How Understanding Context Makes Magic Happen

Ever typed a question into ChatGPT and gotten a weird or underwhelming response?

You’re not alone.

In this One Simple Thing episode, we explore why so many AI queries fall flat — and what leaders can do differently. There’s one small shift that makes all the difference… and no, it’s not about being a tech expert.

This is the final part of our short series on how to use AI to enhance your leadership — without losing your human touch.

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Hit play and find out what makes AI really work for you.

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Transcript

Welcome to One Simple Thing

Speaker 1 0:05

Welcome to Leading People with me , gerry Marais , this week . It's One Simple Thing , where in each episode , I share a quick , actionable tip to help you bring out the best in yourself and others the best in yourself and others . One simple thing is created for young leaders , but hey , us older folks can still learn a thing or two . Ask my dog . He's learned a few new tricks recently

The Problem with AI Responses

Speaker 1 0:38

. Here's a question for you have you ever typed a question into ChatGPT and the answer you got back was well , not quite what you were hoping for , or maybe even a bit off the wall . You're not alone , and here's why Because all meaning is context dependent . If you don't give AI enough context , it will do its best to fill in the blanks , but it's not a mind reader and , unlike your most intuitive colleague , it doesn't know you or what you meant , unless you tell it . So today's one simple thing is Learn how to brief an AI like a pro so you get relevant , useful responses every time

Fashion Project AI Story

Speaker 1 1:26

. Now let me bring this to life with a story from my own kitchen table . My 17-year-old daughter had saved a bunch of fashion images to Pinterest for a year-long school project she's doing . She wanted help generating a color palette from them using ChatGPT . So she snapped a screenshot and uploaded it to the chat . Her message Make a color palette from this . Now , that's not a bad start , but ChatGPT had no idea this was part of a school project , that she was building an entire fashion collection , or that she needed ideas that were realistic , cohesive and in line with her personal style . It first gave her a palette , but not her palette , because it didn't know the context . Once we refined it and got more specific , it produced what she really wanted . And this is the mistake a lot of people make when talking to AI they throw in a prompt and hope for magic . But context is what makes the magic happen , and it doesn't have to be complicated

Five Essentials for Briefing AI

Speaker 1 2:37

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Speaker 1 2:37

Here's a simple briefing checklist you can follow . You can think of it as the five essentials for briefing AI . Well , so the first is who is this for ? Is it for a client , your boss , your team or even yourself ? Number two what are you trying to do ? Are you trying to write a message , prepare for a meeting ? Are you trying to write a message , prepare for a meeting , explain a topic , brainstorm ideas ? Number three why does it matter ? Are you trying to impress , influence , inform , simplify or just clarify something ?

Speaker 1 3:19

Number four where will this be used ? Is it for a presentation , an email , a social post or just a conversation ? And number five how do you want it to sound ? Do you want it to sound friendly , formal , humorous , direct or just thoughtful ? And once you answer these , even quickly , you're giving the AI guardrails and it can do much better work for you . And remember , you're not handing off your thinking , you're just giving your thinking assistant better instructions . In fact , the more thoughtful you are , the better it gets . In fact , the more thoughtful you are , the better it gets .

Speaker 1 4:07

And here's the aha moment . You don't need to be a tech wizard , you just need to be clear . And that's what good leaders do . They communicate clearly , whether with people or even machines . If this resonates , please share it with someone who's struggling with getting useful results from AI or who's just dipping their

Closing Thoughts and Next Episode

Speaker 1 4:28

toe in . And that's another One Simple Thing . Thanks for tuning in . Remember , small steps can lead to big changes . Test out this One Simple Thing and notice how it transforms your day . Let me know how you get on . Reach out on LinkedIn and connect with me . Mention the podcast and if you'd like to learn more one simple things , then subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast channel and follow our LinkedIn Leading People page . In our next episode of One Simple Thing , we'll explore another easy way to be a great leader by bringing out the best in yourself and those around you . And in between , you can check out one of my longer conversations with leading people about yes , you've guessed it leading people . So until then , keep exploring and stay curious .