The Star Trek approach to using AI (that actually works)

If you're spending hours typing out GPT prompts, here's a neat tip to save you a few hours.

Use voice prompts and transcriptions.

They can generate more accurate results than laboring over a 1,000+ word text prompt.

The other day, I was meeting with a client online. He explained a problem he’s facing with his business and what he wants to do this year.

I offer content strategy services, but rather than pitching him on the call, I hit the transcribe button in Google Meet (both parties get a notification when I hit this button). I asked them about their business, their work, and where they need help.

We chatted for 30 minutes. It was fun. People, including clients, love being heard.

After the call, I copied the transcript and pasted it into ChatGPT. I prefer GPT over Gemini as the outputs are better. I’ve also beef with Google’s tools (see past editions of this newsletter for my many rants about Google killing off the traffic of small publishers!)

I asked GPT to identify some common themes and patterns and prepare a proposal for my client using a template.

GPT and I went backward and forward a few times until I created an offer I was happy with. Starting with voice felt more organic than typing in a lengthy prompt. Plus, my transcription gave GPT training data and a constraint for its outputs, which always helps.

Even if you’re not interviewing clients, experiment with using voice prompts instead of typing them out.

Instead of babying GPT, talk to it like a high-IQ friend. Tell the AI model what you’re trying to do, where you’re stuck, and how it can help you. You can even ask GPT to ask you questions before generating its output.

Remember, ChatGPT understands you better when you speak naturally. And part of speaking naturally involves follow-up questions and clarifications.

I’ve linked GPT voice mode to the Action button on my phone, entering full Star Trek geek mode.

If you do this a few times using the GPT–4o model, it can determine who you are based on past conversations. That’ll reduce the need to bang out big once-off prompts.

To see what I mean, use GPT for a bit. Then, type or say this simple prompt: Hey GPT, who am I?

I’m testing a paid newsletter offering custom Claude and ChatGPT prompts for creators. I’m testing this with a small group - reply ‘AI’ if you want first access.