Get More from Your First AI Coaching Session

A small-business preparation workbook

By Chris Costa · Costa AI Labs

You do not need to arrive knowing the right AI terminology. Bring one task, a clear example of the result you want and the questions that have kept you from starting.

Use these worksheets before, during and after a coaching conversation. The exercises use public, invented or approved examples. Coaching scope and deliverables should be agreed before work starts.

1. Describe your work in plain English

My business helps: ______

Our customers usually ask: ______

The task I keep putting off: ______

It happens approximately: ______

I currently complete it by: ______

The frustrating part is: ______

“I spend time turning approved service notes into follow-up drafts” is more useful than “I need AI.” Keep the description focused on the work, not a particular brand of tool.

2. Bring the right examples

Prepare one example input and one acceptable output. Invented samples are enough for a first session.

Before sharing business information, confirm the tool's data settings and your business's rules. Removing names does not necessarily remove identifying details.

3. Define what good looks like

The output should be a: ______

It is intended for: ______

It must include: ______

It must not claim: ______

Its approximate length or format: ______

The person who can approve it: ______

Choose two or three concrete checks. For a customer email, those might be “answers the actual question,” “does not invent a price” and “gives the correct contact step.” A confident tone is not evidence that the answer is correct.

4. Learn the workflow, not a magic prompt

A repeatable workflow includes more than the words typed into a chat box.

1. Prepare the approved input.
2. State the task and intended audience.
3. Describe the output and its limits.
4. Ask the tool to mark missing information.
5. Review against your quality checks.
6. Make corrections and save the useful version.

During coaching, ask to see why a prompt changed and how to recognize a poor result. Keep notes you can use without the coach sitting beside you.

5. Practice with an invented inquiry

Sample inquiry: “Our website looks dated and customers say they cannot find how to contact us. What should we do first?”

Draft a short reply using only these facts: our business offers website planning conversations; the next step is to discuss the customer's service pages and mobile contact experience. Do not quote prices, imply a booking or promise a launch date. Separate missing questions from the reply.

Review the output:

• What was useful? ______
• What did it invent or miss? ______
• What did I change? ______
• Which instruction would I keep? ______

6. Make the process yours

Save a workflow note with these headings:

Task and trigger: when I use this workflow.

Approved inputs: where the material comes from and what stays out.

Instructions: the version of the prompt that worked.

Review checklist: facts, tone, commitments and next step.

Owner: who reviews and who maintains the instructions.

Stop condition: what requires a person with different expertise or a new scope.

Keep the instructions beside a checked example. Update them when the business's services or working practices change.

7. Plan a follow-up you can evaluate

Try the workflow on a second approved example before connecting live systems.

Baseline task time: ______

Preparation and AI use time: ______

Review and correction time: ______

Did the output meet my checks? ______

Did the process repeat on a different example? ______

My next decision: keep / adjust / stop.

An early attempt may take longer because you are learning. That is useful information, not a reason to hide setup or review time from the comparison.

8. Questions worth asking your coach

• Can we use an account I already have?
• What information can I put into this tool?
• How do I check the result?
• What happens when the tool cannot answer?
• What extra subscriptions or usage costs are involved?
• What is included in coaching, and what needs separate implementation?
• What will I be able to repeat on my own?

My three priority questions: ______

Bring these to your conversation with Chris Costa. Explore AI coaching: https://costaailabs.com/ai-coaching

Request a conversation: https://costaailabs.com/contact?service=ai-coaching