Chapter Zero · How to Talk to It

The Universal Opener: "Ask Me a Few Questions First, Then Start"

Last lesson's formula is great, but you may have noticed a dead end: often, you don't know what to specify either. This lesson shares a little trick: hand that exact puzzle back to the AI — it takes just one sentence.

Where the dead end is

Say you want AI to help plan a family trip for the holiday week. By last lesson's formula you should give context — but you've never even thought about it: does the budget include flights? How much walking can your parents handle? Does your kid get carsick?

What separates experts from beginners often isn't knowing the answers — it's knowing which questions to ask. The good news: AI has read countless travel guides, planning templates, and lessons-learned posts. It knows exactly "what needs to be figured out before planning a trip" — provided you let it ask you first.

Comparison · Without that sentence
You say to the AI
"Help me plan a family trip for the holiday week"

Sure! Here are a few popular picks for the holiday:

1. Beijing: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Universal Studios — great for families;

2. Sanya: sun and beaches, a top resort choice;

3. Chengdu: the panda base, Kuanzhai Alley, a food capital…

Book hotels and tickets early — holiday crowds are heavy, so try to travel off-peak.

Doesn't this read like a travel site's homepage? Not one word was written for you. Since it knows nothing about you, all it can offer is a one-size-fits-all answer — and one-size-fits-all is another way of saying useless.
Comparison · With that sentence added (click the options — walk through it yourself)
You say to the AI
"Help me plan a family trip for the holiday week. Before you start, ask me a few questions, then give me the plan."
Why does this trick work so well? Because it hands the dead end of "you don't know what to specify" over to the side that has read everything. The three questions it asks are the forks between "every travel plan in its head" — each answer you give prunes away a huge batch of plans that don't fit you.
Four variants of this sentence · Take them and go
When it's writing something for you
"Before you write, ask me 3 questions."
It will ask who it's for, what occasion, what effect you want — more thoroughly than you'd think of yourself.
When it's making a plan / proposal
"Give me an outline to confirm first, then write it out in full."
A wrong direction gets corrected at the outline stage — no need to wait for three thousand words before tearing it all down.
When it's teaching you something
"Ask a few questions to gauge my level first, then decide where to start."
Keeps it from starting at things you've long understood — or leaping straight over your head.
When it's helping you choose
"Ask about my needs and budget first, then recommend — with reasons."
A blind "just recommend something" always yields the most generic pick; only after asking do you get a real match.

✅ What this lesson wants to share with you