ChatGPT Basics: Foundational Skills for Effective Use

Why Attend

Artificial intelligence is transforming how professionals access information, communicate, develop content, analyse business challenges, and complete everyday tasks. ChatGPT has emerged as a widely used AI assistant that can support workplace productivity, learning, research, writing, brainstorming, and problem-solving through natural language interactions.

Despite its accessibility, many professionals use ChatGPT without fully understanding its capabilities, limitations, or the techniques needed to obtain accurate and useful responses. Vague instructions, insufficient context, poor verification practices, and unrealistic expectations can lead to inconsistent results and reduce the value of AI-assisted work.

Developing foundational ChatGPT skills enables individuals to interact with AI more effectively, structure their requests clearly, evaluate generated information, and integrate AI assistance into routine professional activities.

The ChatGPT Basics: Foundational Skills for Effective Use course provides a practical introduction to ChatGPT, generative artificial intelligence, and effective prompting techniques. It is designed for participants with little or no previous experience using AI-powered conversational tools.

Participants learn how ChatGPT works at a conceptual level, how to formulate effective prompts, how to improve AI-generated responses, and how to use ChatGPT responsibly for writing, communication, research, information organisation, and basic analysis.

The programme also explores AI accuracy, hallucinations, data privacy, ethical considerations, and the importance of human judgement when using AI-generated information.

Through guided demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and workplace scenarios, participants build the confidence and practical skills needed to use ChatGPT productively, safely, and independently.

Professional Problems This Course Is Designed to Solve

• Limited understanding of generative AI: Building foundational knowledge of ChatGPT, large language models, and their practical applications in professional environments.

• Poor-quality responses from AI tools: Learning how to write clear prompts that provide sufficient context, instructions, and desired output requirements.

• Difficulty using ChatGPT for everyday work: Identifying practical applications for drafting emails, preparing reports, summarising information, planning activities, and generating ideas.

• Excessive time spent on repetitive tasks: Applying ChatGPT to streamline routine writing, information organisation, and administrative activities while maintaining human oversight.

• Uncertainty about AI-generated information: Developing effective methods for checking factual accuracy, identifying unsupported claims, and validating important outputs.

• Concerns about privacy and responsible AI use: Understanding appropriate data handling, confidentiality, intellectual property, and ethical considerations.

• Lack of confidence adopting AI technologies: Building practical experience through structured exercises that support independent and responsible ChatGPT use.

Course Methodology

The programme combines instructor-led explanations, live ChatGPT demonstrations, guided prompting exercises, interactive discussions, workplace simulations, and individual practice activities.

Participants work through realistic scenarios involving business communication, document preparation, information summarisation, brainstorming, meeting preparation, basic data interpretation, and task planning.

Each learning activity introduces a practical technique, demonstrates its application, and allows participants to experiment with different prompts and evaluate the resulting outputs.

The course emphasises accessible explanations, progressive skill development, hands-on learning, and responsible AI practices. No programming knowledge or previous AI experience is required.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the basic concepts of artificial intelligence and generative AI

• Understand what ChatGPT can and cannot reliably do

• Navigate the ChatGPT interface and use common conversational features

• Develop clear and effective prompts for everyday tasks

• Improve responses through follow-up questions and iterative prompting

• Use ChatGPT to draft, revise, and summarise professional content

• Apply ChatGPT to brainstorming, planning, and problem-solving activities

• Organise information and perform basic analytical tasks with AI assistance

• Recognise inaccurate, misleading, or unsupported AI-generated information

• Apply appropriate privacy, confidentiality, and responsible AI practices

• Identify opportunities to improve individual and team productivity

• Develop a practical personal workflow for using ChatGPT effectively

Target Audience

This course is suitable for:

• Professionals beginning to use ChatGPT and generative AI

• Administrative assistants and office professionals

• Business managers and team leaders

• Human resources and training professionals

• Marketing and communication specialists

• Customer service and client support professionals

• Finance and accounting professionals

• Educators and learning development specialists

• Entrepreneurs and small business owners

• Public sector employees and general business professionals

Target Competencies

Participants will develop competencies in:

• Generative AI fundamentals

• ChatGPT navigation and basic functionality

• Effective prompt writing

• Conversational AI interaction

• AI-assisted business communication

• Information summarisation and organisation

• Creative thinking and idea generation

• Basic AI-supported analysis

• AI output verification and critical evaluation

• Responsible and productive AI use