Part 1: The Mechanics of Interaction
To get started, you will need to obtain access to the ChatGPT by first obtaining access either through a web browser or an application on a mobile device.

A) Accessing the Tool
1. Platform Access: Access is primarily through the official OpenAI website or official OpenAI mobile application.
2. Account Creation: Account creation is with an email address, Google account, or Microsoft account.
3. Model Selection:
1. GPT-3.5: The default, free, faster model, which is ideal for getting quick answers or summaries.
2. GPT-4 / GPT-4o: available to Plus subscribers and is more advanced and capable with more nuance, complexity, and creativity.

B) User Interface (UI)
The design is clean and uncomplicated:
• Message Box: A text box at the bottom where text input can be done (prompt).
• New Chat Button: A button that clears the context and begins a new conversation without recalling previous inputs.
• Chat History: A sidebar that contains the previous conversations that have been completed and can continue.

C) The Primary Cycle of Interaction
The cycle is simple:
1. Input: Type your request into the chat box.
2. Process: The AI reads your prompt, analyzes the context (previous messages in the same chat), and generates a response one word at a time.
3. Output: The AI prints its response in the main window.
4. Iteration/Follow-up: You review the output and provide feedback or a new instruction (e.g., “Make that response longer,” “Rewrite the second paragraph,” “Translate that into Spanish”). The AI remembers the context of the current session.

Part 2: The Art of Prompt Engineering
The quality of what ChatGPT puts out is a result of the quality of your input. We call this “garbage in, garbage out”. For effective prompt engineering pay attention to structure and clarity.

A) Fundamental Prompting Techniques
1. Be Specific and Clear.
Avoid vagueness. Instead of posing questions like “Tell me about a dog which is a broad request, put forth “What are the key traits and size of a Golden Retriever and how do they behave which is a more specific ask
2. Provide Examples (Few-Shot Prompting)
If you need the output to adhere to a certain style or tone, you can also include examples in your prompt. This is known as “few-shot” or “one-shot” prompting.
3. Explain Constraints and Negative Constraints
Tell the model what to do and what not to do.
• Constraint: ‘Make sure the tone is formal.’
• Negative Constraint: ‘Avoid using slang and contractions.’
4. Improve and Fine-tune
The initial prompt might not give the desired response. Employ sequenced follow-up prompts to enhance the output:
• ‘That’s good, but I want more excitement.’
• ‘Make it three sentences.’
• ‘Can you rephrase it for a 5th grader?’