Getting Started with AI Tools

Understand what AI does, learn simple ways to get started, and leave with one concrete task to try this week.

Before You Start

Goal: Understand what AI does, learn simple ways to get started, and leave with one concrete task to try this week.

Watch: Getting Started with AI Tools — Members are encouraged to watch beforehand, but a quick recap at the meeting works too.

You don't need to be technical to use AI. It responds to plain language, so you can message it in the same way you'd explain something to a colleague. In this meeting, you'll intro the five core AI capabilities and how to start using them today.

Meeting Agenda · Approx. 60 mins

  • Member Updates · 10 mins
  • Icebreaker · 10 mins
  • Discussion · 10 mins
  • Activity · 10 mins
  • One Action · 10 mins
  • Wrap-Up · 5 mins

👋 Member Updates · 10 mins

Go around your Circle and share personal updates. Keep them brief and focused on significant changes or important decisions since the last time you met. It's OK not to have one every month. If you have a One Action update from last time, share that too.

🧊 Icebreaker · 10 mins

Invite everyone in the group to share. Keep answers to one or two minutes per person.

What's one task on your plate this week that you'd love to hand off to a robot assistant if you could?

🏋️ Discussion · 10 mins

Go around the group and discuss:

  1. Did the video give you new ideas of how to use AI? What would that look like for you?
  2. The video says a common mistake is trying AI once, getting something mediocre, and concluding it's not useful. Have you ever given up on using AI for a task? If you were to try again, what could you change to improve the outcome?

🏋️ Activity · 10 mins

The best way to get a useful output is to give AI a clear role and context.

  1. Think of a work task that you'd like to offload -- one that you don't currently outsource to an AI tool.

  2. Now, write a prompt for AI that gives the tool a clear role and context. Here's an example:

Instead of 'Help me write an email,' try something like this: 'I'm a project manager. I need to send a brief update to my board chair about a delayed deliverable. Here's what happened: [2–3 sentences]. Here is a relevant document: [link]. Write a professional, direct email that leads with the delay and closes with next steps.'

  1. Paste the prompt into an AI tool, e.g. Claude, Gemini, or ChatGPT.

  2. Reflect on the output: What went well, and what didn't work so well? How could you improve the results by adding to or editing the context?

  3. Go around the group and share the outcome of your prompt and what you'd do differently next time to get a better outcome.

🎯 One Action · 10 mins

Commit to one concrete action — big or small — you'll take before next meeting. Go around the Circle and share (1 minute or less per member). Vocalizing it helps hold each other accountable.

This month, pick one task you'll make more efficient with AI. Come to the next meeting ready to share how it turned out.

📅 Wrap-Up · 5 mins

Before you break, plan your next meeting and close on an energetic note. Go around your Circle one by one and finish the sentence:

Now I am feeling… (choose one word).

  • Set the day, time, and location
  • Choose the next topic or resource
  • Confirm who's leading the discussion
  • Decide how you'll stay in touch in between