I am GPTed - what you need to know about Chat GPT, Bard, Llama, and Artificial Intelligence

[Intro music fades in]

MAL:
You’re listening to **“I Am GPTed”** – the show where we turn buzzwords into actual useful stuff, and I pretend I have my life together by talking about AI.

I’m **Mal, the Misfit Master of AI**. Master mostly because I’ve broken these tools in every possible way, and lived to tell you what *not* to do.

Today we’re doing five things:
- One prompting technique that instantly improves your results
- A practical use case you probably haven’t tried
- A super common beginner mistake – that I also made, repeatedly
- A tiny exercise to build your AI “conversation muscles”
- And a simple way to judge and improve what the AI gives you

Let’s de-hype this thing and make it useful.

---

MAL:
First up: **one prompting technique** that changes everything:
**“Role + Goal + Constraints + Example.”**

Most people type:
“Write an email to my boss about a late report.”

That’s like walking into a restaurant and yelling “FOOD.” You’ll get *something*, but you might not like it.

Here’s the **before**:

“Write an email to my boss about a late report.”

You’ll probably get a stiff, formal robot memo that sounds like your boss’s boss’s lawyer wrote it.

Here’s the **after** with Role + Goal + Constraints + Example:

“Act as a friendly but professional office worker.
Goal: Write a short email to my boss explaining my project report will be 1 day late.
Constraints: 100 words max, no big corporate buzzwords, sound human and accountable.
Example of my tone: ‘Hey Sarah, quick heads-up – running a bit behind but I’ve got a plan to catch up.’
Now write the email.”

See the difference?
You’re not begging a magic box. You’re **giving instructions to a very literal intern**.

---

MAL:
Next: **a practical use case** you probably aren’t using enough – **“AI as your boring-life script doctor.”**

Not strategy. Not billion-dollar business plans. Just… the annoying stuff:

- That awkward message to a client you’ve been avoiding
- The “no” email when someone asks for a discount
- The “hey, can we move this meeting?” without sounding flaky

Prompt it like this:

“Act as my communication assistant.
Goal: Turn this messy draft into a clear, kind message.
Constraints: Keep it under 120 words, maintain my casual tone, don’t over-apologize.
Here’s my draft: [paste your ugly message].
Improve it, then briefly explain what you changed and why.”

Now AI isn’t replacing you. It’s **editing you on fast-forward**.

---

MAL:
Let’s talk about a **common beginner mistake**:
Treating the first answer like it’s holy scripture.

I did this.
First time I used an AI model, it gave me a wildly confident, beautifully written answer. It was also… impressively wrong. Like, “don’t let this thing do your taxes” wrong.

Here’s how to avoid my shame:

1. Assume the **first answer is a draft**, not the final.
2. Ask follow-ups like:
- “Explain your reasoning step-by-step.”
- “Give me 2 alternative versions with different styles.”
- “What might be missing or worth double-checking here?”

If it sounds too slick and you did zero thinking, that’s a red flag.
AI is a **calculator with opinions**, not an oracle.

---

MAL:
Now a **simple exercise** to build your AI interaction skills.
Do this three days in a row. It takes 10 minutes.

Pick **one small task**, like:
“Summarize this article and give me 3 action steps,”
or
“Help me plan a 20-minute study session for tomorrow.”

Then follow this 3-step pattern:

1. First prompt: give Role + Goal + Constraints.
2. Second prompt: “Now improve your answer. Be more concise and prioritize what a beginner would need first.”
3. Third prompt: “What questions should *I* ask you next time to get an even better answer?”

You’re training **yourself** how to think in prompts, and you’re training the model how to work with you.
Reps, not magic.

---

MAL:
Finally, a **tip for evaluating and improving AI-generated content**:

Use the **F.A.C.T. check**:

- **F – Fit**: Does it fit your audience and purpose?
Ask: “Rewrite this for [my boss / a 10-year-old / a non-technical client].”

- **A – Accuracy**: Are facts correct and current?
You still need to check numbers, names, dates, and any strong claims elsewhere. If it sounds very sure, you should be very suspicious.

- **C – Clarity**: Is it easy to understand?
Ask: “Simplify this by 30%, cut jargon, keep meaning.”

- **T – Tone**: Does it sound like *you*?
Paste a sample of something you’ve written and say:
“Match this tone: [paste sample]. Now rewrite the answer in that style.”

If it fails any part of F.A.C.T., you don’t throw it away – you **iterate** and fix it.

---

MAL:
That’s it for today’s episode of **“I Am GPTed”** – where we use AI like a tool, not a religion.

If this helped you boss your AI around a little better, **subscribe to the podcast** so you don’t miss future episodes.

**Thanks for listening**, and for admitting with me that we sometimes let the robot be smarter than it should be.

This has been a **Quiet Please** production.
To learn more, head over to **quietplease dot ai**.

For more check out https://www.quietperiodplease.com/

and for some great deals go to https://amzn.to/4nidg0P

[Upbeat intro music fades in, with a tiny synth wobble because apparently every AI show needs one.]

Welcome back to **I am GPTed** with me, **Mal — the Misfit Master of AI**, your friendly neighborhood guide through the circus of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and whatever new robot headline tech Twitter is losing its mind over this week. I keep it simple, practical, and only mildly allergic to buzzwords.

Today’s big idea: **role prompting**. It’s one of the easiest ways to get better answers fast. Instead of asking an AI to just “do the thing,” you tell it what kind of expert it should act like. Think of it like handing a job to the right person instead of shouting into a crowded office and hoping the intern nails it.

Here’s my **before** version:

“Summarize this email.”

Fine. Technically useful. About as exciting as plain toast.

Now the **after** version:

“You are a sharp executive assistant. Summarize this email in three bullet points for a busy manager. Focus on deadlines, risks, and next steps.”

Same task. Better outcome. Less fluff. More signal. The AI suddenly stops rambling like it’s trying to win a contest for most words per sentence.

Now for a practical use case you might not be using yet: **turning AI into a life admin assistant**. Not just writing essays or brainstorming startup names for apps nobody asked for. Try this for everyday stuff like scheduling, meal planning, or awkward emails.

For example:

“Act as a calm, efficient personal assistant. I need a polite reply to reschedule a meeting, keep it under 80 words, and make it sound confident but not cold.”

That’s useful. That’s real life. That’s the kind of thing that saves you time when your brain is already doing three other jobs and one of them is pretending to be fine.

Now, a mistake beginners make — and yes, I made this one for way too long — is **prompting like Google**. I used to type things like, “Best productivity tips?” and then act shocked when the answer felt generic. That was my fault. I gave the AI a pancake and expected a wedding cake.

The fix is simple: add **context, goal, and format**.

Instead of:
“Write better emails.”

Try:
“Rewrite this email to my client. Make it polite, clear, and under 120 words. I want to sound confident, not stiff.”

That’s the difference between confusion and clarity.

Here’s a quick exercise to build your AI skills. Pick one task you do often — an email, a to-do list, a meal plan, a study note, anything. Then write the prompt three ways:

“Act as a teacher.”

“Act as a project manager.”

“Act as a friend who tells me the truth.”

Compare the results. Same task, different voice, different usefulness. You’ll start to feel how much control you actually have.

And one simple tip for evaluating and improving AI-generated content: **read it out loud**. If it sounds awkward, vague, or like a machine trying too hard, it probably needs another pass. Then ask the AI:

“What’s unclear here?”
“Make this shorter.”
“Remove the jargon.”
“Improve the tone for a normal human being.”

That’s the secret sauce. Not magical. Just useful.

Remember to **subscribe** to the podcast, **thanks for listening**, and a quick reminder that this has been a **Quiet Please production**. And hey, you can learn more at **quiet please dot ai**.

[Outro music fades out.]

For more check out https://www.quietperiodplease.com/

and for some great deals go to https://amzn.to/4nidg0P

[Glitchy, slightly snarky intro music fades in]

Hey, it’s Mal, the Misfit Master of AI, and you’re listening to “I Am GPTed” — the show where we make ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and the rest of the robot gang slightly less useless… by asking better questions.

Let’s get straight into it.

Today’s power move is one simple prompting technique: **Output Redirect**.
Plain English: you tell the AI how it screwed up and what you actually wanted, so it can fix itself.

Here’s the lazy-before version:

“Write a LinkedIn bio for me.”

You get a boring, corporate snoozefest that sounds like a refrigerator manual.

Now the Output Redirect version:

“Here’s what I asked you before: ‘Write a LinkedIn bio for me.’
Here’s what you gave me: [paste the bland bio].
Here’s what I really want: a punchy, friendly, first-person bio, under 80 words, that highlights my career change from teacher to UX designer. Rewrite it, and explain why your first version missed the mark.”

Same AI, totally different result.
You’ve basically turned the bot into your own writing coach… minus the invoice and the emotional baggage.

Alright, practical use case time — something you probably haven’t used AI for: **awkward message cleanup**.

You know that email you’ve ignored for three weeks? The one glaring at you from your inbox like a disappointed parent?
Instead of marinating in guilt, try this with any AI:

“Act as my polite-but-direct assistant. I need a short reply to this email I’ve ignored for three weeks. Acknowledge the delay, give a brief update, no rambling, no over-apologizing. Keep it under 120 words. Here’s the email and my situation: [paste both].”

In 20 seconds, you’ve got a response you can tweak and send.
You save time, preserve the relationship, and avoid writing ‘sorry for the delay’ for the 947th time this year.

Now, a **common beginner mistake** — and yes, I absolutely did this:
Prompting like it’s Google.

I used to type things like:
“Best productivity tips”
…and then sit there, offended, when the AI handed me the same generic list I could’ve found on a random blog from 2012.

The fix? Context. Always context.

Instead of “Best productivity tips,” try:
“I’m a project manager working remotely with two kids at home and constant Slack messages. Give me five realistic productivity tips, focused on managing interruptions, each in one sentence, in plain language.”

Suddenly, the AI stops giving you motivational poster quotes and starts acting like it’s actually been in your life for more than three seconds.

Let’s give you a **simple exercise** to build your AI muscles — no gym membership required.

For your next three prompts, follow this template:

1. Start with a role: “Act as my… [coach / editor / teacher / assistant].”
2. Set the format: “Give the answer as bullet points” or “Give me a 3-paragraph summary.”
3. Add the audience: “Explain this for a busy beginner with no technical background.”

Example:
“Act as my writing coach. I’m a beginner. Rewrite this paragraph in a clearer, friendlier tone, in 5 bullet points, and explain one thing I can improve in my writing style.”

Do that three times this week with *any* task — emails, planning, learning — and you’ll start to see how small tweaks in your prompt change the output massively.

Finally, a quick tip for **evaluating and improving AI-generated content** so you don’t just copy-paste robot nonsense into the world.

Use what I call the **Read-It-Out-Loud Test**:

1. Read the AI’s answer out loud, like you’re hosting a radio show.
2. Notice where you cringe, stumble, or get bored.
3. Go back to the AI and say:
“These parts felt awkward or confusing: [paste them]. Rewrite this to be clearer, shorter, and more natural, while keeping the key points.”

You’re not just accepting the first draft; you’re running an editing loop.
The AI writes fast; you decide what survives.

Alright, that’s it for today’s dose of misfit AI wisdom.

If this helped you get a little more GPTed and a little less overwhelmed, **subscribe to the podcast** so you don’t miss future episodes.

**Thanks for listening.**

This has been a Quiet Please production. To learn more, head over to **quietplease dot ai**.

For more check out https://www.quietperiodplease.com/

and for some great deals go to https://amzn.to/4nidg0P

[Glitchy, slightly smug intro music fades in]

Hey misfits, it’s Mal – the Misfit Master of AI – and this is “I Am GPTed,” the show where we skip the hype, skip the jargon, and go straight to making the robots actually useful, for once.

Today we’re doing five things:
one prompting technique, one sneaky real‑life use case, one beginner mistake I absolutely made, one simple practice exercise, and one tip to fix the AI’s homework so you don’t sound like a weird chatbot in human clothes.

Let’s get into it.

---

**1. One specific prompting technique: Output Redirect**

Most people type a prompt, hate the answer, sigh dramatically, and start over.
Stop doing that. Use **Output Redirect**.

Instead of restarting, you *coach* the AI using its own bad answer as raw material.

Before:
“Write a LinkedIn bio for me.”

You get:
“I am a highly motivated professional with a passion for innovation…”
So basically, you’re a beige spreadsheet with Wi‑Fi.

After, with Output Redirect:
“Here’s what I asked: ‘Write a LinkedIn bio for me.’
Here’s what you gave me: [paste the boring bio].
Here’s what I actually want: a punchy, human bio, under 80 words, first person, light humor, and specific about my work in marketing analytics. Rewrite it. Then explain why your first version was generic.”

Now the AI:
- rewrites it,
- tells you why it sucked the first time,
- and accidentally teaches you how to prompt better.

Use this with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, whatever. If it types, it can learn.

---

**2. A practical use case most novices miss**

You already know “write emails” and “summarize stuff.”
Here’s one you’re probably not using: **weekly decision briefings for your life or job**.

Example:
“Act as my chief-of-staff. I’m a project manager juggling 3 projects. Summarize my week from these notes and tasks, highlight the 5 biggest risks, and suggest what I should prioritize Monday morning in under 200 words, plain English.”

Suddenly the AI is not just writing sentences, it’s helping you decide what to do next.
Less doom‑scrolling, more doing.

---

**3. One common beginner mistake (that I made)**

The classic mistake: **prompting like it’s Google**.

I used to type,
“Tips for time management”
and then complain that the answer was a boring list I could’ve guessed myself.

The fix? **Context + constraints.**

Try:
“I’m a freelance designer working from home with two kids and ADHD. Give me 5 time‑management tips I can implement this week, each under 2 sentences, focused on scheduling and avoiding distractions.”

Same AI, completely different brain.
Give it *who you are*, *what you’re trying to do*, and *how you want the answer*.

Yes, I still forget sometimes and type “make this better.”
Yes, the AI still gives me hot garbage when I do.
We learn. Slowly.

---

**4. A simple exercise to build your AI skills**

Here’s your low‑pressure drill you can do in 5–10 minutes:

1. Pick one task: let’s say “rewrite this email” or “plan my week.”
2. Start with a lazy prompt:
“Rewrite this email to sound more professional.”
3. Then do **three improved versions**:
- Version A: “Act as a friendly but direct manager. Rewrite this email to be clear, polite, and under 120 words.”
- Version B: “Act as a communications coach. Improve clarity and tone, keep my voice casual, and remove any confusing phrases.”
- Version C: “Act as my editor. Give me a bullet-point critique of this email first, then rewrite it using your own suggestions.”

Compare the outputs.
Notice how the role, tone, and format change the result.
Congratulations, you’re now *directing* the AI instead of begging it.

Do that once a day for a week and you’ll be better at this than most “AI strategists” on LinkedIn.

---

**5. A tip for evaluating and improving AI-generated content**

Never trust the first draft.
Think of the AI as a bright intern who lies confidently.

Use this simple two‑step check:

1. **The Read‑Out‑Loud Test**
Read it aloud. If you cringe, trip over phrases, or think, “I would never say that,” it needs editing.

2. **The “Make It Better” Follow‑Up**
Tell the AI:
“Now improve this. Keep the key ideas, but:
- cut 20% of the words,
- remove clichés,
- and make it sound like a real person talking to another real person.”

For factual stuff, add:
“List any claims that might need verification and mark anything you’re not confident about.”

You’re not just accepting output, you’re *shaping* it.

---

Alright, misfits, that’s it for today’s episode of “I Am GPTed.”

If this helped you boss your AI around a little better, **subscribe to the podcast** so you don’t miss future episodes where we lovingly bully more chatbots into being useful.

**Thanks for listening**, seriously – you could be doom‑scrolling, but you chose to level up instead.

This has been a **Quiet Please** production.
You can learn more at **quietplease.ai**.

[Outro music fades out]

For more check out https://www.quietperiodplease.com/

and for some great deals go to https://amzn.to/4nidg0P

[Intro music fades in – slightly chaotic, but in a charming “I made this in my basement” way.]

Hey, it’s Mal, your Misfit Master of AI, and this is “I Am GPTed” – the show where we turn buzzwords into actual useful stuff and make the robots work for *you* instead of the other way around.

Let’s get right into it before another AI startup launches a “world-changing” note-taking app.

---

So, today’s magic trick: **Output Redirect.**

This is where you don’t just accept the AI’s first answer like a polite Victorian child. You *correct it* and tell it what you really wanted.

Before:
“Write a short LinkedIn bio for me.”

You get:
“I am a highly motivated professional passionate about innovation and collaboration…”
Boring. It sounds like every corporate hostage note on the platform.

After – with Output Redirect:
“Here’s what I asked: ‘Write a short LinkedIn bio for me.’
Here’s what you gave me: [paste that bland word salad].
Here’s what I actually want: punchy, friendly, 3 sentences, mention that I’m a teacher switching into UX design, and keep it human, not corporate. Rewrite it.”

Suddenly, boom: “Teacher-turned-UX-designer who’s obsessed with making apps less annoying…”
Now it sounds like a person, not a brochure.

You can do this with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, whatever you’re experimenting with at 2 a.m. The trick is:
- Show it your original prompt
- Show it the bad result
- Describe what you *really* wanted
and tell it to fix itself.

---

Next: a **practical use case** you’ve probably ignored – **email clean-up and “oops I ghosted you” replies.**

Instead of staring at your inbox like it’s a crime scene, try this:

“Act as my polite-but-not-fake assistant.
Here’s the email I ignored for 2 weeks: [paste].
Write a short, honest reply that acknowledges the delay, doesn’t overshare, and sets up a clear next step. Keep it under 120 words and in my casual tone.”

In 10 seconds, you’ve got a reply you can tweak, send, and move on with your life. No guilt novel, no spiral.

---

Now, **common beginner mistake** – and yes, I have fully done this:

**Prompting like it’s Google.**

I used to type things like:
“Best tips for productivity.”

Then I’d stare at the generic list it gave me and think, “Wow, AI is overrated.”
No. *My prompt* was overrated.

Fix it by adding context and constraints:

“I’m a marketing manager working from home with ADHD and too many meetings.
Give me 5 realistic productivity tips I can try this week, each under 2 sentences, focused on reducing distractions.”

When I finally started doing that, the answers went from “drink water and make a list” to “block 2x 25-minute focus sprints between your existing meetings and batch similar tasks.”

So if you’ve been vague? Congratulations, you’re human. Stop it. Add who you are, what you’re doing, and what format you want.

---

Let’s do a **simple exercise** to build your AI interaction skills.

Open your favorite AI and run this little drill:

1. Prompt 1:
“Act as my brainstorming buddy. I’m feeling stuck in my career. Ask me 5 specific questions to help me figure out my next move.”

2. Answer those questions honestly.

3. Prompt 2:
“Based on my answers, give me 3 possible directions I could explore, with one tiny action step for each that I can do this week.”

4. Prompt 3 – Output Redirect:
“Now rewrite those 3 options to be more encouraging, less cheesy, and more concrete. Cut any clichés.”

That’s it. You just practiced:
- Giving context
- Asking for a format
- Redirecting the output
All in under 10 minutes, no PhD required.

---

Finally, a **tip for evaluating and improving AI content**:

Use what I call the **“Read-It-Out-Loud Test.”**

Read the AI’s answer out loud like you’re hosting a radio show.
If you cringe, zone out, or need a nap halfway through, it needs work.

Then ask the AI:
“Now shorten this by 30%, remove repetition, and make it sound like a clear, confident human. Keep the key points, lose the fluff.”

You are the editor; the AI is the overeager intern. It drafts fast. You decide what survives.

---

Alright, that’s it for today’s episode of “I Am GPTed” with me, Mal, your Misfit Master of AI.

If this helped you boss your bots around a little better, **subscribe to the podcast** so you don’t miss future episodes where we keep making AI less mystical and more useful.

**Thanks for listening.**

This has been a **Quiet Please** production.
To learn more, head over to **quietplease dot ai** and see what else we’re breaking down for you.

[Outro music fades out, slightly quirky, just like you.]

For more check out https://www.quietperiodplease.com/

and for some great deals go to https://amzn.to/4nidg0P