what do you love about your work maybe it's coming up with creative ideas connecting with your customers or getting a project over the finish line with your team But there might be the parts that you don't love so much like managing your inbox or your ever growing to-do list And often those things can get in the way Fortunately AI can help you handle those time-consuming tasks But when and how do you use it for your job or business that's exactly what I'm here to show you right now I want you to ask yourself the following questions What's a task you wish you could delegate this week what's a task you've been putting off because you just don't know where to begin and what's a repetitive or tedious task that makes your day-to-day life less enjoyable pause the video if you need to and make note of your answers As you go through this course you're going to explore how AI can help with those challenges and you'll leave with a plan to get started My name is Wendy and I've been working with small businesses at Google for over a decade We are at such an exciting time as we all start to integrate AI powered tools into our work and my goal is to help make sure that everyone is able to benefit That includes small businesses and workers across jobs and industries There is so much opportunity but as with anything new knowing where to start can be challenging In this course I'll guide you as you practice using AI in different ways to tackle some of your daily challenges We'll focus on Google Gemini and Notebook LM But what you learn here can be used with other AI experiences too But here's what this course is not about I'm not going to tell you to add to your to-do list It's all about using AI to help you with the things you're already doing We'll dive into different examples that you can apply right away and I'll demonstrate how you can get the best results when using AI I'm also going to encourage you to use AI instead of just learning about it Only knowing AI in theory would be like reading about how to play the piano without ever touching the keys So I'll often ask you to pause the video and practice with me You can also check out the activities in the video description that will help you practice what you learned Here's what you can expect in this course You'll get to know how AI works in everyday terms not all that tech jargon you may have heard before Next you'll discover how to write effective prompts which is basically how to give AI the best instructions to get the most useful results You'll be prompting along with me the whole time So get ready to experiment as you learn Once you're warmed up we'll cover how to enhance your creativity with Gemini and Gemini Live how to get help from an AI assistant right in the middle of tasks you're already doing with Google Workspace how you can better understand your information with Notebook LM At every step you'll discover real examples of how people are using AI in their day-to-day lives We'll show you how you can apply their ways of working with AI to your own tasks and challenges Now before you move on follow the link in the video description to help you identify some of the most time-consuming tasks you're dealing with right now Then stick around to learn how AI can help accomplish them more quickly and easily Like me you've probably been using AI for years already without knowing it When I commute to work real-time traffic updates let me know what routes to avoid If I'm struggling to write an email AI suggests the perfect phrase AI is also what powers the recommendations I get for videos on YouTube And those are only a few examples But how can AI predict what we'd like to watch write or do i'm going to quickly break this down for you because knowing how AI works can help you understand when to use it Let's start with an AI experience you might be familiar with Gemini It's available as an AI assistant on your desktop or phone You can also access Google Workspace with Gemini in apps like Gmail Docs Slides or Sheets Gemini is Google's most capable AI model yet and it's based on years of experience developing AI technology and building it into your favorite Google products like search maps and pixel Right now you might be thinking wait what's an AI model simply put it's a computer program that takes a bunch of data learns from it and uses those learnings to make predictions recommendations or decisions In a way Gemini and other AI models are kind of like a chef creating a recipe Their first attempt is one data point From that data they learn things like the recipe needs more salt Their following attempts add more data points and learnings like it's too spicy it needs vegetables and so forth In the end all these learnings help the chef decide on the perfect recipe This type of learning ability is what makes AI so helpful Now imagine our chef has been learning from thousands of recipes they've created and they've seen how people have responded to different food combinations The chef now has enough knowledge to create a brand new food that they predict people will love like combining a donut and croissant into an innovative new pastry Like the chef once an AI model has learned from massive amounts of data it can start doing pretty impressive things It can take a request and come up with a response even if it has never encountered such a request before This type of AI model is called a large language model or LLM for short LLMs can learn so much and be so good at predicting that they can create entirely new content like blog posts budgets or project plans This is called generative AI or Gen AI for short Some Gen AI assistants like the Gemini app don't only work with text Genai can understand and create images videos audio and more So you could upload a photo of a chart and ask for a text summary You could get a list of action items from an audio recording of a meeting Or you could generate striking visuals for your website or client presentation Okay so how do we actually use Gemini well it comes down to how we communicate with it We do this through prompts Basically the instructions we give AI to get the results we want Think of it like telling a really helpful assistant what you want them to do You might have heard AI technology can sometimes hallucinate That's a strange term but it basically just means that AI sometimes gets things wrong or says things that aren't true So it's your responsibility to always use a human in the loop approach when working with AI Meaning you need to verify AI results before you use them in your work And there's your super quick overview of how AI works Now that you understand the basics you're ready to apply AI to your own work tasks and challenges Imagine you ask someone directions to a restaurant They tell you "Make a left another left and then a right You probably won't feel super confident that you'll get where you need to go right?" But if that person had given you more precise instructions like make a left on Main Street at the corner with the gas station and continue for two blocks until you reach the restaurant you're more likely to find where you're going To get useful results from AI it's similar You need to give it clear and specific guidance to head in the right direction Communicating with AI is called prompting and it's different from the way we usually engage with technology You're not just giving commands You're engaging in a conversation One that you can build on and refine to get exactly what you need And the best part these conversations happen in natural language which means you don't need special skills to get started You're ready right now So it all comes down to being a good communicator One of the biggest mistakes people can make is not including enough details in their prompts You need to be clear and specific when you prompt Gemini or any Genai experience to get the best results Generally speaking the clearer and more specific you are with the prompt you put in the better results you're going to get out People usually call the results from Genai outputs And our goal is to get you the best ones that help you solve your challenges Now I'm going to show you how to write effective prompts It's a good time to hit pause and open up Gemini so that you can prompt alongside me The first step to effective prompting is describing the task you want Gemini to help you with Take a moment to think of a task you wish you could delegate right now If you're not quite sure which task is a fit here's a little tip Pick something that involves creating something new like a marketing plan or blog post or it could be changing something you've already created like rewriting a product description for a different audience If you still can't think of a task to tackle try a version of the prompt I'm about to show you Let's imagine I've just opened a floral design business and need some customers I want to reach out to local businesses to spark their interest in partnering with me So I open Gemini and describe the task I want to delegate Help me write an introductory email to local businesses about my new floral design business with the goal of exploring potential partnerships You do the same Tell Gemini what you wanted to help you with but don't hit enter yet We're going to keep building out this prompt so that Gemini can get as close as possible to what we're looking for The second step is adding a persona to the prompt This tells Gemini what expertise or knowledge to draw from when approaching your task For example if you need help revising a timeline for a project you could tell Gemini to act as a project manager who never misses a deadline Or if you need copywriting support you could tell Gemini to take on the persona of a creative writer at a successful publication Act as an email marketer who specializes in new business development Add a persona to your own prompt now but don't hit enter There are still three more things you may want to include Let's move on to the third step which is specifying the format This means telling Gemini what the output should look like Do you want to receive the output as bullet points or a list of pros and cons do you want a specific length or tone do you want it in another language type in a format for your prompt and I'll do the same The output should be 500 words max with a friendly tone bullet points for readability and an engaging subject line to drive open rates The fourth step is setting the context which is any background information Gemini needs to know to help you with your task The more context you give the better your output will be You should know that I source flowers locally specialize in custom arrangements and offer bespoke pricing for loyal customers Add some context to your prompt now Think about sharing your goals the reason for the task or even what you've tried before Just one more step to go So resist the temptation and don't hit enter yet The fifth and final step is adding references This tells Gemini what to aim for and why Imagine you have an intern who is writing a press release for your company for the first time This would be like giving them examples of press releases you like or don't like to guide them in the right direction References work similarly for Gemini Let's say I just got a promotional email from a local bakery that really grabbed my attention I want Gemini to use it as a reference So I'll attach it to my prompt and include instructions on how to use it Use the attached email as a model for its persuasive style You might not have any references available for your task right now but if you do feel free to add them to your prompt If you've kept up with me and written your own prompt you can finally hit enter But we're not done yet Part of being a responsible AI user is evaluating your outputs before using them I'd never send an email to potential clients without reading it first I'll review my output and I'll ask myself does it meet my goals is it accurate and useful let's see Gemini did its job I asked for a friendly email that was no more than 500 words long I also wanted Gemini to highlight a few things Locally sourced flowers and bespoke pricing So far so good Now evaluate your output Did you get good results if so great In many cases making the most of AI usually involves refining or building on your initial prompt a process we call iteration For example I might iterate on my email prompt and ask Gemini for a shorter email with fewer bullet points Okay so you just built an effective prompt for Gemini You included a task persona and format You added some context and maybe a reference Keep in mind that while we follow these steps in a specific order the substance is what really matters And here's another tip If you write a prompt that gives you a great output save it The next time you're doing a similar task you can reuse your prompt instead of starting from scratch One thing I like to do is save my favorite prompts in a Google Doc Then all I have to do is paste them into Gemini and update the details for my new prompt This is a great way to build a prompt library or a collection of go-to prompts that make working with Gemini faster and easier To help you get started on yours check out the prompt library linked in the video description If you like the prompt you've just written copy it there and keep adding the prompts that work best for you Now you know how to prompt effectively You can apply what you've learned to any AI assistant or model If you need additional help delegating your tasks to Gemini follow the link in the video description If you found this video helpful hit subscribe below for more AI learning Think of a famous building and everything that went into its design The Eiffel Tower didn't go from idea to fully finished monument in just one try It probably started with sketches experimentation and refinement In the end these design tweaks resulted in an iconic tower that's strong enough to last centuries This is how you should approach AI prompting It's not a oneanddone effort If your initial AI outputs aren't quite right you can learn from them and try different approaches to your prompt until you get the right results Anytime you rework your initial prompt or follow it up with more guidance for Gemini that's iteration And there are many ways to do it One basic iteration method is making sure your original prompt includes a task persona format context and references Add in whatever's missing or add more detail to what you already have Another way to iterate is breaking down a large prompt into several smaller ones taking Gemini through the process step by step Instead of asking for a full marketing plan first ask Gemini to help you develop a way to position your product and then develop a plan to acquire customers You can also iterate by switching to a similar but slightly different task For example let's say you prompted Gemini to build a marketing strategy for your lawn care business but you're not getting a good result You can iterate by asking for a stepbystep plan to grow your customer base for your lawn services One final iteration I recommend is adding constraints or limitations like specifying a word count or asking that your plan focus on what can be done in the next month for less than $500 Now let's practice improving a prompt through iteration Here Gemini has just helped me write an email introducing my floral design business to potential partners but it feels a little too wordy for someone to quickly scan So I'll iterate by asking Gemini to make its output more concise Thank you for your help This is a great start but it feels too long for an introductory email Please shorten to 250 words or less Now you're probably familiar with textbased prompts But what if you could go beyond text like include different types of media in your prompt that's right Gemini understands more than just words You can attach PDFs documents pictures code and more to your prompts Think about how you communicate with your hairdresser You could describe the haircut you want using words but wouldn't a photo be way more effective this technique is called multimodal prompting and I'll show how it works by continuing to iterate on my prompt Imagine I want to customize my email for a specific recipient So I'm going to add a new piece of context to my prompt The flyer of a business I want to partner with All I have to do is attach the image to my prompt Analyze the attached flyer then personalize my introductory email for this specific business And just like that Gemini helps me customize my email Think about all the ways you could use multimodal prompting You could turn a photo of a storage closet into an inventory list Turn a recording of a lecture into a study guide Connect your calendar and ask for help with time management And so much more We've just covered a lot of ground on how to iterate on your prompts Now give it a try yourself If you're looking for additional help on iteration follow the link in the video description We all hit points in our workday where we get stuck Where a quick brainstorm or a second opinion can make all the difference Whether tackling a tricky decision or just needing fresh inspiration being able to bounce ideas around or get extra input can be invaluable But let's face it that perfect sounding board isn't always available This is where AI can step in You can use Gemini as a creative thought partner ready to assist with all kinds of tasks It can help you come up with solutions work more efficiently and quickly create and transform content Instead of having a one-sided exchange with AI you're engaging in a dialogue that will help you think in new ways and enhance your creativity So what's the best way to partner with Gemini to think things through the answer is prompt chaining This technique guides Gemini through a series of interconnected prompts adding new layers of context or tasks every step of the way Each new prompt expands on a specific part of the previous output This can be really effective for identifying solutions to a problem comparing different options or turning ideas into a plan I'm going to open up Gemini and show you how prompt chaining works to follow along Take a moment to think about a challenge where you could use a thought partner Is there somewhere you need help getting off the starting block or are you trying to find creative ways to tackle a problem take a second to pause the video open Gemini and follow along If you can't think of a task to tackle try a version of the prompt I'm about to show you In my scenario imagine I own a painting company and want to expand by offering additional services I need some ideas so I enter a simple prompt to start the brainstorming process I want to expand my painting company's service offerings Act as my business adviser and lists three complimentary services we could provide Gemini gives me three suggestions and explains why each service is compliment to painting I'm interested in these options but I really need something I can offer as soon as possible Time is of the essence So I'll ask Gemini to recommend my fastest option Which of these can we launch within 6 months okay power washing it is Notice how Gemini tells me why the other two options might take a little longer which really helps me make my decision So I'm going with power washing but how can I get from idea to implementation gemini can help with that too If we want to move forward what tasks should I complete this week and there we go Gemini gives me a detailed breakdown of each action item and the rationale for recommending it So with just three prompts I've gone from a pretty broad idea around wanting to expand my business to a concrete plan for making it happen That's the power of prompt chaining You can start with something abstract and ask Gemini to help you turn it into something tangible And here's a pro tip Gemini saves your conversations for later So whenever you want to revisit the same task or keep brainstorming just open up the same chat and pick up right where you left off Now you might be wondering how is prompt chaining different from iteration with iteration you refine your request over and over to get better help with the same task It's like asking an associate at a hardware store "How do I fix a leaky faucet?" The associate gives you instructions You then iterate by saying "Okay thanks but can you explain that again step by step like I've never done this before?" You're getting the answer to the same question but refine to be more helpful to you With prompt chaining you use the output from one prompt as a building block for your next one Instead of focusing on one task and refining you're building a series of interconnected tasks I'll explain using our hardware store analogy First you ask the sales associate "How do I fix a leaky faucet?" Then you might ask "Okay now that I know the steps what specific tools will I need and which brands do you recommend?" Once you've gathered your tools you may follow up with "What safety precautions should I take?" Remember with iteration you're improving the output whereas with prompt chaining you're taking the output and building upon it for a new related request There are so many ways Gemini can help you in your day-to-day work Now be sure to check out other videos in this series to see how real people are doing it and how you can too If you found this video helpful hit subscribe below and share it Have you ever sat down to start typing out a long email and then thought "Hang on a second Wouldn't it be so much faster and easier to get on a call and have an actual conversation?" Sometimes it's easier to just talk it out In these moments you can go live with Gemini Gemini Live is a conversational experience where you can talk with Gemini to get realtime responses No typing required To start download the Gemini app on your phone and click on the Gemini Live button You're still using Gemini as your creative thought partner but you're working through it live There are so many other ways to use Gemini Live It's great for brainstorming ideas or getting quick advice but you can also use it to simulate conversations like rehearsing a sales pitch a presentation or a tough conversation Gemini Live can assess your delivery and give you tips to improve it as you go which has some real advantages over practicing in front of the mirror Gemini Live is multimodal too In addition to using your voice as an input you can use your phone's camera to have Gemini identify objects solve problems and understand what you're experiencing in real time So it can help you troubleshoot your broken printer take a quick stock room inventory or refine your product display You can even share your phone screen to get instant feedback on whatever you're working on like your latest social media post or your website's new layout Gemini Live analyzes your content identifies areas for improvement and gives you personalized recommendations on the spot Let me show you how it works Imagine I run a mailing and shipping company I want to tell repeat customers about a new promotion we're offering But first I decided to go live and practice my pitch To launch Gemini Live I'll open the Gemini app on my phone tap the live icon and start speaking Gemini let's roleplay a scenario Sounds fun What kind of scenario are you thinking of you're a repeat customer of my shipping company and I'm calling to let you know about some special promotions we're running Pretend to pick up the phone and just respond naturally like you're a busy but polite business owner Sure thing Just a moment Let me get into character Okay I'm ready Hi there It's Wendy from the shipping company you used last year How are you doing oh hi Wendy I remember you I'm doing well Thanks for asking It's been a busy year for us but things are good What can I do for you today i'm sure you're super busy but I wanted to let you know about some discounts we're offering right now just in case you have any upcoming shipping needs That's very thoughtful of you Wendy I appreciate you reaching out We do have some shipments coming up so I'm definitely interested What kind of discounts are we talking about so up until the end of next month you can get 20% off all shipping jobs and we're offering 10% off on prepaid mailing boxes Is this something you'd be interested in that sounds promising We do have several large shipments coming up and we're always looking for ways to save on costs Could you tell me a little more about the prepaid mailing boxes what sizes do you offer and what are the price points with the discount gemini let's pause the role play Want to give me some feedback on my delivery okay sure thing Overall I thought you did a good job of staying in character and keeping the conversation flowing Your voice had a friendly and professional tone which is perfect for a customer service call There were a couple of spots where the script felt a little too salesy Maybe try to sound a bit more conversational and less like you're reading from a script Okay so not only did Gemini help me rehearse but I got some great suggestions on what to improve When you're generating new text or image content or uploading documents to your prompt you'll probably want to stick with the Gemini desktop experience But if you prefer to have a free flowing conversation or talk through a problem on the go try using Gemini Live There are so many ways Gemini Live can help you on the go Be sure to check out other videos in this series to see how real people are solving real problems at work and how you can too