ChatGPT lessons learned from the HR Indies Annual Conference

At this year’s HR Indies Annual Conference, the theme was Breaking Boundaries: Empowering HR Independents. Paul Pennant, Founder of Today’s PA, interactive session explored how HR and People professionals can use ChatGPT to streamline their work and increase efficiency.

Paul’s session wowed us all with simple yet highly effective tips for making ChatGPT work better for us. We certainly learned from this session, and it’s clear from the energy in the room that others walked away with valuable insights, too.

We know what it’s like for independent HR and People consultants and business owners—wearing multiple hats every day can feel overwhelming. So, we thought we’d share what we’ve learned to help you get more out of this tool.

Customising ChatGPT: Better Results

ChatGPT doesn’t know who you are. But did you know you can customise it to better suit your needs? One of the key takeaways from this session was the power of personalising your ChatGPT experience. Whether you’re using the free or paid version, by customising this tool you can improve its responses, making it a much more effective assistant.

Here’s how you can do it:

Click on your profile image at the top of the screen. Select ‘Customise ChatGPT.’ Once you’re in the customisation settings, you need to answer two questions:

• What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?
• How would you like ChatGPT to respond?

By answering these questions, you give ChatGPT a clearer idea of who you are and how you want it to assist you. This simple step can improve your interactions with it, ensuring that the answers you receive are more aligned with your style, goals, and needs.

Customising ChatGPT is like having an assistant that understands you—your tone, preferences, and objectives. With just a few tweaks, you’ll notice that the answers become much more relevant and feel uniquely yours.

Dealing with Brain Fog

We’ve all been there—feeling mentally drained and struggling to push through a foggy day. When brain fog hits, it can be tough to focus and make progress. Another takeaway from this session was how ChatGPT can help break through those mental blocks.

If you’re finding it hard to get started or organise your thoughts, simply tell ChatGPT about the challenge you’re facing. For instance, you could say:
“I’m feeling stuck and can’t think of any ideas for my next blog post. Can you help me brainstorm some topics?”

ChatGPT can then generate a list of ideas to get the creative juices flowing. It’s like having a brainstorming session without the mental strain, allowing you to keep moving forward even when your brain feels foggy.

Concerns Around Security and Privacy

For some, the thought of using AI tools like ChatGPT may bring up concerns about security and privacy. It’s a valid concern, especially when dealing with sensitive client information. However, in today’s world, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid using AI tools if we want to stay competitive and efficient.

ChatGPT offers temporary chats so, if you’re concerned about privacy, you can enable this function, which ensures that your conversations are not stored or saved in history. While a copy of your chat may be retained for up to 30 days, it won’t be stored permanently.

If you’re still feeling cautious, it’s always a good idea to avoid entering highly sensitive information—such as client names or proprietary data—into the chat. You can use dummy names or keep the details more general, especially when discussing confidential topics.

How ChatGPT Can Help

The possibilities for HR consultants to use ChatGPT are endless, and the key takeaway from the conference is that with just a few customisations and tweaks, you can have a highly effective virtual assistant that helps you save time and stay organised.

From drafting emails and proposals to brainstorming content ideas, ChatGPT can support you in a variety of tasks. The more you use it, the better it gets at understanding your style and needs, ultimately making your work easier and more efficient.

We hope by sharing our key learnings, you can get more out of ChatGPT in streamlining your work and increasing efficiency.

Author: Mary Asante | HRi