Pollinger AI

Most people use AI in one direction.

They ask a question. AI gives an answer. They decide whether they like it.

Almost nobody uses AI to get better at using AI.

Ask it: "Before you help me write this proposal, what information do you need from me?"
Ask it: "Here's the prompt I was going to use - critique it and tell me what's missing." Ask it: "Review your answer. What are its three biggest weaknesses? Now rewrite it." Ask it: "Act as a constructive sceptic. What are the strongest arguments against this idea?"

The tool doing the work will also coach you through doing it better - if you think to ask.

One catch: asking AI to check AI isn't independent verification. It's another pair of eyes, not the final authority.

You don't need to become an expert prompt engineer. You need to get good at having a productive conversation.

1 of the 7 techniques is below 👇 The other 6 are in the post: https://www.pollinger.ai/blog/use-ai-to-get-better-at-using-ai

Most people use AI in one direction.

They ask a question. AI gives an answer. They decide whether they like it.

Almost nobody uses AI to get better at using AI.

Ask it: "Before you help me write this proposal, what information do you need from me?" Ask it: "Here's the prompt I was going to use — critique it and tell me what's missing." Ask it: "Review your answer. What are its three biggest weaknesses? Now rewrite it." Ask it: "Act as a constructive sceptic. What are the strongest arguments against this idea?"

The tool doing the work will also coach you through doing it better - if you think to ask.

Remember though that asking AI to check AI isn't independent verification. It's another pair of eyes, not the final authority.

You don't need to become an expert prompt engineer. You need to get good at having a productive conversation.

7 techniques are in this blog post: https://www.pollinger.ai/blog/use-ai-to-get-better-at-using-ai

Most people are using AI with the default settings.

That’s a missed opportunity.

On my AI courses, including advanced workshops, I often ask:

“Who here has set up Custom Instructions in their AI tool?”

Usually, only a handful of hands go up.

That always surprises me, because Custom Instructions are one of the simplest ways to get better results from ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude and other AI tools.

They help your AI understand:

✅ who you are
✅ what your business does
✅ how you want responses structured
✅ your tone of voice
✅ your do’s and don’ts
✅ the type of work you want help with

Instead of prompting from scratch every time, you give your AI a standing brief.

The result is better answers, more consistent outputs and less time spent rewriting everything afterwards.

This is not about being technical.

It is about giving AI clear context.

If you haven’t set up Custom Instructions yet, do it today.

Start simple. Improve them over time.

I’ve shared a practical guide here:

https://www.pollinger.ai/blog/why-arent-more-people-using-custom-instructions-in-ai

And if you’d like my ready-made templates for ChatGPT, Copilot or Claude, drop me a message here on LinkedIn.

Want to use AI in your business without losing what makes your brand unique?

I’ve just published a new guide on how to keep your authentic brand voice while using tools like ChatGPT and Copilot - including practical tips, examples, and a simple framework you can apply today.

Read the full blog: https://www.pollinger.ai/blog/how-to-use-ai-without-losing-your-brand-voice

If you want AI to sound like you and not a robot; this will help.

Use AI Without Losing Your Small Business Brand Voice — Pollinger AI AI can save you hours on blogs, emails and social posts – but it can also make you sound generic. Learn a simple workflow to use ChatGPT and Copilot while protecting your brand voice and keeping your content distinctly you.

Using Microsoft 365 Copilot regularly, but still feel you’re only scratching the surface?

This Friday, 17 July, I’m delivering NILC’s updated Microsoft 365 Copilot for Advanced Users course.

It’s designed for people ready to move beyond basic prompts and use Copilot as a more capable thought partner across their working day.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:

✅ Build richer context into prompts for more consistent results
✅ Use Notebooks, Researcher and Analyst for focused work
✅ Design and build a useful agent in Agent Builder
✅ Identify tasks suited to scheduled prompts and workflows
✅ Connect Copilot tasks across Microsoft 365
✅ Apply effective human oversight, security and governance

The day will be practical, hands-on and focused on skills you can put to work immediately.

A few spaces are still available for this Friday.

Find out more and book your place:
https://www.nilc.co.uk/courses/business-skills/artificial-intelligence/microsoft-365-copilot-for-advanced-users/

AI should give charities more time for people, not create another layer of complexity.

That is the thinking behind my latest blog.

It covers 10 practical ways charities can use AI to:

✅ Draft supporter and donor communications while maintaining their voice and tone
✅ Strengthen grant applications without inventing evidence
✅ Summarise meetings, policies and lengthy documents
✅ Make sense of impact data
✅ Reduce routine administration
✅ Build reusable prompts and workflows

The key is knowing where AI can save time and where human judgement, empathy and accountability must remain firmly in place.

I have also included five golden rules to help charities use AI safely and responsibly.

Read the full blog here:

https://www.pollinger.ai/blog/10-practical-ways-charities-can-use-ai-without-losing-the-human-touch

If your charity needs practical support turning these ideas into everyday working practices, I would be happy to help.