18+ years in product leadership across Google, Amazon, Snapdeal and Shaadi.com
Guest Faculty, IIM Kozhikode — Teaching AI applications in business across MDP, EPGP, and PGP programs for 4 years
What I bring to this session:
I'm not an AI researcher — I'm a practitioner. I use these tools daily for real work, and I've taught hundreds of executives how to get practical value from them.
How to Think About AI So You Actually Get Value From It
How NOT to Think About AI
It's like Google Search
Search retrieves existing documents. AI generates new text. Different mechanisms.
It knows everything
The AI's confident tone has nothing to do with accuracy. It states false info with same certainty as true.
It's magic that reads my mind
"Write me a good email" gives the AI nothing to work with. It doesn't know recipient, context, goal, or tone.
It's just fancy autocomplete
This undersells its synthesis and reasoning capabilities.
Think of It as a Brilliant New Employee
This employee:
Has read extensively across almost every domain — more well-read than anyone you've met
Is articulate and writes well — can produce polished prose quickly
Is infinitely patient — will happily generate 10 variations
Has zero context about your situation — doesn't know your company, preferences, politics
Will confidently give wrong information — makes things up rather than admit ignorance
Gets dramatically better with clear instructions
Key Takeaway: You already know how to manage people like this. Same skills apply to AI.
Why Senior Managers Have an Advantage
Senior managers are better positioned to use AI effectively than junior staff.
Your Management Skills
Setting clear objectives
Providing context and background
Giving specific instructions
Reviewing work critically
Iterating based on output quality
=
AI Prompting Skills
AI needs to know what success looks like
AI knows nothing until you tell it
Vague direction = vague results
First drafts always need editing
"Try it this way instead"
Part 3
Prompting That Actually Works
From Vague to Valuable
Why Most Prompts Fail
What You Type
Prompt
Summarize this report
What's in Your Head
I need this for a CFO meeting
Focus on financial implications
Keep it under 500 words
The CFO hates jargon
Flag any risks mentioned
The gap between what you meant and what you typed is why AI output disappoints.
The R.C.T. Framework
R
Role
Who should the AI act as?
"Act as a senior business analyst..." "You are a skeptical CFO..."
C
Context
What's the situation?
"I'm preparing for a board meeting..." "I'm a VP of Operations planning capex..."
T
Task
What specifically do you want?
"Summarize in 5 bullet points..." "Identify the top 5 risks..."
Even just including these three elements will dramatically improve your output.
The Secret Sauce — Constraints
Constraints — explicitly telling the AI what to avoid — force it out of generic patterns.
Effective Constraints:
Do NOT use buzzwords like 'synergy,' 'leverage,' or 'ecosystem'
Keep the response under 150 words
Avoid bullet points — write in flowing prose
Do not be salesy or use exclamation marks
Do not make up statistics or cite sources unless certain
Skip the preamble — start directly with the content
Live Demo: Dense Document Summarization
The Scenario:
You have a 50+ page RBI Monetary Policy Report on your desk. You know it's important — interest rates, inflation outlook, credit conditions — but it's dense, full of jargon, and you've been putting it off for weeks.
Sound familiar?
Demo Steps:
Start with a vague prompt — the way most people first try AI
Add context — tell Gemini who you are and what you need
Add constraints — specify format, length, what to focus on
Save it as a Gem — turn it into a reusable tool (end of session)
Demo Step 1: The Vague Prompt
Prompt
Summarize this report
Expected Output Problems:
Lists section headings rather than insights
Misses what actually matters to you
No sense of priority — everything treated equally
What's wrong: The AI doesn't know who you are, what you need, or what decisions depend on this.
Demo Step 2: Adding Context
Prompt
I'm the VP of Operations at a mid-sized manufacturing company. We're planning our capital expenditure for FY26-27 and I need to understand the macro environment.
Summarize this RBI Monetary Policy Report focusing on:
- Interest rate trajectory and what it means for borrowing costs
- Inflation outlook and impact on input costs
- Any signals about industrial credit availability
- Risks flagged that could affect manufacturing sector
I have a planning meeting with my CFO next week.
What changed: The AI now knows why you're reading this and what decisions depend on it.
Demo Step 3: Adding Constraints
Prompt
[Previous context, plus:]
Format and constraints:
- Start with a 3-sentence executive summary I can use verbatim in my presentation
- Then provide 5-7 key points, each with the specific data/quote from the report
- Highlight any numbers I should cite (rates, percentages, projections)
- Flag anything that contradicts our current assumptions (we're assuming 7% inflation and stable rates)
- Keep the whole thing under 500 words
- Use plain language — my CFO hates jargon
- End with "Questions to consider" for our planning discussion
- Do NOT include generic economic background — assume I know the basics
Same Document. Dramatically Different Results.
Prompt Level
Output Quality
Time to Useful
"Summarize this"
Generic, surface-level, requires heavy editing
Saves almost no time
+ Context
Focused on your needs, connects to decisions
Good starting point
+ Constraints
Presentation-ready, structured, specific
Minutes vs. hours
Iteration Is Normal
Your first prompt is rarely your last.
Common follow-ups:
Make the executive summary shorter
Add more detail on the interest rate section
Rewrite this part in bullet points
The tone is too formal — make it conversational
The Mindset Shift
The AI should get it right the first time
I'm directing the AI toward what I need in 2-4 rounds
Break
30 Minutes
While on break, think about a problem you'd like to work on when we reconvene.
Part 4
Your Problems, Live Solutions
Crowdsourced Problem-Solving
What's Not Working for You?
Share with the room:
A task where AI gave you disappointing results
Something you've been meaning to try but haven't
A skeptical question about whether AI can actually help
A type of work you're curious whether AI could handle
Let's work through 2-3 real problems together, live.
Fallback Scenario: Vendor Evaluation
Situation: You have 3 vendor proposals (40+ pages each). Need comparison for steering committee.
Prompt
I'm evaluating 3 ERP vendor proposals for a mid-sized company. I need to present a comparison to our steering committee.
Compare these proposals across:
- Total cost of ownership (5-year view)
- Implementation timeline and resources required from our side
- Key differentiators and unique capabilities
- Integration with our existing systems (SAP, Salesforce)
- Risks and concerns I should raise
Format as a comparison table plus a 1-paragraph recommendation with reasoning.
Fallback Scenario: Customer Feedback Analysis
Situation: 200 customer support tickets. Need to find patterns and recommend fixes.
Prompt
I'm analyzing 200 customer support tickets from the last month. I need to present findings to our product team.
Analyze these tickets and provide:
- Top 5 issue categories by frequency
- For each category: specific examples, severity assessment, recommended fix
- Any emerging issues that weren't in last month's analysis
- Verbatim quotes I can use to illustrate each issue
Format: Executive summary (3 sentences), then detailed breakdown by category.
Live Problem-Solving
Our Process:
Understand the task What are you actually trying to accomplish?
Identify the context gap What does AI not know that it needs to?
Build the prompt together Role, Context, Task, Constraints
Execute and observe See what works and what doesn't
Iterate Refine based on output
Part 5
The Productivity Multipliers
Voice Dictation + Gemini Gems
The Typing Trap
150
WPM
How fast you think
40
WPM
How fast you type
4x
Gap
Thinking vs Typing
When you type, you compress your thoughts. You leave out context, nuance, and detail because typing is slow.
Your prompts are impoverished versions of what you actually meant.
Voice Dictation: Capture Your Full Thinking
Tools like Wispr Flow let you speak your prompts instead of typing them.
Why it works:
When you speak, you naturally include more context, more nuance, more of what the AI needs to help you.
4x Faster than typing
72% Of characters via voice after 6 months
90% Of dictation requires no edits
175 WPM Dictation speed for developers
270 Fortune 500 companies using Wispr Flow
Demo: Voice Dictation with Wispr Flow
Watch how messy, natural speech becomes a clean, context-rich prompt.
What to notice:
You include more detail when speaking
The AI has more to work with
The output is better because the input is richer
Switching to live demonstration...
Voice Dictation Alternatives
Tool
Platform
Notes
Wispr Flow
Mac, Windows
Best accuracy, context-aware, $10/month
Built-in Dictation
Mac (Cmd+Cmd) Windows (Win+H)
Free, less accurate but works
Google Voice Typing
Google Docs
Free, decent accuracy
Otter.ai
Web, Mobile
Good for longer dictation and meetings
Part 6
From Prompt to Reusable Tool
Creating Gemini Gems
Turn Your Best Prompts Into Permanent Tools
You don't want to write that complex prompt every time.
Gemini Gems solve this. A Gem is essentially a saved prompt with a name.
Think of it as creating a specialized assistant:
"Document Summarizer"
"Meeting Prep Assistant"
"Vendor Comparison Analyst"
Benefits
Consistency — Same quality every time
Speed — No prompt crafting, just input and go
Iteration — Refine the Gem over time
Sharing — Share Gems with your team
Live Demo: Creating a Gem
We're going to take the refined document summarization prompt and turn it into a reusable Gem.
Instructions
You are an expert document analyst helping busy executives extract actionable insights from dense reports.
When I upload a document and describe my situation, create a focused summary that:
- Starts with a 3-sentence executive summary I can use verbatim
- Provides 5-7 key points with specific data/quotes from the document
- Highlights numbers I should cite
- Flags anything that contradicts stated assumptions
- Keeps the whole thing under 500 words
- Uses plain language — no jargon
- Ends with "Questions to consider"
I will provide: [DOCUMENT] and [MY ROLE/CONTEXT/WHAT DECISIONS DEPEND ON THIS]
Union Budget Economic Survey: Strategic planning focus.
NITI Aayog Digital Transformation: Tech/IT focus.
IBEF Indian Economy Overview: Neutral, broad choice.
McKinsey Future of Work: If discussion turns to AI impact.
Appendix: Reusable Prompt Template
Template
I'm a [YOUR ROLE] at a [COMPANY TYPE]. I need to understand this [DOCUMENT TYPE] because [SPECIFIC DECISION OR MEETING].
Summarize this document focusing on:
- [ASPECT 1 relevant to your decision]
- [ASPECT 2 relevant to your decision]
- [ASPECT 3 relevant to your decision]
- Any signals or risks that could affect [YOUR SPECIFIC CONCERN]
Context for my situation: [ANY ASSUMPTIONS OR CONSTRAINTS YOU'RE WORKING WITH]
Format and constraints:
- Start with a [X]-sentence executive summary I can use in [CONTEXT]
- Provide [N] key points, each with specific data/quotes from the document
- Highlight numbers I should cite
- Flag anything that contradicts [YOUR CURRENT ASSUMPTIONS]
- Keep it under [WORD COUNT]
- Use plain language — avoid jargon
- End with [WHAT YOU WANT AT THE END]
- Do NOT include [WHAT TO SKIP]
Appendix: Alternative Demo Scenarios
Scenario
When to Use
Meeting Prep Brief
If room is Sales/BD heavy
Drafting a Difficult Email
Universal fallback
Vendor Comparison
If room is IT/Tech heavy
Talking Points for Leadership
If room is senior leadership track
Appendix: R.C.T. Framework Reference
Reference
(R) ROLE: Act as [specific role with relevant experience]
(C) CONTEXT:
- I am [your role/situation]
- I need this for [specific purpose/decision/meeting]
- My audience is [who will see this]
- Background: [any relevant context the AI needs]
(T) TASK: [Specific deliverable]
- Format: [bullets, prose, table, etc.]
- Length: [word count or page limit]
- Include: [specific elements required]
CONSTRAINTS (Critical):
- Do NOT [things to avoid]
- Tone: [professional, casual, formal, etc.]
- Skip: [what to leave out]
- Assume: [what the audience already knows]