Sample course outline — adapted after a planning conversation.

AI Basics

Practice turning rough notes into a customer email and a useful task list. Learn to ask a follow-up question and check the answer before using it.

SAMPLE DURATION90 minutes

one 90-minute facilitated session.

TOOLS FOR THIS EXAMPLE

a laptop and a team-approved text AI tool. Tool and access requirements agreed during planning; practice uses pasted fictional text.

We agree on timing, tools, and deliverables with your team before booking.

Plan this workshop →

Your starting point.

Small-business owners and team members who have little or no experience with AI.

Comfort typing and using a web browser. No coding or prior AI experience needed.

What you can leave with.

A reusable email prompt and reviewed sample email.
A task list drawn from fictional meeting notes.
A short checklist for safe inputs and checked outputs.

Skills you will practice

Write a prompt that includes a task, relevant facts and a requested format.
Revise a draft with one specific follow-up instruction.
Find unsupported details and missing information before using an answer.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXERCISE · NOT A CUSTOMER RESULT

Draft an appointment email

Example output

Hi Jordan,

We can offer a tune-up appointment on Tuesday at 10 a.m. or Thursday at 2 p.m. Which time works for you?

Thanks,
Cedar Repair

Review: Both times match the notes. The email asks for a choice and does not claim the booking is confirmed.

See the input and try the exercise

Fictional practice material

Fictional Cedar Repair notes: customer Jordan asked about a tune-up. Available appointments: Tuesday at 10 a.m. or Thursday at 2 p.m. Ask which works. No price or completion time has been agreed.

Example prompt

Using only these notes, write a friendly email under 80 words to Jordan. Offer both appointments and ask Jordan to choose. Do not invent a price, completion time or confirmed booking. Notes: Cedar Repair can offer Tuesday at 10 a.m. or Thursday at 2 p.m. for a tune-up.

SAMPLE AGENDA / 90 MINUTES

What you will work on.

Choose a safe first task

15 min

Identify suitable sample information and information to keep out of a chat.

Take home: A minimal set of safe sample facts.

Practice and review details

Practice: Mark which fields in a supplied fictional customer record are needed to draft an appointment email; omit the rest.

Example: Compare a fictional appointment note with a record containing private customer details.

Check: Only facts needed for the email remain; private identifiers are excluded.

Before this exercise: Basic browser use.

Draft a customer email

30 min

Write and refine an email without adding a promise.

Take home: An email prompt and a revised draft.

Practice and review details

Practice: Use the fictional repair-shop notes below to draft an email. Ask for a warmer or shorter revision.

Example: Show a task + facts + tone + format prompt, then request a shorter version.

Check: The draft preserves both offered times, requests a choice and invents no booking or price.

Before this exercise: Safe sample facts from section 1.

Turn notes into next steps

25 min

Extract actions and distinguish unknown owners or dates.

Take home: A three-row task list with unknowns marked.

Practice and review details

Practice: Use these fictional notes: Lee will count stock Friday. Sam will draft the window sign; no deadline agreed. Someone must ask the landlord about sign rules.

Example: Convert a short meeting note into action, owner and due-date columns.

Check: All three actions appear; no owner or date is invented.

Before this exercise: Ability to start an AI conversation.

Check and save a useful pattern

20 min

Correct an unsupported detail and save a reusable prompt.

Take home: A reviewed draft and a three-step input, facts and approval checklist.

Practice and review details

Practice: Swap drafts with a partner. Check source facts, missing information and tone. If your draft has no error, correct this seeded flaw: “Your Tuesday appointment is confirmed.” The source only offers a choice of two times. Then save a prompt with placeholders.

Example: Compare an answer with its source, sentence by sentence.

Check: Partner can trace each factual claim to the notes and identify who approves the final email.

Before this exercise: Draft and task list from earlier sections.

What to bring and how we can adapt the session

What your team provides.

Choose one everyday writing or organizing task to discuss.
Confirm an approved tool and whether each participant can sign in.
Share tone preferences; fictional practice material is supplied.

Use anonymized examples or our fictional material. Keep confidential records and credentials out of your inquiry.

Choose a useful focus.

Use retail, service or office examples.
Spend more practice time on emails or task lists.
Use instructor demonstration and paired practice when individual tool access is unavailable.