You know the drill. You use an AI tool to tackle a task, whether it's writing, planning, or brainstorming, give it an assignment, let it churn away, and hope for the best. Sometimes, the results are spot-on. Other times? Not so much. Maybe it assumes your audience is all academics and returns a jargon filled thesis, or it builds a plan that misses the mark completely. Need help? Try the "flipped interaction" technique.
Flipped interaction flips the usual approach to working with AI on its head. Instead of handing off a task and waiting for the AI to spit something back, ask questions first. By doing so, you guide it toward a clearer understanding of your needs. The result is a mofe focused output targeted to your audience.
Let’s break it down.
The standard, or sloppy, way to work with AI often looks something like this: You might say, “Write a blog post about AI tools” and it produces something based on its own assumptions. Sometimes it’s great, but other times, it feels like you asked for a pizza and got a salad. Sure, it’s still food, but it’s not what you were craving.
Flipped interaction fixes that by starting the process with a Q&A. Instead of diving into the task, you instruct the AI to ask clarifying questions upfront. Questions like “Who’s your audience?” or “What tone should I use?” help it align with your vision right from the start. Think of it as giving your GPS a precise address instead of just saying, “Take me to a nice restaurant.”
For example, I recently decided it was time to plan my estate. Instead of asking AI to write a will for me, I asked it to pose a series of questions to determine what it needed to know before starting. When I did this, it responded with a list of 13 items from a last will and testament to burial instructions.
I wasn’t even sure if a will was the right document for me. It is, after all, an invitation to probate court, which can take years. I worked through the list it created, then prompted the AI to produce a checklist of questions I need to answer for it to write my final instructions. Once I do that, it can produce a document I can run by a lawyer.
In practice, this method works across a variety of tasks. Writing a blog post, a bestseller, a marketing plan? The AI will ask about tone, audience, and key takeaways. Planning an event? It’ll inquire about dates, venues, and guest preferences. The questions will be relevant to the task, making the whole process smoother and more efficient.
By answering the questions AI asks, you’re giving it the tools to deliver something tailored to your needs, saving time and reducing frustration.
AI tools are incredibly powerful, but they can’t read your mind.
Why does this work so well? Simple: it eliminates guesswork. Using prompts to ask questions teaches AI how to collaborate with you. And let’s be honest collaboration is always better than flying solo, especially when the alternative is playing an endless game of “spot what’s wrong with this output.”
And if you’re overwhelmed by too many questions at once, you can always ask it to break them down one at a time. Think of it as AI project management, but without the annoying status meetings.
Now, let’s address the skeptics. What if you don’t know the answers to some of the questions? No problem. You can give the AI permission to make informed choices on your behalf. For instance, you might say, “Choose the sections you think are most impactful,” or “Decide on the tone based on this example.” This keeps things moving without getting stuck in decision paralysis.
Flipped interaction isn’t just a neat trick; it’s a smarter way to use AI as a collaborative partner. By starting with a back-and-forth dialogue, you’re setting the stage for better results and fewer do-overs. Plus, it’s surprisingly satisfying to see an AI ask intelligent questions instead of just guessing what you want.
So, the next time you fire up your favorite AI tool, try flipping the script. Let it ask you the questions that will guide it to success. You’ll save time, reduce frustration, and get results that are far closer to what you envisioned.
A quick note: The image here were made using Midjourney. post. In past posts I used Dall-E. What do you think of these imges?
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