Getting Started with AI Usage

The most important basics for successfully working with AI assistants

Effective communication with AI assistants is a key competency in modern daily work. This guide shows you the most important basics for optimal results with meinGPT.

The Golden Rule: Clarity Before Brevity

The more precise your request, the better the result. AI assistants are not mind readers – they work with the information you provide.

Note

Practical tip: Imagine explaining the task to a new colleague. What information would they need?

The Five Pillars of Successful Prompts

FileText

1. Provide Context

Provide relevant background information. Who is the target audience? What is the purpose?

Target

2. Be Specific

Avoid vague formulations. Instead of "Write something about AI" better: "Create a 200-word introduction about AI use in customer service for executives"

Layout

3. Define Format

Specify the desired output format: bullet points, flowing text, table, or structured overview?

MessageSquare

4. Determine Tone

Formal, informal, technical, or simplified? The desired language level makes a big difference.

BookOpen

5. Show Examples

A concrete example says more than a thousand explanations. Show what you expect.

Practical Examples from Daily Work

Marketing: Product Description

❌ Imprecise Request

Write something about our new product

✅ Precise Request

Create a product description for our new office chair "ErgoMax Pro":
- Target audience: HR managers in medium-sized companies
- Tone: Professional but inviting
- Length: 100-150 words
- Focus: Ergonomics, employee health, ROI through fewer sick days
- Use concrete numbers: 8h sitting comfort, 5-year warranty

Accounting: Cost Analysis

❌ Imprecise Request

Analyze these costs

✅ Precise Request

Analyze the Q3 operating costs from the attached Excel spreadsheet:
1. Identify the top 3 cost drivers
2. Compare with Q2 (percentage change)
3. Mark deviations over 10%
Format: Tabular overview in EUR
Add recommendations for cost reductions

Project Management: Meeting Minutes

❌ Imprecise Request

Summarize the meeting

✅ Precise Request

Create structured minutes for our project meeting from [date]:
- Participants: [list]
- Main topics: Q4 milestone review, budget adjustments
- Format: 
  • Decisions (numbered)
  • Action items (with responsible persons and deadlines)
  • Next steps
- Length: Max. 1 page
- Language: German, technical terms in English in brackets

Research & Development: Technical Documentation

❌ Imprecise Request

Document this function

✅ Precise Request

Create technical documentation for the 'calculateTaxRate()' function:
- Target audience: Junior developers
- Content: Purpose, parameters, return values, example code
- Consider: German tax rules, GDPR compliance
- Format: Markdown with code snippets
- Languages: German with English code comments

Consider GDPR and Data Protection

Attention

Important for EU companies: Never include personal data in your prompts. Instead, use placeholders like [customer name] or [employee ID].

Data Protection Checklist

Anonymize

Replace real names with generic terms

Abstract

Use example figures instead of real financial data

Generalize

Describe situations generally rather than specifically

Multilingualism in European Context

Globe

German-English Mix

Create a project overview:
- Main text: German
- Technical terms: English in brackets
- Target audience: International stakeholders
Example: "Meilenstein (Milestone)"
MapPin

Localization

Adapt the text for the DACH region:
- Use regional terms
- Consider cultural differences
- Currency: EUR
- Date format: DD.MM.YYYY

Save Time with Templates

Email Template for Customer Inquiries

Answer this customer inquiry politely and professionally:
[Insert inquiry]

Structure:
1. Personal greeting
2. Thanks for the inquiry
3. Concrete answer to all points
4. Next steps
5. Contact offer for questions

Tone: Friendly, competent, solution-oriented
Length: Max. 200 words
Consider: GDPR, no confidential info

Getting Started with meinGPT

Translation Tool

Perfect for multilingual communication with clear context specifications

Summarization Tool

Structured summaries with definable level of detail

Research

Research with precise search criteria and source references

Practice Exercises for Getting Started

Tip

Try it out: Create prompts for these typical tasks:

  1. Write a rejection letter for a job application (HR)
  2. Create an agenda for a project kickoff (PM)
  3. Write a product announcement for LinkedIn (Marketing)
  4. Formulate a reminder for overdue invoices (Accounting)

Note

Next Step: After mastering the basics, explore advanced techniques like few-shot prompting and chain-of-thought reasoning in the next chapter.

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