5 ChatGPT Prompts To Go From Beginner To Advanced At Prompting

Forbes

10-07-2025

using chatgpt prompts to help in business
Artificial intelligence has become a tool in business, education, and personal productivity—but for many, the true power of ChatGPT remains untapped. The quality of what you get from ChatGPT is directly tied to the quality of what you put in. Better prompts equal better results.
If you've only scratched the surface of ChatGPT by asking it to "write an email" or "summarize this text," you're missing out on its deeper potential. The difference between basic and advanced ChatGPT users isn't technical knowledge—it's knowing how to communicate effectively with AI.
Here are five ChatGPT prompts designed to take you from beginner to advanced, teaching you to think like a power user and get nuanced, creative, and highly actionable outputs.
1. The ChatGPT Feedback Loop Prompt: Iterate For Better Results
Most people stop after ChatGPT's first response—but experienced users know the first draft is rarely the best. Advanced prompting involves learning to guide ChatGPT toward the desired outcome.
Sample prompt: "That's a good start, but I'd like the tone to be more conversational, with shorter sentences and one relevant anecdote. Can you rewrite it with those changes?"
How to use it: After receiving ChatGPT's initial response, identify what specific changes you want—tone, length, structure, or style. Be specific about adjustments rather than saying "make it better." This teaches ChatGPT your preferences and improves subsequent responses.
ChatGPT learns from your feedback in session and adjusts accordingly. This "feedback loop" mirrors how you might give notes to a human writer. Over time, you'll become more adept at identifying what works for your needs.
You can also ask ChatGPT for clarification: "What else do you need to know from me to refine this draft?"
2. The ChatGPT Role-Playing Prompt: Unlock Expert Perspectives
One of ChatGPT's features is its ability to simulate expertise. Instead of asking a generic question, you can prompt ChatGPT to step into a specific role. By doing this you are able to get more tailored insights.
Sample prompt: "Act as a career coach with 20 years of experience in the tech industry. What steps would you recommend for someone who wants to pivot from marketing to data science? Include specific timeline, required skills, and potential obstacles."
How to use it: Choose a role that matches the expertise you need—lawyer, teacher, hiring manager, fitness trainer, or even historical figures. Get specific about their background and experience level. The more detailed you make the role, the more focused the advice becomes.
This approach is beneficial for brainstorming or when you're looking for advice from a certain point of view.
You can layer roles for more specific expertise: "Act as a TED Talk speaker and AI ethics professor. Write a 2-minute speech explaining the risks of bias in AI."
3. The ChatGPT Step-By-Step Prompt: Deconstruct Complex Tasks
When faced with a big challenge—like writing a business plan or planning a marketing campaign—it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Advanced ChatGPT users know how to break down complexity into clear, actionable steps.
Sample prompt: "Break down the process of writing a grant proposal into five clear, actionable steps. For each step, include the main objective, required resources, and estimated time to complete. Then help me draft the first section."
How to use it: This approach applies to any complex project, whether launching a business, planning an event, or learning a new skill.
Instead of asking for a complete deliverable all at once, you teach ChatGPT to act like a guide, helping you tackle one part at a time. This is particularly helpful when you don't know where to start or when you want to ensure you haven't missed any steps.
You can even ask ChatGPT to quiz you on each step: "Test my understanding of step three by asking me three questions about it."
4. The ChatGPT Contrarian Prompt: Explore Alternate Perspectives
Many people fall into the trap of only asking ChatGPT to validate their assumptions, but great decision-making often requires seeing both sides. Challenge yourself and ChatGPT with a contrarian prompt.
Sample prompt: "Many people think remote work improves productivity. Make the strongest case for why remote work hurts productivity, citing evidence where possible. Include at least three specific drawbacks with supporting research."
How to use it: Take a position you believe in and ask ChatGPT to argue against it. This forces you to consider counterarguments and strengthens your understanding of the topic. Be specific about wanting evidence or examples to make the opposing case more compelling.
By deliberately asking ChatGPT to take the opposing position, you gain a fuller understanding of the issue and avoid potential blind spots. This is especially valuable for entrepreneurs, managers, and students writing persuasive essays or making strategic decisions.
Advanced users take it a step further by asking ChatGPT to debate itself: "Present both the strongest argument for and against universal basic income, then summarize the most compelling points from each side."
5. The ChatGPT Format-Specific Prompt: Output Exactly What You Need
Generic requests often yield generic results. Knowing how to specify output formats will save time and enhance usability.
Sample prompt: "Summarize this research article into a five-slide PowerPoint outline with a title slide, bullet points for each slide, and one key takeaway per slide. Include suggested visuals for each slide."
How to use it: Before asking your question, decide exactly what format you need the answer in—table, checklist, email draft, press release, lesson plan, or script. Specify the number of items, sections, or slides you want. This reduces editing time and gives you something immediately usable.
ChatGPT is capable of producing outputs in many forms. When you tell it the format you want, you reduce post-editing and get a result you can use immediately.
You can combine formats: "Create a three-column table comparing the pros, cons, and examples of different project management methodologies, with five rows total."
Mastering ChatGPT Is About Mastering Clarity
As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in professional settings, the ability to craft effective prompts will become a valuable skill across industries. The professionals who master AI communication today will have a significant advantage tomorrow.
The goal isn't to outsource your thinking to ChatGPT, but to use it as a powerful thinking partner that amplifies your own creativity and problem-solving abilities. Remember, ChatGPT is only as good as your ability to guide it—and these techniques will help you unlock its full potential for any project, decision, or creative challenge you face.