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Module 1.2: Your First Working Session — Three Practical Exercises

Theory is nice. Practice is better. In this lesson, you will complete three exercises that mirror real work tasks. By the end, you will have a feel for what ChatGPT can do — and where it needs your guidance.

Open ChatGPT in a browser tab and follow along. Do not just read the examples — type them in and see what happens.

Exercise 1: Summarize a Long Document

One of ChatGPT's strongest use cases is condensing long text into digestible summaries. This is useful for meeting notes, reports, articles, and any document you need to process quickly.

The Task

Copy and paste a long email, article, or document into ChatGPT with this prompt:

"Summarize the following text in 5 bullet points. Focus on the key decisions and action items. Here is the text: [paste your text]"

What to Notice

  • ChatGPT identifies the main points with surprising accuracy
  • It separates signal from noise — filler language and pleasantries get stripped away
  • The bullet points are usually well-structured and easy to scan

Follow-Up Prompts to Try

  • "Make it even shorter — 3 bullet points maximum"
  • "Rewrite this summary for my manager, who only cares about budget implications"
  • "Which of these points requires action from me?"

Notice how each follow-up refines the output. ChatGPT remembers the original text, so you do not need to paste it again. This is the iterative workflow you will use constantly.

Exercise 2: Draft a Professional Email

Email is the single most common use case for ChatGPT in professional settings. Not because people cannot write emails — because writing emails is time-consuming and repetitive.

The Task

Think of an email you actually need to send today. Then try this prompt structure:

"Write a [length] email to [recipient] about [topic]. The tone should be [tone]. Key points to include: [list your points]. Context: [any relevant background]."

For example:

"Write a short email to my team announcing that we are switching project management tools from Jira to Linear. The tone should be enthusiastic but practical. Key points: the switch happens next Monday, training session on Friday at 2 PM, old Jira boards will stay accessible for 30 days. Context: the team has been complaining about Jira's complexity for months."

What to Notice

  • The email will have a clear structure: opening, body, action items
  • The tone usually matches what you asked for
  • It may include details you did not mention — review these carefully and remove anything inaccurate

Refining the Draft

Your first draft will rarely be perfect. Common follow-ups:

  • "Make it shorter — maximum 150 words"
  • "The opening is too casual, make it more professional"
  • "Add a line about where to direct questions"
  • "Remove the part about [X], that is not relevant"

After 2-3 rounds of refinement, you should have an email that is 90-95% ready to send. Add your personal touches and hit send.

Exercise 3: Brainstorm Solutions to a Problem

ChatGPT excels at generating options. When you are stuck on a problem, it can suggest approaches you might not have considered — not because it is smarter than you, but because it draws on a wider range of patterns.

The Task

Think of a real work problem you are facing. Frame it as a brainstorming prompt:

"I am [your role] at [type of company]. I am facing this challenge: [describe the problem]. Give me 7 different approaches I could take to solve this. For each approach, include a one-sentence description and one potential downside."

For example:

"I am a marketing manager at a B2B SaaS company. We have a great product but almost zero brand awareness in the Dutch market. Our budget for marketing is limited to 2,000 EUR per month. Give me 7 different approaches to build brand awareness. For each, include a one-sentence description and one potential downside."

What to Notice

  • Some suggestions will be obvious — things you have already considered
  • 2-3 suggestions will likely be genuinely interesting angles you had not thought of
  • The downsides help you evaluate without needing a separate analysis step

Going Deeper

Once you see an interesting suggestion, dig into it:

  • "Tell me more about option 3. How would I implement this with a 2,000 EUR budget?"
  • "Create a 4-week action plan for option 5"
  • "Compare options 2 and 6 — which would give faster results?"

This is where ChatGPT becomes genuinely valuable — not as the decision-maker, but as a thinking partner that helps you explore options faster than you could alone.

What You Should Have Learned

After completing these three exercises, you should understand three fundamental principles:

1. Specificity Gets Results

The more specific your prompt, the more useful the output. "Help me with marketing" produces generic advice. "Give me 7 brand awareness strategies for a Dutch B2B SaaS company with a 2,000 EUR monthly budget" produces actionable ideas.

2. Iteration Is the Process

Your first prompt is never your last. ChatGPT conversations are collaborative — you refine, redirect, and build on previous responses. Think of it as working with a very fast, very patient junior colleague.

3. You Are the Quality Filter

ChatGPT generates text confidently regardless of whether it is correct. Your job is to review everything for accuracy, appropriateness, and alignment with your actual situation. Never send a ChatGPT output without reading it first.

Building the Habit

The professionals who get the most value from ChatGPT are the ones who use it daily for small tasks. Here are five tasks to try this week:

  1. Summarize your meeting notes from today's longest meeting
  2. Draft a LinkedIn post about something you learned at work this week
  3. Rewrite a paragraph from a report to be half the length
  4. Generate a list of questions for an upcoming client meeting
  5. Create an agenda for your next team standup

Each task takes 2-5 minutes. After a week of daily use, ChatGPT will feel like a natural extension of your workflow.

Key Takeaway

ChatGPT is a practical tool for everyday work tasks. Summarizing, drafting, and brainstorming are the three foundational use cases. Master these, and you will save hours every week on tasks that are important but repetitive. In the next module, you will learn the science behind crafting prompts that consistently produce great results.