How to Write Better ChatGPT Prompts (A Practical Guide for using ChatGPT at Work)

If you’ve tried ChatGPT at work and thought “this is a bit underwhelming,” you’re not alone.

Most people’s first experience goes something like this: they type in a vague question, get a vague answer back, and conclude that AI tools are overrated.

ChatGPT is only as good as the instructions you give it.

The quality of the output is almost entirely determined by the quality of the input. Ask it something lazy and you’ll get something generic.

Give it clear, specific, well-structured instructions and you’ll get something genuinely useful.

This isn’t about learning some technical skill called “prompt engineering.” It’s about learning to communicate clearly with a tool that takes your instructions literally.

And once you get the hang of it, ChatGPT can become a genuinely valuable part of how you work.

Here’s how to get better results, starting today.

The Vague Prompt Problem

The single biggest reason people get disappointing results from using ChatGPT is that their prompts are too vague.

And it’s completely understandable – when you’re talking to a person, you can get away with being vague because they fill in the gaps with shared context, common sense, and the ability to ask follow-up questions.

ChatGPT doesn’t have any of that.

It doesn’t know who you are, what your job involves, who your audience is, or what you actually need.

All it has is the words you type.

So if you give it “write me an email,” it’ll write you an email – but it’ll be a generic one, because it had nothing else to go on.

The fix is simple in theory but requires a shift in habit: every time you write a prompt, ask yourself “what would a smart, helpful stranger need to know to do this task well?”

Then include that information in your prompt.

Five Principles for Writing Better ChatGPT Prompts for Work

You don’t need to memorise a complicated framework.

These five principles cover 90% of what makes the difference between a mediocre prompt and a great one.

Each one is illustrated with a before-and-after example using a real workplace task.

1. Be Specific About What You Want

The more specific your request, the more useful the output.

Don’t leave ChatGPT guessing about format, length, or level of detail.

❌ Vague prompt:

Write me something about our new flexible working policy.

✅ Better prompt:

Write a 300-word announcement email to all staff introducing our new flexible working policy. The key points are: employees can work from home up to 3 days per week, they need to agree their pattern with their line manager, and the policy starts on 1 April. Tone should be positive and encouraging but clear about the expectations.

💡 Why this works:

The first prompt gives ChatGPT almost nothing to work with.

The second tells it the format (email), the length (300 words), the audience (all staff), the key content, and the tone.

That’s the difference between getting something you can use and something you have to rewrite.

2. Give It Context About the Situation

ChatGPT has no idea about your organisation, your role, or your circumstances unless you tell it.

A little bit of context goes a long way.

❌ Vague prompt:

Help me prepare for a performance review.

✅ Better prompt:

I’m a team leader in a marketing department and I need to prepare for a performance review with one of my direct reports. They’ve been strong on creative work and client relationships this year, but they’ve struggled with deadlines and time management. Help me structure the conversation: what should I cover, how should I balance the positive and developmental feedback, and what kind of objectives should I suggest for the next quarter?

💡 Why this works:

Context lets ChatGPT tailor its response to your actual situation rather than giving generic advice.

The more relevant detail you include, the less editing you’ll need to do on the other side.

3. Define the Audience

Who is this for?

The answer completely changes how the output should be written. A board paper sounds nothing like a team update.

An email to a client sounds nothing like a message to a colleague.

❌ Vague prompt:

Explain the benefits of our new CRM system.

✅ Better prompt:

Write a short briefing (about 200 words) explaining the benefits of our new CRM system. The audience is frontline sales staff who are sceptical about the change and worried it will create more admin. Focus on the practical benefits for them personally – less manual data entry, easier access to customer history, and automated follow-up reminders. Keep the tone practical and reassuring, not corporate.

💡 Why this works:

Defining the audience changes everything about the output: the vocabulary, the tone, the emphasis, and the examples used.

“Sceptical frontline sales staff” produces a completely different result to “senior leadership team.”

---

Related Training:

Public courses and private in-house training options available.

For training for your team, please contact me to learn how I can help you.

ChatGPT Training

I also provide training and talks on other AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot

Digital skills in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications

Leadership and Management

View All Courses

---

4. Set the Format and Structure

Don’t leave it to ChatGPT to decide whether you want bullet points, a table, a narrative, or an email.

Tell it the format you need and how you want the information organised.

❌ Vague prompt:

Give me some ideas for our team away day.

✅ Better prompt:

Give me 8 ideas for a half-day team away day for 12 people. For each idea, give me: a one-line description, the approximate time needed, whether it’s indoor or outdoor, and the rough cost. Present this as a table so I can compare options easily. Our goals are improving collaboration and having fun – avoid anything too corporate or cringey.

💡 Why this works:

Asking for a specific format (a table with defined columns) means the output is immediately useful rather than needing to be restructured.

You can also ask for numbered lists, email format, slide content, FAQ format – whatever suits how you’ll actually use the output.

5. Tell It What to Avoid

Sometimes the best way to get what you want is to tell ChatGPT what you don’t want.

If you know a certain tone, style, or type of content won’t work, say so upfront.

❌ Vague prompt:

Write me a LinkedIn post about leadership.

✅ Better prompt:

Write a LinkedIn post (about 250 words) sharing a practical tip about leadership. The tip is that great leaders ask more questions than they give answers. Write it in a conversational, first-person style as if I’m sharing something I’ve learned from experience. Avoid motivational clichés, buzzwords like “lean in” or “level up,” and don’t use emojis. End with a question to encourage comments.

💡 Why this works:

The “avoid” instructions are doing heavy lifting here.

Without them, ChatGPT will default to a generic LinkedIn tone that sounds like everyone else’s posts.

Telling it what not to do helps it match your actual voice.

Bonus Tip: Get ChatGPT to Ask You Questions

This is incredibly useful for long and complex tasks but often gets overlooked.

Rather than just letting ChatGPT immediately start working, ask it if it has all the information it needs.

• Is there any other context which it needs to do the task well?

• Has anything been missed?

• Are you making any assumptions?

• Does ChatGPT have ideas to improve the outcome?

💡 Why this works:

Like I said earlier about context, ChatGPT doesn't know everything and it isn't a mind reader.

If you were giving a complex task to a person, you would ask them if they have any questions or need more information.

The same thing applies with ChatGPT. Don't assume it knows everything.

Treat It as a Conversation, Not a One-Shot

One of the most common mistakes people make with ChatGPT is treating every prompt as a standalone request.

They type something in, get a response, and either accept it or give up.

But ChatGPT remembers everything in the current conversation, which means you can – and should – iterate.

If the first response isn’t quite right, don’t start over. Tell it what to change:

“That’s good, but it’s too formal. Make it more conversational.”

“Can you shorten this to half the length? Keep the three main points but cut the examples.”

“The second paragraph doesn’t quite land. Can you rewrite just that section with more emphasis on the cost savings?”

“This is great. Now write a version for a different audience – this time aimed at senior leaders rather than team managers.”

Think of it like working with a colleague. You wouldn’t expect a first draft to be perfect – you’d give feedback and refine it together.

The same approach works with ChatGPT, and it’s often faster to iterate than to try to write the perfect prompt upfront.

Six Workplace ChatGPT Tasks Where This Makes a Real Difference

To bring this all together, here are six common workplace tasks where better prompting transforms the output from generic filler into something you’d actually use.

Each one applies the principles above.

Drafting a tricky email

Give ChatGPT the context (who it’s to, what the situation is, what tone you need) and it’ll give you something you can send with minor tweaks rather than starting from scratch.

Preparing for a meeting

Tell it who you’re meeting, what the agenda is, and what you want to achieve. Ask it to help you anticipate questions and prepare your key points.

Summarising a long document

Paste the text in and tell it what you need: a five-bullet summary, a one-paragraph overview, or a list of action items. Specify what matters most to you.

Writing a job advert or role description

Give it the role details, the team context, the key requirements, and the tone you want. Tell it to avoid generic corporate language and focus on what makes the role genuinely appealing.

Creating a presentation outline

Tell it the topic, the audience, the time limit, and the key message. Ask for a slide-by-slide outline with suggested talking points for each.

Getting a second opinion on your writing

Paste in your draft and ask ChatGPT to review it for clarity, tone, and structure. Tell it what audience it’s aimed at so it can judge appropriateness.

Using ChatGPT Well Is a Skill, Not a Trick

Writing good prompts isn’t about learning magic words or secret techniques.

It’s about the same thing that makes all workplace communication effective: being clear about what you want, giving enough context for someone to help you, and being willing to refine as you go.

The people who get the most from ChatGPT at work aren’t the most technical.

They’re the ones who’ve built the habit of thinking for thirty seconds before typing.

• What do I actually need?

• Who is this for?

• What does good look like?

Answer those questions in your prompt and you’ll be amazed at the difference.

If you’d like to develop your AI skills further – with hands-on practice using ChatGPT for real workplace tasks – take a look at my ChatGPT training.

I do also provide AI training on Microsoft Copilot as well.

I run sessions for individuals and teams, covering everything from getting started to building AI into your daily workflow.

To find out more about the training I offer, or to learn how I can provide customised training for your team, send me a quick message.

I'd love to hear about how I can help you and your team use AI tools and ChatGPT better.