Module 1 · Choose the tool, then write the request Lesson 3 of 15
The follow-up is where the quality is
The first answer is a draft. The value is in the second and third message: cut this in half, use simpler words, show your working, argue the opposite, list what you assumed. Treat the chat as a fast junior colleague you are directing, not a vending machine.
The concept
The first answer is a draft, and the value is in the conversation after it. Cut this in half. Use simpler words. Show your working. Argue the opposite case. List every assumption you made. Treat the chat as a fast junior colleague you are directing, not a vending machine you press once — because the second message is where a generic answer becomes yours.
The mistake is accepting the first response and moving on, or starting a brand-new chat to ask for the change. In the same chat the tool still has your context; in a new one you are back to the vague request that gave you the bland answer in the first place.
Follow-up 1: Cut this to the 5 highest-value tasks, in order.
Follow-up 2: For each task, say how I will know it is done.
Follow-up 3: What did you assume about me that I did not tell you?Worked example
After a study plan, send: cut this to the five highest-value tasks, put them in order, and for each one tell me how I will know it is done. The plan turns from a list into something you can actually follow.
Your practice task
Take any first answer and send three follow-ups — shorten it, add a worked example, and list its assumptions. Keep the version you would really use.
Do this before moving on. Reading a solution teaches the shape of it; typing it teaches you.
Key takeaway
The first answer is a draft, and the value is in the conversation after it.
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