📚 Use AI to Understand Difficult Topics

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Hello AI Enthusiast,

Google's Guided Learning feature in Gemini is worth your attention if you're tired of forgetting everything you "learn" from AI chatbots. We've been testing it for workplace training scenarios, and today we're showing you how to use it.

The Problem

AI chatbots are terrible teachers. Ask how to calculate customer acquisition cost, and you get the formula with an example. Helpful now, useless next week when you need it again. Instant answers don't build understanding. You're copying information that disappears the moment you close the tab. This matters when you need skills that actually stick, like learning analytics tools, understanding financial metrics, grasping technical concepts.

How We Do It: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let's walk through using Guided Learning to master a workplace skill. For this example, we'll learn how to analyze customer churn data, something that comes up across sales, marketing, and customer success roles.

Step 1: Access Guided Learning in Gemini

Guided Learning is available to all Gemini users, whether you're on a personal account or using Google Workspace.

Head to gemini.google.com and look at the prompt bar. Click the "Tools" button, then select "Guided Learning" from the menu.

The interface looks exactly the same as regular Gemini, but now it's configured to teach rather than just answer.

Step 2: Ask Your Learning Question

Now write your prompt. Be specific about what you're trying to learn and include context about your work situation.

Here's the prompt we used:

Our prompt:

I need to understand how to analyze customer churn data for my quarterly business review. Walk me through the key metrics I should track, how to calculate them, and what they actually tell me about customer health. I have access to our CRM data showing sign-up dates, cancellation dates, and customer segments.

Template version:

I need to understand [specific workplace skill or concept]. Walk me through [what you want to learn], how to [apply it], and what it means for [your work context]. [More details optional].

Hit enter and watch what happens. Instead of dumping a formula and moving on, Gemini starts by trying to understand more about your needs asking you questions.

Step 3: Engage With the Interactive Questions

This is where Guided Learning becomes different. Once you have given it enough context, instead of only explaining a concept, Gemini also asks you questions to check your understanding.

You have to answer. Type out your thinking, even if you're unsure.

Gemini responds to your answer, confirming what's right, correcting misunderstandings, building on your reasoning. The smart part is how it adapts based on your responses. If you're grasping concepts quickly, it moves faster and goes deeper. If you're struggling, it breaks things down further and asks simpler questions first.

The conversation continues like this, with Gemini constantly gauging where you are and adjusting accordingly.

Step 4: Apply What You Learned

After working through concepts, Gemini shifts to applying concepts to practical examples.

This is where knowledge gets tested. The back-and-forth continues, catching mistakes, guiding corrections, pushing you to think through problems yourself.

When to Use Guided Learning

Guided Learning works best when you need skills that stick. Use it for:

• Learning new technical skills for your role. Understanding SQL queries for reporting, grasping API basics to work with developers, or debugging code you're stuck on.

• Preparing for job transitions. Switching departments or getting promoted means learning concepts outside your comfort zone. Work through them before you're expected to know them.

• Understanding business concepts that keep coming up. Financial formulas, data analysis methods, or industry-specific processes you're tired of googling every meeting.

• Self-directed professional development. Your company doesn't offer formal training on the tools you need to use. Work through them at your own pace without bothering colleagues.

• Mastering complex workflows. Those multi-step processes that everyone assumes you know but nobody properly explained during onboarding.

Skip it when you just need a quick answer or it's a one-time task. Regular Gemini chat works fine there.

Your Turn

Pick one workplace skill you keep meaning to learn. Maybe it's pivot tables, CRM reporting, or A/B testing fundamentals.

Open Gemini, click Tools, select Guided Learning, and ask it to teach you. Be specific about your context, what tools you use, what you're trying to accomplish.

Answer the questions even when unsure. The back-and-forth is what makes it stick.

Want to get even more practical? Explore hands-on AI learning with AI Academy:

• AI Academy Membership: Get 12 months of access to all our cohort-based programs, live webinars, on-demand courses, and tutorials.

• AI Agent Bootcamp: Accelerate processes and solve business problems by mastering prompts and building AI Agents, without coding.

• Corporate Training: Equip your team with the skills they need to unlock the potential of AI in your business.

• Practical Introduction to ChatGPT: A free course on using ChatGPT confidently, understanding its workings, and exploring its potential.

We'll be back with more AI tips soon!