Ask for a format
Situation
The situation
State the shape of the answer: list, table, email.
You work at an 8-person accounting firm in Dijon. Your partner is torn between three invoicing tools and wants a comparison she can read in a minute.
Idea 1 of 3
The format is the shape
Running text, list, table, email: if you say nothing, the AI chooses for you. State the format you expect, and the answer arrives ready to use.
Idea 2 of 3
A table to compare
To compare options, nothing beats a table. Name the columns yourself: they are your selection criteria, not the AI’s.
Idea 3 of 3
Check the cells
A neat table can still contain mistakes. Prices and features change often: check them on each vendor’s website before deciding.
Example
Before and after
Compare these three tools.
Compare these three invoicing tools: [TOOL A], [TOOL B] and [TOOL C], for an 8-person firm. Present a table with these columns: tool, price per user per month, main features, data hosting, weak points.
Why? The tools are named, the format and the columns are set: the answer reads in a minute and follows your criteria.
Question 1 of 2
You want to compare three offers. Which format do you ask for?
See the answer
A table with your criteria as columns A table puts the options side by side, criterion by criterion.
Question 2 of 2
Why name the columns yourself?
See the answer
So the table follows your selection criteria The columns are your criteria. If you do not give them, the AI picks its own.
Exercise
Your turn
Write the request: the three tools (their name, or a marker such as [TOOL A]), a table and its columns.
Ctrl + Enter to check your request.
Checklist
- Ask for a table, to do
- Name the columns or the criteria, to do
- Say what you compare, for example the price, to do
- Say what to compare: the three tools, to do
A suggestion
Compare these three invoicing tools: [TOOL A], [TOOL B] and [TOOL C], for our 8-person accounting firm. Present a table with these columns: tool, price per user per month, main features, data hosting, weak points.
Each try and each coach feedback counts as 1 message from your daily quota (10 without an account, 100 with an account).
AI answer
You are chatting with an AI. It can make mistakes: check important information.
Coach feedback
End of the lesson
Lesson complete
State the format you expect. To compare, ask for a table and name the columns.