Get comfortable · Lesson 3 of 16

Your First ChatGPT Conversation, Step by Step

Four simple moves for talking with ChatGPT: ask a question, reply with a follow-up, try again for a fresh answer, and start a new chat.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

Talking to ChatGPT works like a conversation in a messaging app: you write, it answers, and you can reply. In this lesson you have your first real conversation and learn four simple moves you will use every time: ask a question, ask a follow-up, try again, and start a new chat.

Ask a question

Everything starts in the message box in the middle of the screen. It says Ask ChatGPT. Click inside it and type your question the way you would ask a friend. You do not need special words, and your spelling does not have to be perfect.

The ChatGPT home screen at chatgpt.com. Above the message box it says Hey, Alex Demo. Ready to dive in? The empty message box says Ask ChatGPT, and a label under it says Spelling is fine. — Every conversation starts in the message box.

Let’s try one. Type this question:

Type this

What are three easy ways to drink more water during the day?

Then press Enter on your keyboard, or click the round arrow button at the right end of the box.

The question What are three easy ways to drink more water during the day? typed into the message box. The round blue arrow button is at the right end of the box, and a label under the box says Or press Enter. — Press Enter, or click the arrow button, to send your question.

A few seconds later, the answer appears. Your question sits on the right, in a small light blue bubble. The answer is on the left. Take a moment to read it, just like a message from a friend.

In our example, ChatGPT gave three numbered tips (carry a water bottle, set reminders, add some flavor) and a bonus tip at the end. A row of small buttons sits under the answer. You will use one of them later in this lesson.

The question in a light blue bubble at the top right. Below it on the left, ChatGPT's answer lists three tips: Carry a water bottle, Set reminders and Add some flavor, then a bonus tip about drinking a glass of water when you wake up and with each meal. A row of small buttons sits under the answer. — Your question is on the right. ChatGPT's answer is on the left.

Follow up

Now the most useful habit of all. You don’t need to start over. Just reply, like in a normal conversation. Type this into the same message box, under the answer:

Then reply

Make it shorter, one line each.

The end of the first answer at the top of the chat. At the bottom, the reply Make it shorter, one line each is typed into the message box, with the pointer on the round arrow button. — A follow-up goes in the same message box, under the answer.

ChatGPT remembers what you asked before in the same chat. So it shortens the same three tips to one line each, just as you asked. You did not have to explain the whole thing again.

The same chat further down: the end of the first, longer answer, then the reply Make it shorter, one line each in a light blue bubble, then the new answer with three one-line tips. Carry a water bottle everywhere. Set reminders to drink water. Add lemon or fruit for flavor. — Inside one chat, ChatGPT builds on what came before.

Try again

Don’t like an answer? Look at the small buttons under it. The round arrow means Try again. Click it, then choose Try again in the small menu that opens. ChatGPT writes a fresh version of the same answer.

The round arrow button under the short answer has been clicked. A small menu is open above it, with a box that says Ask to change response, a highlighted Try again option and a Search the web option. — The round arrow under an answer opens the Try again menu.

In our example, the fresh version keeps the same three tips but words them differently. “Carry a water bottle everywhere” became “Carry a water bottle and sip throughout the day”. Sometimes the change is small, sometimes it is big. You can try again as often as you like, and keep the version you like best.

The fresh version of the short answer: Carry a water bottle and sip throughout the day. Set reminders to drink water regularly. Add flavor with lemon, mint, or cucumber. A label under it says Keep your favorite. — Each Try again gives you a new version of the same answer.

Start a new chat

When you want to talk about something new, click New chat at the top left. You get a clean page. Your old chat is saved in the list on the left, under Recents, so you can go back to it any time. The water chat from this lesson is listed there as Water Drinking Tips.

The ChatGPT sidebar with New chat at the top and the pointer on it. Under Recents, the earlier chat, Water Drinking Tips, is highlighted with a label that says Saved in Recents. On the right is a clean page with an empty message box. — New chat is at the top of the sidebar. Your earlier chats are listed under Recents.

One tip: one topic per chat

Keep one topic per chat. A new topic gets a new chat. That keeps the answers focused, because ChatGPT takes the earlier messages in a chat into account when it answers. It also makes your old chats easy to find in the list.

Three cards under the heading One tip: one topic per chat. The first card says Water tips and the second says Dinner ideas. The third card, outlined in red with a red cross, mixes Water tips + taxes + dinner. A label at the bottom says Easy to find later. — One topic per chat keeps answers focused and old chats easy to find.

YOUR TURN

In the next lesson, you will see why the way you ask matters so much: Why your ChatGPT question matters.

Read the full video transcript

In this lesson, you'll have your first real conversation with ChatGPT. You'll learn four simple moves: ask a question, ask a follow-up, try again, and start a new chat.

Everything starts in the message box. Click inside it and type your question, the way you'd ask a friend. You don't need special words or perfect spelling.

Let's try one. What are three easy ways to drink more water during the day? Then press Enter, or click the arrow button on the right.

A few seconds later, the answer appears. Your question sits on the right, in a small bubble. The answer is on the left. Take a moment to read it, just like a message from a friend.

Now the most useful habit of all. You don't need to start over. Just reply, like in a normal conversation. Let's type: Make it shorter, one line each.

ChatGPT remembers what you asked before, in the same chat. So it shortens the same three tips, one line each, just as we asked. You didn't have to explain the whole thing again.

Don't like an answer? Look at the small buttons under it. The round arrow means try again. Click it, and ChatGPT writes a fresh version of the same answer.

Sometimes the change is small, sometimes it's big. You can try again as often as you like, and keep the version you like best.

When you want to talk about something new, click New chat, at the top left. You get a clean page. Your old chat is saved in the list on the left, so you can go back to it any time.

Here's one tip. Keep one topic per chat. A new topic gets a new chat. That keeps the answers focused, and makes old chats easy to find.

So remember: ask, follow up, try again, and start a new chat for a new topic. Before the next lesson, have a short conversation of your own and try all four moves. Next, you'll see why the way you ask matters so much.