pushes back on every pitch," he says. "It's a great way for your sales teams to learn how to have hard conversations. You can then ask how you could have been more persuasive." Or tell the bot about your product and prompt it to create different pitches to radically different kinds of clients, and ask who else you might try to sell to. Another helpful exercise: After telling ChatGPT about your product, target audience, and sales strategy, ask it to act like a "consultant" to poke holes in that plan. After it answers, have it switch roles and create solutions for all the problems it just brought up. Next, ask it to poke holes in those solutions. As you keep going, says Grennan, ChatGPT will hone its responses until you're able to get at the heart of the issue and the best solutions for it.

Secret sauce for using AI and ChatGPT effectively! 🌐 Define the Chatbot's Identity: Don't just interact, assign a role! Direct ChatGPT like a seasoned director guiding an actor. For instance, when you need a 'Statistical Sleuth' to dive into data or a 'Grammar Guru' for language learning, this focused identity sharpens the conversation. Example: Instead of "Do something with this data," say "As a statistical analyst, identify and explain key trends in this data set." 🎯 Provide Crystal-Clear Prompts: Be the maestro of your requests. Precise prompts equal precise AI responses. From dissecting datasets to spinning stories, the detail you provide is the detail you'll receive. Example: Swap "Write something on AI ethics" with "Compose a detailed article on AI ethics, emphasizing transparency, accountability, and privacy." 🧠 Break It Down: Approach complex problems like a master chef—layer by layer. Guide ChatGPT through your query's intricacies for a gourmet dish of nuanced answers. Example: Replace "Help me with my project" with "Outline the process for creating a machine learning model for predicting real estate prices, starting with data collection." 📈 Iterate and Optimize: Don't settle. Use ChatGPT's responses as raw material, and refine your inquiries to sculpt your masterpiece of understanding. Example: Transform "Your last response wasn't helpful" into "Elaborate on how overfitting can be identified and mitigated in model training." 🚀 Implement and Innovate: Take the AI-generated knowledge and weave it into your projects. Always be on the lookout for novel ways to integrate AI's prowess into your work. Example: Change "I read your insights" to "Apply the insights on predictive analytics into creating a dynamic recommendation engine for retail platforms." By incorporating these strategies, you're not just querying AI—you're conversing with a dynamic partner in innovation. Get ready to lead the curve with AI as your collaborative ally in the realms of #TechInnovation, #FutureOfWork, #AI, #MachineLearning, #DataScience, and #ChatGPT! Is there anything else you would add to this secret sauce?