How to Get Better Results From ChatGPT

Did ChatGPT give you a bad answer? It might be your prompt. Why better questions lead to better results, and how to ask them.

In Disney’s Aladdin, the turning point begins when Aladdin rubs a magic lamp and is granted three wishes. The first is, “Can you make me a prince?”. Now, even though the wish was granted and Aladdin becomes a prince, he didn’t get what he truly wanted. He got what he asked for. What he wanted most was Princess Jasmine’s love and acceptance.

This classic moment reveals a timeless truth: getting exactly what you ask for doesn’t mean you’re getting what you actually want. And surprisingly, it’s a perfect metaphor for how we interact with AI tools like ChatGPT today.

ChatGPT: Our Modern-Day Genie

Like the Genie, ChatGPT can fulfil almost any request instantly. But there’s a catch. It gives you what you ask for, not necessarily what you mean or need. That’s why prompting, the art of asking the right questions in the right way, has become the essential skill for effective AI use.

The problem isn’t the tool. It’s the prompt.

Most people try ChatGPT once, type in a vague command like “write an article about World War II”, and feel underwhelmed. The tool didn’t fail. The input did. If you give a historian the same task, their first move wouldn’t be to start writing. It would be to ask you questions:

• What’s the purpose? Inform, persuade, analyse?

• Who’s the target audience?

• What’s the scope?

• Preferred format or length?

• Should it include emotional or factual tones?

ChatGPT, unlike a human expert, won’t ask those by default. So, unless you provide that context, your output will feel generic.

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How to get what you really want from ChatGPT

Following the example above, let’s compare two prompts:

Basic prompt: “Write an article about World War II.”

Context-rich prompt: “Write a narrative-driven, empathetic article on World War II focusing on civilian life in Eastern Europe and East Asia. Highlight how ordinary people endured and adapted to the war, from survival strategies to cultural shifts. Avoid political and military analysis. Centre the human experience, and draw equally from both regions with historical accuracy and emotional depth.”

Same general topic, radically different outcome. The second example brings depth, relevance, and intentionality, because the prompt was well-crafted.

Prompting is a learnable skill

Becoming great at prompting doesn’t require technical expertise. It requires clarity of intent. Start every interaction by asking yourself:

What are the key considerations I need to clarify before asking this?

That one step alone will increase the relevance and accuracy of the AI’s response. The more you do it, the more you think like a writer or strategist, even before you begin typing.

Why prompting matters more than ever

There’s a lot of hype and fear surrounding AI. The general discourse is that AI will replace us and take away our creativity. The reality is that AI is a tool, and in the hands of a thoughtful user, it becomes exponentially more powerful. The same tool in the hands of an expert generates refined results. In the hands of a novice, it might disappoint.

The prompt that will make you better at prompting

If you are just getting started with prompting and you are not so sure how to adequately provide context, copy-paste the prompt below and add the task you want ChatGPT to execute. It will first give you a list of questions to gather all the information and context needed to accomplish your task.

Act like an expert assistant. Before starting the task below, ask me a comprehensive list of specific questions to gather all the details and context you need. Once I answer them, you will then use that information to execute the task below as accurately as possible. Do not begin the task until all relevant details are collected. Take a deep breath and work on this problem step-by-step.

Task:
"Write your task here"

Try this prompt for a week. You’ll notice better, more nuanced outputs. Over time, you’ll start embedding that context automatically and thinking more like a writer, strategist, or whatever role ChatGPT is assuming for you.

In the following weeks, we’ll start getting deeper and more creative on how we can get the most out of ChatGPT. But everything starts with prompting.

For now, remember: better questions lead to better answers.