How to Use ChatGPT – An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to ChatGPT

This is an absolute beginner’s tutorial to show you how to use ChatGPT. We will walk you through the basics to help you start using ChatGPT right away without feeling overwhelmed. By the end of this article, you’ll feel confident navigating ChatGPT, having acquired the know-how to be in control of your interactions with the AI.

Let this guide be your starting point for building a habit of turning to the AI for help with your everyday and professional needs. You will discover how ChatGPT can make your life easier.

What Is ChatGPT

The official definition is: ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot developed by OpenAI that understands and generates human-like text based on your prompts. But if you prefer, you could think of ChatGPT as a super smart assistant who wears many hats, can act as an expert in virtually any field, and is always willing to help you with various tasks in life.

It is powered by an AI technology known as a “Large Language Model” (LLM). To learn more about how LLMs and ChatGPT really work, head over to this article:
What is a “Large Language Model”? LLM Explained Using ChatGPT

It’s safe to regard ChatGPT as the ‘next-generation’ and ‘next-level’ of assistance that the cutting-edge technology has provided us.

Before ChatGPT, we were (and still are) used to performing research and pulling information from the Internet using search engines like Google. ChatGPT and other AI models have changed this by providing responses that are not just a list of links, like traditional searches. Rather, ChatGPT engages in conversations like a human while attending to your requests and accepting further queries from you seamlessly.

And what kind of “requests” can ChatGPT attend to?

What Can ChatGPT Do?

We suggested above that ChatGPT is incredibly helpful when it comes to providing information and conducting research. But as you might already know, its prowess doesn’t stop there.

ChatGPT, as one of the most advanced AI-generated content (AIGC) tools, is capable of producing a wide range of content. More and more users rely on it to create emails, reports, blog posts, social media content, and much more

For example:

• If you need help writing an e-mail to answer your boss, ChatGPT can act as your secretary to outline and draft the e-mail for you;

• If you’re stuck on ideas for a presentation, ChatGPT can step in like a creative partner, suggesting fresh and unique angles to make your presentation stand out;

• Short on time and need a quick summary of a lengthy article? Let ChatGPT act as your research assistant to break down the key points into a concise summary for you.

Beyond text-based content, ChatGPT can also generate images and programming code. To learn more about what ChatGPT (and other AI tools) can do as an AIGC tool, check out this article:
What is AIGC? Artificial Intelligence Generated Content Explained Using ChatGPT

And it still doesn’t stop there—ChatGPT’s capabilities extend beyond content generation. Language translation, task automation, assistance in code debugging, consultation on various topics… the list goes on and on. There is so much more ChatGPT can do.

May we say, the assistance ChatGPT can render is only limited by our imagination.

More on what ChatGPT can do for you here:
What Can ChatGPT Do For Me?

Three Ways You Can Access ChatGPT

Getting started with ChatGPT is simple. Here are the main ways to access it:

1. OpenAI Website: You can use ChatGPT directly on OpenAI’s platform by signing up for a free or paid account.

2. Integration with Apps: Some productivity apps, like Microsoft Word and Teams, have ChatGPT integrated, allowing you to use it directly within those tools.

3. Mobile Access: Check for mobile apps or third-party tools that might offer ChatGPT on the go.

To start, create an account with OpenAI. Choose the free or subscription plan that suits your needs (see below), and begin exploring!

Steps to Register and Start Using ChatGPT

Before we show you how to use ChatGPT, let’s go over the steps to sign you up for an account:

1. Visit the OpenAI Website: Go to chat.openai.com.

2. Sign Up: Click on the “Sign Up” button.

3. Enter Your Email: Use an email address or sign up with Google, Microsoft, or Apple accounts.

4. Create a Password: Set a secure password for your account.

5. Verify Your Email: Check your inbox for a verification email and confirm your account.

6. Complete Setup: Follow any additional setup steps like adding your name or phone number.

7. Start Using ChatGPT: Once registered, you can start using ChatGPT!

Free vs. Paid: Which ChatGPT Account Is Right for You?

OpenAI offers two subscription levels for individual ChatGPT users: the free version and the paid version (or “ChatGPT Plus”).

(Captured on 1 September 2024 from “Pricing”, https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/)

Both free and paid ChatGPT users enjoy advanced features like multimodal input and output capabilities (i.e. the ability to interact with ChatGPT using text, images, and voice), web browsing, and image generation—but free users face more restrictions. For example, free users can only generate a small number of images in a day with ChatGPT and get limited access to GPT-4o.

In the following article, we argue that the free plan is enough for ChatGPT users who don’t use it intensively. Find out why:
How Can You Use ChatGPT for Free? Is ChatGPT Plus Worth It?

The Basics of Using ChatGPT

Once you have access, interacting with ChatGPT is as easy as typing a message in a conversational manner.

Here comes a bit of jargon: a “prompt” is the input or question you type into ChatGPT to get a response and guide the AI on what you need help with. For ChatGPT and almost every other AI “chat assistant”, a prompt can be constructed in natural human language.

In other words, you don’t need to learn a “computer language” to use ChatGPT—no complex syntax or semantics are required. ChatGPT is trained to understand natural language.

Having said that, learning some basic prompt styles can improve your experience. Here are a few we suggest:

• Questions: Ask ChatGPT direct questions like, “What are some productivity tips for remote work?”
• Commands: Use prompts like “Write an email to my boss requesting time off.”
• Conversational Inputs: Engage in a back-and-forth if you need more personalized advice or clarifications.

These basic prompt styles are enough to get you going. Even if you don’t follow this suggestion and just speak with ChatGPT casually, you’ll likely get the results you want too—it might just take more time and patience, as you may need several rounds of revisions with ChatGPT before it fully understands your requirements.

But if you want to maximize your experience with ChatGPT, we recommend you consider the following:
What is Prompt Engineering and How to Improve Your ChatGPT Prompts

And if you want a more structured way to talk to ChatGPT to heighten the chance that it provides optimal output, consider using a prompt framework. We have a simple prompt framework to recommend to you:
Want the Best Prompt Framework? We Recommend The RICE Prompt Framework

Tips for Writing Effective Prompts

Here’s a slightly (really just slightly) more advanced tip you should know after learning the basics of how to use ChatGPT.

To get the best results from your interactions, there are certain practices you should follow when writing your prompts:

• Be Specific: Instead of issuing a general prompt like “help me with work,” fill ChatGPT in with more details, e.g. “suggest ideas for a presentation on digital marketing.”

• Add Context: Provide context when needed. For instance, “Draft a casual email thanking a client for their feedback on our new product.”

• Iterate: If ChatGPT’s first response isn’t quite right, ask it to try again (and again) until you’re satisfied. Also, refine your prompt as needed.

As you continue using ChatGPT more regularly and become increasingly reliant on it, you will find it beneficial to pick up prompt engineering—the “art and science” of crafting specific and clear prompts to produce accurate and useful responses from the AI.

Here’s an article to get you started on prompt engineering:
Top 10 Prompt Engineering Techniques You Must Know

We have several other articles on this topic that you will find helpful too:
Meow Meow AI Academy: Prompt Engineering

Understanding ChatGPT’s Responses and Its Limitations

No doubt, ChatGPT is a wonder of modern technology. It might seem like it’s good at everything and knows it all, but it really doesn’t. Sometimes, it may get facts wrong or provide suggestions that don’t quite fit.

Here’s what you should keep in mind:

• Context Awareness: ChatGPT has limited memory within a single conversation, so if you start a new chat, it might not remember past interactions.

• Accuracy Limitations: Always double-check information (Google is still our good friend), especially for critical tasks. ChatGPT’s responses are generated based on its training data and are not fact-checked.

• Refining Outputs: You can guide ChatGPT by asking follow-up questions or requesting changes, like “Can you make that response easier to understand for me?”

And this list is not exhaustive. We cover several other ChatGPT’s limitations in this article:
What are the Limitations of ChatGPT?

Ethical and Practical Use

A guide on how to use ChatGPT would not be complete without discussing the potential ethical and practical issues that could arise from its use. Here are a few common concerns among ChatGPT users:

• Data Privacy: Avoid sharing personal or sensitive information in prompts, as ChatGPT does not guarantee privacy. The data could potentially be stored or reviewed by the service provider—which means, data leaks might happen (and it did happen).

• Verification: Always treat ChatGPT’s responses as a starting point but not the complete research. Validate important data from reliable sources, especially when making decisions or relying on factual information. Maintain a healthy dose of skepticism when you use AI.

• Avoid Plagiarism: If you use ChatGPT for content creation, ensure the output is edited and personalized to reflect your voice. This prevents plagiarism and enhances the authenticity of your work.

Again, this list is not exhaustive.

What’s Next?

We believe this beginner’s guide on how to use ChatGPT has covered the basics you need to get comfortable navigating ChatGPT—feel free to let us know in the comments what we’re missing!

Once you move beyond the beginner level, we encourage you to experiment with more advanced uses. Master prompt engineering, start using prompt frameworks to heighten the accuracy of ChatGPT’s outputs, explore image generation, and more.

We hope you have as much fun as we do! Feel free to leave you questions in the comments.