Today, I had the privilege of leading a full-day executive AI course titled “Think Smart, Prompt Smarter” – it was a follow-up to the 2-hour masterclass we ran earlier in the summer. Only this time, we went bigger and deeper. In one intensive day, a small cohort of senior leaders rolled up their sleeves and immersed themselves in advanced AI prompting techniques. I want to share my reflections on this experience – what we covered, what amazed us, and why this workshop felt like a glimpse into the future of work.
20250827-Think-Smart-Prompt-Smarter-1-day-Course-FullFrom Preview to Deep Dive: Expanding on the Masterclass
Our journey began with that initial 2-hour masterclass, essentially an “AI executive briefing” on what generative AI can do. The full-day course was designed as its full-fledged expansion, picking up right where the masterclass left off. In designing this follow-on session, I promised it would be an “AI bootcamp for execs,” where participants would be guided step-by-step through realistic business tasks, revisiting the preview topics and then going much deeper. We didn’t waste any time on Prompting 101 basics – no explaining what ChatGPT is or how to write a trivial prompt. Instead, we dived straight into advanced conceptual prompting principles and high-impact use cases. The assumption was clear: these executives were already savvy about AI basics, so our mission was to push their capabilities to the next level.
Right from the start, I emphasized that this course was not about teaching simple prompts or chat syntax. We set our sights on bigger game – complex workflows and mental models for prompt engineering. For example, in one exercise on AI-assisted writing, participants practiced sophisticated techniques like visual mind-mapping, tent-pole sentence outlining, and even building a custom AI style guide. These are far beyond basic tips; they’re conceptual frameworks that turn prompting into a strategic skill. The energy in the room shifted when everyone realized this wasn’t going to be a sit-back-and-listen seminar, but an interactive lab for power users of AI. Our mantra for the day was “If you can imagine it, you can prompt it” – and we set out to prove just that.
Learning by Doing: Eight Real-World Projects
To make the day truly hands-on, we structured the training around 8 real-world projects. Each project was a scenario drawn from actual business challenges – from crafting AI-enhanced marketing content to analyzing data and formulating strategy. The idea was to expose our participants to a broad spectrum of AI applications in a practical way. No fluff, no abstract theory: every module was a do-it-yourself exercise with clear deliverables. For instance, in Project 1 the group built an AI-driven marketing email campaign, while later projects had them summarizing reports, generating insights from spreadsheets, brainstorming product ideas, and more. By the end of the day, they had touched marketing, operations, finance, and strategy use cases in a systematic progression.
Crucially, each project came with model prompts and workflows that the students could immediately reuse in their own work. We provided detailed project handouts that walked through each step with example prompts, sample AI outputs, and key tips. In other words, we gave them reusable prompt templates – proven recipes they can tweak and apply on the job. (See the embedded course content snapshots for examples of these prompts and outputs.) I encouraged everyone to start building their own “promptbook” out of these exercises. The goal was that after the workshop, they wouldn’t just have learned concepts in theory – they’d walk away with a toolkit of ready-made prompts to speed up their day-to-day tasks.
By learning through these concrete projects, the executives got to experience AI in action. We went beyond showing slides; we had them actively use ChatGPT (and other AI tools) to produce real work outputs. The course handout PDF compiled all these advanced techniques and prompt examples for later reference, so participants can revisit any exercise on their own time.
Highlight: Project 6 – Writing Like a Pro with AI
While all eight projects delivered value, Project 6 was one of the most awe-inspiring for our participants (and for me as an instructor!). In this module – “Writing a Professional Article with Generative AI Tools” – the executives saw what happens when you combine human insight with AI firepower in the writing process. The project framework fundamentally changed how many of them thought about writing. We started with brainstorming and research, then moved to outlining, drafting, refining, and finally tailoring the content for a specific audience. Watching seasoned business leaders follow this pipeline with AI was, frankly, amazing.
One powerful technique we introduced was “tent-pole sentence” scaffolding. Instead of writing long paragraphs off the cuff, we had participants first craft the key topic sentences – the “tent-poles” – that would hold up each paragraph’s idea. These tent-pole sentences create a logical skeleton for the piece. Then, using AI, they expanded each tent-pole into full paragraphs. The result? In minutes, they had a coherent first draft of a professional article, with structure and flow that normally might take days of outlining and writing. This approach was a revelation to many – it showed how a clear conceptual prompt (just a well-thought-out sentence) could guide the AI to generate an entire section that actually makes sense in context.
Next, we tackled writing style. Each participant built their own personal style guide for the AI. Using style analysis and emulation prompts, they taught ChatGPT to mimic their desired tone and format – essentially creating a custom “voice” for their outputs. For example, some crafted a prompt to enforce a professional, executive tone with active voice and bullet-point brevity, and then saved that as a reusable preset. This was not just a cool trick; it’s incredibly useful for ensuring consistency in communications. Executives often have particular ways they like their reports or emails to sound – now they learned how to encode those preferences into the AI. I could see eyes light up as they realized they can literally hand the AI a style guide and get back writing that feels like it was written by one of their top analysts or even themselves.
Perhaps the most transformative moment in Project 6 came at the end, when we did an executive adaptation for a different persona. After drafting the full article, we asked the AI to repurpose it as a one-page brief for a CEO. We call this the “AOS” (Audience-Oriented Summary) technique – essentially, a decision-first summary with key metrics and risk mitigations up front. The ability to automatically adapt content to a specific audience or persona is a game-changer. In our case, the AI turned a detailed article into a concise “TL;DR” executive memo tailored for a time-pressed leader. This showed the class how with a few clever prompts, you can shape the same content for different needs – whether it’s an in-depth report for technical staff or an elevator-pitch version for the C-suite. Seeing a dense article morph into a boardroom-ready briefing in seconds truly inspired awe. It demonstrated the practical power of prompt engineering: by understanding your audience and giving clear instructions, you can trust the AI to deliver the right format, tone, and emphasis for that context.
Highlight: Project 7 – Planning with AI and a Virtual Boardroom
If Project 6 reimagined how we write, Project 7 blew the doors open on how we plan and strategize with AI. Titled “AI-Powered Business Planning: Food Delivery Startup,” this exercise put participants in the driver’s seat of designing a new venture – with AI as their pit crew. Over a rapid 30-minute team sprint, our executives used ChatGPT (augmented with browsing and research plugins) to brainstorm and pressure-test a business plan from scratch. This project was all about applying AI to high-level strategic thinking, and it turned out to be the most creative and future-forward segment of the day.
What made Project 7 so transformative were the frameworks we layered into the planning process. One of these was running a “Virtual Board of Advisors” meeting using AI. We essentially had participants consult a panel of famous hypothetical mentors – from Sun Tzu to Oprah Winfrey to Elon Musk – asking how each of them might critique or advise the startup idea. It sounds a bit playful, but the outcome was profound. With the right prompts, ChatGPT can emulate these personas’ perspectives, giving multi-lens critiques on your strategy. For our food delivery startup scenario, this meant the AI (as Sun Tzu) highlighted tactical advantages and strategy, “Oprah” focused on customer experience and brand trust, and “Musk” pushed the tech innovation angle. By synthesizing these perspectives, the group uncovered blind spots and creative ideas that no single human brainstorming session would likely produce. This virtual advisory board technique demonstrated how AI can help leaders think outside their own echo chamber – a safeguard against groupthink and a spark for creative solutions.
We didn’t stop there. The project also introduced rigorous strategic frameworks powered by AI. Participants performed rapid market scanning to identify data-backed trends, then drafted a one-page venture plan using a distilled entrepreneurship framework. They even did scenario planning: we had them simulate future conditions (e.g. “What if a recession hits next year?” or “Imagine drone delivery goes mainstream sooner than expected”) and let the AI project how the business model might need to adapt. The AI’s ability to quickly generate scenario outcomes enabled a level of agile foresight that impressed everyone. But again, the real magic was in the prompting: we guided them to break down complex planning into clear tasks, question assumptions, and probe for weaknesses. One prompt I loved essentially asked, “Act as my Chief Risk Officer and list the top 5 hidden risks in this plan, from regulatory issues to workforce challenges.” The responses were astute and sometimes alarming – exactly what we wanted. By surfacing those risks in seconds, the executives saw how AI can bolster strategic resilience.
By the end of Project 7, the room was practically buzzing. Many participants remarked that this exercise alone was worth the price of admission. It wasn’t just that they produced a decent mini business plan – it’s how they did it, using AI as a collaborative thinker. We had effectively shown them a blueprint for having a personal board of advisors on-demand (albeit an artificial one) to stress-test their ideas. That’s a paradigm shift. When else could you have Sun Tzu and Elon Musk evaluating your business in the same afternoon? This project underscored the larger theme of the course: Augmented leadership. With the right prompting strategies, executives can use AI not only to speed up tasks but to expand their strategic thinking in ways that were never before possible.
Beyond the Workshop: Turning Insight into Action
One thing that makes Think Smart, Prompt Smarter different from typical one-off workshops is what happens after the class. We’ve structured this program to favor the self-motivated learner. That means to get the most value, participants must continue to engage with the material through post-course work. At the end of the day, we didn’t just pat everyone on the back and say goodbye – we handed out problem sets and gave access to an online review portal with all the course content (including the 41-page course handout PDF). The handout is essentially a detailed guidebook, consolidating the key frameworks and example prompts from the day for further study. We encouraged everyone to redo the exercises on their own, tackle the bonus challenges, and explore the additional resources listed. The real magic happens when they apply these techniques to their own real-world tasks the following week, cementing the new skills through practice.
I made it clear that this course isn’t a passive experience you check off for a certificate – it’s the start of a journey. To internalize techniques like prompt scaffolding or the virtual advisor method, you have to practice them in your daily workflow. For our part, we’re here to support that: we offered to review their post-course experiment results and even set up a follow-up call for Q&A after a month. This kind of sustained engagement is rarely seen in executive workshops, but I believe it’s critical. It filters in the truly committed leaders who will run with these tools and drive change in their organizations. In short, Think Smart, Prompt Smarter is built for those who want to continually push their boundaries – not just absorb a few tips in a day and then forget them.
Another differentiator is how we encourage participants to reuse and integrate the prompts we gave them. The sample prompts from the eight projects are not proprietary secrets or one-shot demos – they are meant to be plug-and-play tools for our executives. Throughout the course I reminded the group: “Steal these prompts! Put them in your promptbook, tweak them, make them yours.” The idea is to create a ripple effect, where each leader adapts our model prompts to their specific business context and then perhaps shares them with their team. We’ve already heard back from one attendee who has started an internal “AI Prompt Playbook” at her company using snippets from our Project 6 and 7 handouts. That is exactly the outcome we hoped for. By actively using these prompts in real projects – whether it’s writing the next quarterly report or planning a new product launch – the techniques become second nature. And when that happens, the executive doesn’t just use AI – they truly leverage it as a force multiplier.
Pushing the Boundaries of What’s Possible with GenAI
Reflecting on the full-day course, I’m struck by how far we’ve come since that initial preview session. Our ambition with Think Smart, Prompt Smarter has always been to push the boundaries of what’s possible (and practical) with modern generative AI tools. This workshop lived up to that ambition. We didn’t settle for simple use cases or surface-level wins – we went after the hard problems and the “wow” moments. By doing so, we aimed to show executives a glimpse of the near future, where AI is woven into almost every aspect of creative and analytical work, amplifying what they can achieve.
The outcome was inspiring. We saw cautious beginners transform into confident “AI conductors,” orchestrating complex prompts to get incredible results. More importantly, we demonstrated tangible business value at every step: real marketing copy, real strategic insights, real productivity gains. It wasn’t sci-fi or theoretical; it was about what’s truly useful today. One executive pulled me aside at the end of the day and said, “I had no idea half of this was even possible.” Comments like that remind me why we do this. There is huge untapped potential in these GenAI tools – potential that busy leaders simply haven’t had time to uncover. Our course provided a shortcut to that understanding, and to the practical skills needed to act on it.
As I wrote in the course introduction, AI is not here to replace executives – but executives who master AI will replace those who don’t. My hope is that each participant now feels better equipped to be the former. We showed them not just cool tricks, but reliable methods to drive innovation, efficiency, and insight with AI in their organizations. The true measure of success will be what they do next: the projects they launch, the decisions they augment, the creative solutions they discover using these techniques.
On a personal note, running this full-day session was an enriching experience for me as well. It reinforced a lesson I learn again and again: when you empower talented people with the right tools and knowledge, they will surprise you with how quickly they leap forward. I’m more convinced than ever that the only limit to leveraging AI in business is our imagination and willingness to experiment. With the foundational prompting frameworks now in their toolkit, our executive cohort is ready to lead by example.
In summary, “Think Smart, Prompt Smarter” was more than just a training day – it was a catalyst. It showed a group of curious, motivated leaders what’s possible when you pair human ingenuity with AI’s capabilities. The excitement in that room tells me we succeeded in lighting a spark. I can’t wait to see how these executives will take what they learned and run with it. For RocketEdge, this is just the beginning. We’ll continue to innovate and push the envelope in our AI programs, because the field is evolving fast and there’s always more to explore. If this course proved anything, it’s that staying ahead of the curve isn’t just a slogan – it’s an achievable goal with the right mindset and tools. Here’s to thinking smarter, prompting better, and leading the way in the new era of augmented work!
