How to (majorly) boost your communications and content with ChatGPT

By the Institute for Methods Innovation

By now, almost everyone is aware of AI chatbots, also known as Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, or Microsoft’s Copilot – and many people are already using these AI tools in their daily tasks. Despite the popular opinion that AI will eventually replace all of our jobs, in reality, for most people, this is still a long way off. However, a proficient and savvy person with AI will have an edge over someone who doesn’t know how to use it. This article provides useful tips and tricks on effectively using ChatGPT to enhance your communication strategies and content creation.

Why use ChatGPT in communications?

Think of ChatGPT as a super fast and efficient personal assistant who can help you speed up tasks that could have taken you hours to complete otherwise. For example, ChatGPT can convert a research article into a draft slide deck or create a comprehensive communication strategy outline in just minutes. When used responsibly, ChatGPT can allow you to efficiently use your limited working time and focus on what matters. 

In the context of communications, ChatGPT can:

• Help you create narratives for videos, engaging social media content, and useful communication materials.

• Automate the creation of easy-to-understand messages from complex content. Its ability to generate creative and coherent text can serve as the starting point to boost your storytelling and audience engagement.

• Help you reshape existing content for new purposes. For example, you can use it to generate catchy social media content about your latest research or projects.

How to ‘talk’ to ChatGPT

Learning how to prompt ChatGPT properly can, at first, seem like learning a new language. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your communications with ChatGPT, be it to draft content, brainstorm topics, write social media copies, summarize research or create educational material:

• Always give direct, explicit instructions. Ensure that any additional details and background that could help ChatGPT understand the context better (e.g., information about the audience, specific aspects to focus on, etc.) are included.

• If the response does not match your needs, keep iterating and tweaking your instructions. ChatGPT will eventually learn what you require and refine its results. Think as if you were working with an assistant who is new to a topic but capable once they get it.

• Use existing prompt patterns, like asking ChatGPT to act like a persona (say, a science communicator) to complete a task (like explaining climate change to high school students) or to ask you questions until it has enough information to complete a specific task (also known as the flipped interaction pattern).

Worked example: Summarizing a research article and creating an X thread

Imagine you’re a researcher who wants to communicate the findings of your most recent article through an X thread. Traditionally, you would read the article, identify the main findings, and then draft a series of social media copies -with relevant emojis, hashtags, and visuals- that would become the thread. Based on our experience, this manual process would take you at least two hours (and that’s only because you’re familiar with your research!). You can do this using ChatGPT in less than ten minutes.

First, identify a research article you want to summarize in an X thread (we’ll use this one in this example). One important thing to be aware of is that ChatGPT has a hidden limit of about 500 words or 4,000 characters, which won’t allow you to paste the whole article in just one prompt, so you’ll need to divide it into smaller sections:

• Prompt 1: I need you to summarize a research article. Since the text is too long, I'll share it with you in two sections. I need you to read each section and wait for further instructions. Do you understand?

• Prompt 2: Here’s the first part [paste the first part of the research article: include the title, author, and the first five sections]

• Prompt 3: Here’s the second part [paste the second part of the research article: include remaining sections (6 and 7)] 

• Prompt 4: Based on both summaries, create an X thread. Begin the thread with an introductory tweet. Include the title of the research article, the primary author's name, and what the study is about. Keep it engaging and informative. Then divide the summary into key points that will form the individual tweets of the thread. Ensure each tweet is concise and limited to 280 characters. End the thread with a concluding tweet.

You can upload documents if you have access to GPT-4 or GPT-4o. In that case, you can use the following prompt: Please summarise the research article [upload the PDF]. Based on the summary, create an X thread. Begin the thread…

Once the X thread has been created, follow these steps to refine it:

• For each key point, add your own commentary. This could include why the point is significant, how it relates to wider issues or any interesting facts that will engage our audience.

• Identify relevant figures or tables from the research article to include in your thread. This will make the tweets more visually appealing and informative.

• Edit the concluding tweet to include your thoughts on the study's implications, a call to action, or an invitation for followers to read the full article.

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Once the X thread has been refined, copy/paste the content and the following prompt:

• Prompt 5: Review the thread for flow, coherence, and character limits. Edit where necessary to ensure clarity and engagement.

  
  

Now you have an X thread ready to publish on your profile! This streamlined process saves you time and ensures your research reaches a wider audience with ease and precision.

The crucial human element

Using ChatGPT and its related tools to enhance your content and communications has significant benefits. However, it is essential to remember that ChatGPT still needs training and supervision to achieve the best results. That is where you come in. Always verify responses and disclose where and how you use ChatGPT for content, being conscious of the potential for plagiarism or copyright infringement. 

If you want to learn a lot more about using ChatGPT for communications, book a place in the next Methods for Change live online workshop.

This article is written by members of the Institute for Methods Innovation team, a registered non-profit devoted to improving evidence-based practice.