Let AI ask the questions first
Not sure what to tell an AI? Ask it to interview you first. One extra line gets you an answer that fits your situation, not everyone’s.
In 30 seconds
- AI knows a lot about the world but nothing about your situation, unless you say.
- Ask it to question you first: one question at a time, about five in total.
- You don’t have to answer everything. Leave out private details, or keep them general.
Ask a good friend to help plan a party and they’ll start with questions. How many people? What’s the budget? Indoors or out? AI tends to skip that part. It jumps straight to an answer and fills the gaps with guesses. One extra line in your Jargon busterPrompt: What you type or say to an AI to tell it what you want. changes that.
Why it works
An Jargon busterAI assistant: A chat app such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini that answers questions and does tasks you describe in plain language. knows a lot about parties, letters and holidays in general, but nothing about yours. And you may not know which details matter. Asking it to interview you hands that job over: it works out what it needs to know, and you just answer.
Think of it as briefing a clever new colleague on their first day. They’re capable, but they need the background before their help is any use.
- Your goalSay what you want help with
- Its questionsOne at a time, about five
- Your answersShort and honest, minus anything private
- Its answerBuilt around what you said
The basic prompt
I’d like help with [your task]. Before you start, interview me. Ask me one question at a time, about [five] in total, and wait for each answer before asking the next. When you have enough, sum up what you’ve understood in a few lines, then give me [what you want at the end, such as a plan or a draft].
Each part does a job. One at a time stops it firing a dozen questions at you at once. About five stops it going on for ever. And the summary lets you catch a misunderstanding before it shapes the whole answer.
Three ways to use it
Help me plan [a 70th birthday party for my mum, or a long weekend in York]. Before you suggest anything, ask me about five questions, one at a time, covering things like who’s coming, the budget, the date and what we enjoy. Then suggest a plan with rough costs and a short to-do list.
I need to write [a letter to my landlord about a repair that keeps being put off]. Before drafting, ask me up to six questions, one at a time, about what happened, what I want to achieve and the tone I’m after. Then write a draft that’s firm but polite.
I’m trying to decide [whether to go back to work full time]. Don’t give me an answer. Ask me one question at a time about what matters to me, until you understand my priorities. Then sum them up and point out anything I seem to be overlooking.
For a big decision, carry on with the techniques in use AI to think through a decision.
Tips for a good interview
- One at a timeOne question is easy to answer. Twelve at once is a form, and you’ll skip the hard ones.
- Say how many“About five questions” keeps it focused. Allow more for a big job, such as planning a wedding.
- Say when you’re readyType “That’s enough, go ahead” at any point, and it should work with what it has.
- “Not sure” is an answerIf you can’t answer, say so, or ask it to suggest options and explain the pros and cons.
- Ask for a recapBefore the final answer, get it to sum up what it has understood, and correct anything it got wrong.
Keep private details out
Some assistants also remember what you tell them and use it in later chats. You can usually see and delete what they’ve kept in the settings, or use a temporary or incognito chat. Our guide to staying safe with AI has more.
Got an answer that’s nearly right? Here’s how to improve it with follow-ups.
Check yourself
3 quick questions nothing is savedTools in this guide
Sources (1)
- Use Claude’s chat search and memory to build on previous contextAnthropic (Claude Help Center)
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