One everyday use case for ChatGPT is to explain a concept. This could be a part of common knowledge or something very obscure. This is a compelling capability that I’ve just begun to tap into. Let me give you some examples.
Most people use this prompt to have Chat explain a complex or a difficult-to-understand concept in simple terms. The prompt usually says, “Explain quantum physics to me as if I’m ten years old.”
This can help grasp complex concepts. It can also provide context around an idea or concept. For example, “What are some current fashion trends?”
Another prompt I prefer is, “Explain quantum physics to me as if I’m Albert Einstein,” or “As Albert Einstein, explain quantum physics to me.” This often brings a more nuanced answer.
Masterminds are another fascinating way of prompting. You can ask Chat to take on multiple roles at the same time. For example, “I’d like you to have a mastermind conversation about our impact on nature with Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, and Di Vinci.”
More practically, I use Explain It prompts to help me with tech support issues. I use to spend hours pouring over manuals and support web pages when doing development and in general, running a business and living life. Now, all that information is instantly available. This is way different from using a search engine, where I have to use the right term and then sift through several web pages to find the information I want. Instead, I can ask Chat a question and get a direct answer.
For example, I write with an app called Scrivener. It’s an Integrated Development Environment for writing prose. It is extremely powerful and also extremely complex, especially regarding outputting in specific formats. Formatting a book for both Kindle and paperback adds another layer of complexity to the mix. This requires additional tools like Word, metadata managers, etc.
It is a 50-step process. Many authors opt for special software like Vellum or Adacus, but they have some limitations. One of my favorite ways of presenting information in print is a List Group. This print style starts with a headline followed by one or more paragraphs, followed by a group of list items, each with an outdented italicized title and one or more indented paragraphs. I used a similar style in my first book, Beyond Legacy Code, to make content easy to read. But I couldn’t figure out how to do it in Scrivener for my second book.
So I asked Chat.
Chat said that Scrivener does not have that ability, but we could simulate it by combining three styles together. And that’s what I did. Chat also helped me refine that 50-step process into something much simpler.
I should mention that getting this kind of support from Chat can be challenging because the corpus of knowledge Chat can access is usually cut off some number of months before now so if the app you’re asking about comes out with a new version after Chat’s cutoff date then you’ll get outdated information that you’ll have to reconcile.
Chat is exceptionally good at explaining complex concepts so they are comprehensible. But I don’t use Chat in this way any more than I would walk up to you, ask you a question, get an answer, and then walk away. Most of my interactions with Chat are conversations.
More on that in future posts…
