AI & Claude 101: The Basics

Overview

This beginner-friendly session strips away the jargon and gives participants a clear, grounded, immediately practical introduction to what AI is, what Claude does, and how to start using it in their own roles - with zero technical background required.

The session begins with the fundamentals - what AI actually is in plain language, how Claude differs from other tools, and what participants can realistically expect it to do for them. From there, it moves into the practical skills that determine whether someone uses AI effectively or frustratingly: how to write prompts that get useful results, how to read and refine Claude's responses, and how to build the habits that make AI a genuine part of a professional workflow.

Every module is grounded in real workplace applications. Participants explore writing, research, summarizing, brainstorming, learning, and planning - with copy-paste prompt templates for each. The session closes with a clear, practical first-week plan and the mindset frameworks that separate people who use AI well from those who use it occasionally and give up.

Why you should Attend

If you have been avoiding AI tools because they feel overwhelming, overly technical, or unclear in how they would actually benefit your work - this session was built for you.

This session is for you if:

• You have heard everyone talking about AI but feel too far behind to start - and you want to change that today
• You have tried ChatGPT or Claude and felt unsure whether you were using them well or getting anywhere near their potential
• You worry about being the only person in your team or organization who cannot speak confidently about using AI tools
• You want practical, immediately usable skills - not a lecture about what AI might do in the future
• You have been told AI will change your job and you want to be the person who shapes that change, not inherits it

By the end of this session, you will have had your first real Claude conversation, written prompts that produce useful results, and walked away with eight copy-paste-ready templates for your most common professional tasks.

Areas Covered in the Session

• What is AI? A plain-language explanation that requires no technical background - demystifying the concept and setting realistic expectations from the start
• Introducing Claude: what sets it apart from other AI tools, how it thinks, and why it behaves differently from a search engine or a simple chatbot
• Your first conversation with Claude: a guided walkthrough of what to expect, how to start, and what the back-and-forth of a productive session actually looks like
• Writing prompts that get useful results: the four-element prompt formula, before-and-after comparisons, and the habit of iteration that makes every conversation more productive
• What Claude can and cannot do: a clear, honest capability map that includes the limitations - hallucination, memory, real-time access - and how to work around them professionally
• Everyday use cases: writing and drafting, research and summarizing, brainstorming, learning and explaining, planning and organizing - with prompt templates for each
• Reading and responding to Claude's output: when to use it directly, when to refine, when to redirect, and when to verify before acting
• Staying safe: privacy considerations, responsible use, data handling, and your organization's AI policy - everything a professional needs to use these tools with confidence
• Getting started: how to access Claude, what the free tier provides, and a seven-day practical plan to move from first session to regular confident use

Who Will Benefit

• Professionals at any level who have not yet started using AI tools and want a clear, practical entry point
• Managers and team leaders who want to understand AI well enough to guide their teams effectively
• Administrative, operational, and support professionals who handle large volumes of writing, summarizing, and communication
• HR, Learning and Development, and People Operations professionals exploring AI for their own productivity and for organizational rollout
• Marketing, communications, and content professionals who want to accelerate their writing and research workflows
• Business owners and entrepreneurs who wear multiple hats and want one tool that handles the first draft of almost everything
• Any professional who has said 'I should probably learn more about AI' and not yet found the right starting point