#383: The Art of 'Conversing' with AI

Imagine walking into a friend's house and rattling off a 20-minute monologue with every single detail of a challenge you're facing.

No pause. No space for questions. Just a nonstop, 20-minute word vomit.

That's how most of us are using AI. We dump a giant wall of text into a prompt, cross our fingers, and hope for magic. Instead of working with AI, we're treating it like a command line.

No wonder the results often fall flat!

In this short episode, I share a better way—one that mirrors the way we'd talk with a trusted colleague. When you approach AI as a conversation partner, you open the door to deeper insights, sharper thinking, and far better results.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why "one shot" prompting works against you most of the time.
• How to reframe AI interactions as a natural dialogue.
• The 3R Prompting Framework: Role, Reference, Requirements.
• Practical ways to build your ideas step by step through conversation.
• How this iterative approach keeps your critical thinking skills sharp.

Key Takeaways

• Think conversation, not commands. Don't unload every detail upfront—start small and build.
• Use the 3Rs. Define the Role you want AI to play, provide the essential Reference, and clearly state your Requirements.
• Stay in the driver's seat. A healthy back-and-forth keeps you engaged and prevents outsourcing your thinking entirely.
• Break it down. Just like building a house, you lay the foundation first and add each piece thoughtfully.

Try This Exercise

Next time you open up your favorite AI tool, instead of pasting in a giant prompt, try this:

1. Start with the core issue.
2. Ask AI a probing question like: What key themes do you see here?
3. Use its response to refine your thinking.
4. Layer in more details only as needed.

You'll be surprised how much better the output (and your own clarity) becomes.