How to use ChatGPT for office work: 3 exercises with complete examples

Start with a task you can check

A useful way to start using ChatGPT is to choose one small, clearly defined output. For example, prepare an invitation email from an existing brief. A reader can judge whether the date, purpose and tone are correct. An instruction such as “help me improve my productivity” leaves too much room for a generic answer.

These three exercises use Pasukan Operasi Seri, a fictional organisation. Use the practice files and reference answers to check the facts. Your AI output may differ; focus on its accuracy and usefulness.

Download the brief below. You can paste its text into a conversation or use the attachment feature if it is available on your account. OpenAI documents using files for summaries, comparisons and analysis; access and limits depend on the account and settings. Start with these sample materials before using real workplace documents that your organisation permits you to use.

Exercise 1: draft an email without inventing details

The practice brief describes a planned workshop on 12 November 2026, from 9 am to 5 pm, with a target of 24 participants. The venue and trainer are not confirmed. Your task is to prepare an initial notice for unit heads. Fluent writing does not give the AI permission to choose a room, location or response deadline.

Give the purpose, audience, facts and expected output in one instruction. If the answer is too long, ask for a shorter version after checking its facts. This makes it easier to notice whether editing has removed something the reader needs.

Use the attached Pasukan Operasi Seri training brief.
Prepare an initial notice email in English for unit heads.
Include the planned purpose, date and time. Ask for input on the team's training needs.
Clearly state that the venue and trainer are not confirmed.
Do not invent a location, registration link, deadline or approval.
Output: one subject line, a body of no more than 150 words and a list of details still requiring confirmation.
Check every fact against the brief before answering.

Review the email before using it

An acceptable core message could read: “Pasukan Operasi Seri is planning a workshop on 12 November 2026, from 9 am to 5 pm, with a target of 24 participants. The venue and trainer will be announced once confirmed. Unit heads are asked to identify their teams’ training needs.”

Notice the difference between a target of 24 participants and 24 people who have confirmed their attendance. They lead to different logistical decisions. If the draft says attendance is confirmed when the brief only gives a target, it needs correcting even though the number looks right.

Also check details that do not appear in the source. Phrases such as “certificates provided”, “lunch included” or “attendance is compulsory” may look familiar in a training invitation, but should not be added without an instruction. Put the draft through your organisation’s normal review process before distributing it.

Exercise 2: turn notes into an action list

A useful summary distinguishes what has been decided, what needs to happen and what remains open. Use the supplied meeting notes. Ask for an action table with owners and dates taken from the source. A blank field is more honest than a plausible date that nobody agreed to.

Read the original wording for each action. “We could consider a hybrid session” is a suggestion, not a decision to use a hybrid format. “The venue is being checked” does not confirm a booking. Separate these states before using the summary to instruct your team.

Using only the sample meeting notes, create three sections:
1. Decisions explicitly stated in the notes.
2. Follow-up actions: action | owner | deadline | source reference.
3. Suggestions or details still awaiting confirmation.
If an owner or date is missing, write “Not specified”.
Do not turn suggestions into decisions. Do not combine actions that have different owners.

Exercise 3: build a realistic work plan

Use the corrected action list as your next input. Ask ChatGPT to suggest a sequence based on dependencies: check the venue requirements, obtain confirmation, then update the invitation. A plan made before reviewing the source simply organises the mistakes more neatly.

Distinguish dates agreed in the meeting from dates proposed in the plan. Use separate columns if necessary. For a task without an owner, keep “to be assigned” until a person assigns responsibility. An AI plan does not give someone consent or extra capacity.

Use the action list I have reviewed.
Suggest a sequence of work for preparing the workshop.
Show each task, its dependencies, the owner stated in the source and anything blocking progress.
Distinguish source dates from proposed dates.
Do not assume the venue is booked. Do not add tasks involving expenditure as final instructions.

Keep a method you can repeat

After the exercise, save an instruction template with fields for purpose, source, audience, output format and review. Colleagues can use that more easily than a long prompt that depends on your conversation history. Include an example of a suitable answer and one mistake to avoid.

To assess the result, try a new brief with one deliberately incomplete detail. Check whether the AI preserves that uncertainty. Also change a date or participant count and make sure the change reaches every relevant part of the draft. You are testing a way of working, not just looking for one attractive answer.

• Facts: every date, number and name can be matched to the source.
• Status: suggestions, decisions and unconfirmed details remain distinct.
• Usefulness: the reader knows the next action without guessing.
• Review: a responsible person checks the draft before it is used or sent.