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Your first real conversation, in the app

⏱ 15 min3 steps

This lesson is your first real conversation with Claude, in the app on your phone or laptop. You'll ask about something from your own life, ask a , and then check one thing it told you before you trust it. You need the and a question you actually have. Feeling unsure what to ask is normal. The first snag has ideas.

follow-up A short message you send after a quote or a visit, to check in when you haven't heard back. All wordsClaude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All words

Before this, you'll want:

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  1. Ask Claude about something real

    Claude does its best work on real problems with real details. This tells Claude your situation and asks it to check what it doesn't know before it answers.

    1. Open the Claude app on your phone or laptop and start a new chat.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    I'd like help with something real in my life. Here's what's going on: [what's going on, in a few sentences]. Before you answer, ask me up to three questions about anything you'd otherwise be guessing. Then give me a short, plain answer.
    1. Paste it into the chat. Replace the part in square brackets with your situation, in your own words.
    2. Send it.
    3. Answer each question Claude asks, the way you'd answer a friend.
    prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All words

    You should see:

    Claude asks you a question or two about your situation, or gives a short answer if it has enough to go on.

    That's not what I see
    I can't think of anything to ask.
    Pick something on your mind this week: a letter you have to answer, a trip to plan, a decision you keep putting off, a thing at home that's broken. Small and real beats big and made up.
    Claude answered right away without asking me anything.
    That's fine. It decided it had enough to go on. Read the answer, and tell it anything it got wrong about your situation in the next step.

  2. Ask a follow-up

    A good conversation with Claude is a back-and-forth, not one question. This follow-up asks Claude where its answer is weakest.

    1. Copy the follow-up below.
    Which part of your answer are you least sure about, and why? What would change your answer?
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Read what it says it's least sure about. That's the part to check.

    You should see:

    Claude names the parts it's less sure of, and what would change its answer.

    That's not what I see
    Claude says it's sure about everything.
    Ask it again, more plainly: Which one sentence in your answer would you check first if you were me?

  3. Check one thing before you trust it

    Claude is usually right, and it sounds every bit as sure when it's wrong. So before you act on anything that matters, check it.

    Claude has built in. If you see a Web search switch under + in the message box, turn it on. It searches the web on its own when a question needs it, and it searches when you ask it to. This prompt asks it to find where a fact comes from, with a link you can open.

    1. Pick one thing Claude told you: a number, a date, a rule or a price.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    Search the web for this and show me where you found it, with a link: [the thing you want to check]
    1. Paste it into the same chat. Replace the part in square brackets with the thing you picked.
    2. Send it.
    3. Open the link and find the line on the page that says it.

    If the page says the same thing, you've checked it. If it doesn't, the page wins.

    web search Claude looking things up on the internet during a chat. Its answer comes with links to the pages it used. All words

    You should see:

    Claude says it's searching, then answers with one or more links to the pages it used.

    That's not what I see
    Claude answered without any links.
    Reply: Search the web for this and give me a link for each thing you found. If you use Claude through work, on a Team or Enterprise plan, an owner of the workspace may have to turn web search on first.
    The page doesn't say what Claude said.
    Trust the page, not the summary. Tell Claude: That page doesn't say that. What does it actually say? Then read it again yourself.
    The link won't open, or the page isn't there.
    Treat the claim as unchecked. Ask Claude for another , or search for it yourself in your before you act on it.source Where a fact comes from, like the web page, the person or the paper that says it. All wordsbrowser The app you use to visit websites, like Safari or Chrome. All words
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Your challenge

For the next week, bring Claude one real question a day from your own life or work. Each time, ask one follow-up and check one thing it told you before you act on it.

Last checked 2026-10-21

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