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Hey there,
Welcome back. And a warm hello to anyone joining us for the first time. Really glad you are here.
First things first, I owe you a small apology for the slight delay on this one. I was in Mexico for a week, which I did plan for. What I did not plan for was how long it would take me to get back into the swing of things once I returned. Turns out a sunburn and a full inbox are a tough combination. Anyway, I am back, slightly more relaxed and slightly more red, and we are getting right into it.
Quick recap of where we have been:
This week I want to slow down and go a little deeper on one tool specifically.
We have been using AI tools throughout this newsletter without spending much time on what makes each one different. That changes now. For the next few issues, we are going to take a proper look at the big ones, what they are good at, and how to actually get the most out of them.
We are starting with Claude. It is the one I use every single day.
What is Claude, exactly?
Claude is an AI assistant made by a company called Anthropic. You can use it for free at claude.ai. No app download required, just a browser and a free account.
If you have heard of ChatGPT, Claude is in the same category. You type something, it responds. The difference is in the feel and the strengths. Claude tends to write in a more natural, conversational tone. It is very good at longer pieces of writing, at following nuanced instructions, and at giving you thoughtful answers rather than just fast ones.
I want to be clear: I am not telling you Claude is better than everything else out there. There is no single best tool for every person and every job. But for writing specifically, I think it is one of the best available right now, and it is the one I reach for first. So let me show you what it can actually do.
Five things Claude is genuinely great at
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1. Writing things you have been putting off
That email to your landlord. The complaint letter to your insurance company. The card message for your colleague who is retiring. The bio for your LinkedIn profile that you have been avoiding for three years. Claude is patient, it does not judge, and it will keep adjusting until it sounds right.
Donna in Thunder Bay needed to write a formal letter disputing a billing error with her internet provider. She had been putting it off for weeks because she did not know how to phrase it without sounding aggressive. She told Claude the situation in plain English and asked it to write a calm, professional letter. It took about 45 seconds. She made two small tweaks and sent it.
Fill in the blank prompt:
| "Help me write a [TYPE OF MESSAGE — letter, email, card, etc.] to [WHO IT IS FOR]. Here is the situation: [EXPLAIN IN PLAIN ENGLISH]. Tone should be [calm and professional / warm and personal / polite but firm]. Keep it under [WORD COUNT] words." |
Ready to use example:
| "Help me write a formal letter to my internet provider disputing a billing error. Here is the situation: I was charged twice for the same month of service in March, I called to report it, was told it would be fixed, and it has now happened again in April. Tone should be calm and professional. Keep it under 200 words." |
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2. Explaining complicated things in plain English
Got a document that is full of legal or technical language you do not fully understand? A lease renewal with clauses you are not sure about? A notice from the CRA? A medical form? You can paste the text directly into Claude and ask it to explain it to you like you are a regular person.
Marcus in Saskatoon got a letter from his strata council about a bylaw amendment. It was three pages of legal language and he could not figure out what they were actually asking him to do. He pasted it into Claude and asked for a plain English summary. Claude told him in four sentences: here is what changed, here is what it means for you, and here is what you need to do before the deadline.
Fill in the blank prompt:
| "Here is a document I received: [PASTE TEXT]. Can you explain what this is actually saying in plain English? I am not a lawyer or expert. Focus on what I need to know and what, if anything, I need to do." |
Ready to use example:
| "Here is a document I received: [PASTE YOUR DOCUMENT]. Can you explain what this is actually saying in plain English? I am not a lawyer or expert. Focus on what I need to know and what, if anything, I need to do." |
Note: Claude is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice. It is great for understanding what something says. For anything with real legal consequences, always get a professional involved.
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3. Thinking through a decision with you
Sometimes you do not need someone to write something for you. You need to think out loud. Claude is surprisingly good at this. You can describe a situation you are wrestling with and ask it to help you think through the pros and cons, or just ask it questions back and forth until things start to get clearer.
Angela in Halifax was trying to decide whether to take on a second job on evenings and weekends. She was worried about burnout but also needed the extra income before the holidays. She talked it through with Claude for about ten minutes, asking it to push back on her assumptions and help her weigh the trade-offs honestly. She found that more useful than making a list on her own.
Fill in the blank prompt:
| "I am trying to decide whether to [DESCRIBE THE DECISION]. Here is my situation: [A FEW SENTENCES OF CONTEXT]. I am not looking for a definitive answer. I just want help thinking through the trade-offs honestly. Ask me questions if it would help." |
Ready to use example:
| "I am trying to decide whether to take a second job on evenings and weekends. Here is my situation: I need about $400-500 extra per month before the holidays, I already work full-time, and I am worried about burning out. I am not looking for a definitive answer. I just want help thinking through the trade-offs honestly. Ask me questions if it would help." |
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4. Rewriting something you already wrote
You do not always need Claude to start from scratch. Sometimes you have already written something, like a message, a post, or a summary, and it is just not quite right. Too stiff, too long, too casual, whatever it is. You can paste what you have and ask Claude to fix the specific thing that is off.
Kevin in Calgary wrote a message to his condo board about a noise complaint and it came across angrier than he intended. He pasted it into Claude and said "I want to sound firm but not hostile, can you rewrite this?" Claude came back with a version that made the same points but landed completely differently. Kevin said it actually sounded better than anything he would have written on his own.
Fill in the blank prompt:
| "Here is something I wrote: [PASTE YOUR TEXT]. The problem is it sounds [TOO ANGRY / TOO FORMAL / TOO LONG / TOO VAGUE — describe what is off]. Can you rewrite it so that it [WHAT YOU WANT INSTEAD]? Keep my key points but make it sound better." |
Ready to use example:
| "Here is something I wrote: 'I have now asked three times about the parking situation in this building and nobody has done anything. This is unacceptable.' The problem is it sounds too aggressive. Can you rewrite it so that it sounds firm but not hostile? Keep my key points but make it sound better." |
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5. Having a real back-and-forth conversation
One thing a lot of people do not realize is that Claude remembers what you said earlier in the same conversation. You do not have to repeat yourself or start over every time. You can say "make that shorter" or "can you do a version that sounds a bit more casual" and it knows what you are referring to.
This is worth getting comfortable with. The best results usually come from a bit of back and forth, not just one prompt. Ask for a first draft, read it, then tell Claude what to change. It gets better with each round. Think of it less like a search engine and more like working with someone on a document together.
Useful follow-up prompts once you have a first draft:
"Make it shorter."
"Can you make it sound a bit less formal?"
"I want to add that [NEW DETAIL]. Can you work that in?"
"The second paragraph does not feel right. Can you try that part again?"
"This is good but it does not quite sound like me. I tend to be pretty direct and casual. Can you adjust the tone?" |
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A few things worth knowing before you start
The free version of Claude is genuinely useful. You do not need to pay for anything to get started. There is a paid tier with more features, but unless you are using it heavily every day, the free version will cover most of what you need.
Do not put sensitive personal information into Claude or any AI tool. Things like your SIN, banking details, passwords, or detailed private medical information should stay out of these conversations. Treat it like a public search engine in that sense.
And as always: read what it gives you before you use it. AI gets things wrong sometimes. It can sound very confident while being incorrect. Your job is to be the final check on everything it produces. You are always the human in the loop.
Your challenge this week
Pick one thing from the list above and try it. Ideally something you have been putting off. Open claude.ai, make a free account if you do not have one already, and paste in a prompt. See what comes back. You do not have to use what it gives you. But you might be surprised.
Coming up next week
Issue 9 is a deep dive into ChatGPT, specifically for brainstorming and idea generation. The timing is good too. ChatGPT just went through a pretty significant upgrade in the last couple of weeks, including image creation that is honestly impressive. If you have ever stared at a blank page trying to figure out what to write, plan, or create, that issue is going to be worth your time.
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AI assisted, Human led.
Whatever AI produces for you, always read it, verify it, and make it sound like you. AI is an incredible first draft machine. Your judgment, your voice, and your values are always the final layer.
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As always, I read every reply personally. Have you tried Claude before? Hit reply and let me know how it went. Or tell me what you tried from this issue. I love hearing from people who are just getting started.
If you found this useful, pass it along to someone who would get something out of it. The more Canadians who feel confident with this stuff, the better.
Talk soon,
Chris
Founder, AI, Eh?
theaieh.ca 🍁
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