Most people use AI like Google. They ask a question and hope for the best. But small changes to how you prompt can turn AI from a search engine into a thinking partner.
Here are the techniques that work.
Make AI Think Instead of Just Answer
Start with “Let’s think about this differently” — Stops cookie-cutter responses. Gets creative answers instead of generic ones.
Ask “What am I not seeing here?” — Finds blind spots you didn’t know you had. Challenges your assumptions.
Say “Break this down for me” — Works for simple topics too. “Break down how to make coffee” gets you science, technique, everything.
Use “What would you do in my shoes?” — Makes AI give actual opinions instead of neutral advice. Way more useful.
Add “Here’s what I’m really asking” — Follow any question with this. “How do I get promoted? Here’s what I’m really asking: how do I stand out without being annoying?”
End with “What else should I know?” — Adds context and warnings you never thought to ask for.
Get Better Reasoning
Add “Walk me through your reasoning” — See how AI arrived at its answer. Game-changer for complex decisions.
Use “What’s the contrarian view here?” — Breaks out of echo chambers. AI argues against its own first response.
Say “Assume I know nothing” — Gets you foundations that reveal gaps in your knowledge.
Ask “What questions should I be asking instead?” — Often your question isn’t the right question. This finds the better one.
Use “Give me the version for beginners, then for experts” — Two explanations in one. Beginner version clarifies concepts. Expert version gives you depth.
End with “What would make this backfire?” — Surfaces failure modes before you commit to a strategy.
Turn Problems into Strengths
Replace “What’s wrong with…” with “What’s brilliant about…” — “What’s brilliant about procrastination?” reveals it as a creativity tool.
Use “How does [problem] actually make us stronger?” — Every struggle becomes hidden training.
Ask “What skills are we secretly developing from…” — Turns annoying things into bootcamps. Zoom fatigue becomes energy management training.
Try “In what ways does [challenge] prepare us for…” — Connects current pain to future strength.
Ask “What would we lose if [problem] disappeared?” — Often the thing we hate protects us from something worse.
End with “How is this friction actually useful?” — Friction creates grip, builds muscle, prevents disasters.
Make Boring Topics Interesting
Add “What’s the hidden story behind…” — Everything has intrigue. Office politics, supply chains, filing systems.
Use “What would an alien anthropologist notice about…” — Gets outsider perspective that reveals weird stuff we ignore.
Ask “What’s the conspiracy theory version of…” — Not actual conspiracies. The connecting-dots thinking that uncovers patterns.
Try “How is [boring thing] secretly a survival skill?” — Evolution angle makes everything relevant.
Use “What would happen if we took [thing] to its logical extreme?” — Pushes ideas to breaking point. Reveals possibilities and problems.
End with “What does this reveal about human nature?” — Makes everything profound. Every topic becomes a window into who we are.
Sound Like an Expert Fast
Ask “What do beginners always get wrong about…” — Positions you as someone who’s seen the mistakes.
Use “What’s the unspoken rule that everyone in [field] knows?” — Reveals insider knowledge that no one writes down.
Try “What would a 10-year veteran tell someone starting in…” — Gets battle-tested wisdom. Shortcuts and reality checks.
Ask “What’s obvious to experts but invisible to outsiders in…” — Uncovers mental models that pros use automatically.
Use “What are the subtle signs that someone actually knows [topic]?” — Gives you credibility markers to recognize and display expertise.
End with “What’s the one thing nobody tells you about…” — The gap between what’s taught and what’s real.
Extract Hidden Insights
Ask “What’s the second-order effect of…” — Goes beyond obvious consequences. “What’s the second-order effect of remote work?” gets you cultural shifts, not just productivity changes.
Use “What would this look like if it were easy?” — Strips away complexity. Often reveals the core solution hiding under layers of complications.
Try “What’s the 80/20 of…” — Finds the vital few that drive most results. Works for any topic.
Ask “What would someone who disagrees with this say?” — Built-in devil’s advocate. Stress-tests your ideas.
Use “What’s the meta-lesson here?” — Goes beyond specific advice to underlying principles. Turns tactics into strategy.
End with “How does this connect to everything else?” — Maps relationships. Shows how isolated topics fit into bigger systems.
Generate Better Ideas
Start with “What if the opposite were true?” — Flips your assumptions. Often reveals breakthrough insights.
Use “What would this look like in 100 years?” — Time perspective shows long-term trends and implications.
Ask “What would [famous person] do here?” — Borrows thinking styles. “What would Steve Jobs do?” gets you design thinking.
Try “What’s the most counter-intuitive aspect of…” — Finds the surprising truths that most people miss.
Use “What would happen if everyone did this?” — Scale thinking. Reveals systemic effects.
End with “What’s the simplest version of this?” — Strips to essentials. Often the simple version is the right version.
How to Stack These Techniques
The magic happens when you combine prompts. Instead of one question, use a sequence:
“Let’s think about this differently – what would you do in my shoes to get promoted? What am I not seeing here? What would make this backfire?”
Or:
“What’s the hidden story behind email signatures? What would an alien anthropologist notice? What does this reveal about human nature?”
Start with one technique. Once you get comfortable, chain them together for deeper insights.
Why This Works
These prompts work because they change how AI processes your request. Instead of retrieving information, it starts reasoning. Instead of being helpful, it starts being useful.
Most people treat AI like a fancy search engine. These techniques turn it into a thinking partner.
The best prompts don’t just get you answers. They get you better questions.