I often reach out to people I know very little about, whether it's an important email, a text, a potential collaborator, a volunteer request, or prep for a meeting. Researching someone used to take more time than most of these interactions seemed to justify. Now I use ChatGPT to look into a person's public background, find real common ground, and plan how I'll communicate. The goal isn't to show off what I know about them. It's to communicate more intelligently and naturally.

Here's my workflow:

1. Set your objective. Identify the person, how you know them, the channel you'll use, and what you hope to accomplish.
2. Research selectively. Have the AI look up public information about their professional background, interests, accomplishments, activities, and organizational involvement. Go deeper only when the interaction is important enough to justify it.
3. Look for authentic connections. Compare what you find with your own background, interests, and goals, and note genuine common ground or complementary expertise.
4. Look past the immediate goal. Ask the AI for other useful insights, possible collaborations, and good ways to build rapport.
5. Choose a strategy. Pick the tone, level of detail, and approach that fit the recipient. Use the research to inform the message, not to display what you know.
6. Prepare the message. Draft or improve the email, text, introduction, meeting agenda, or other communication.
7. Consider the next interaction. When it makes sense, note future conversation topics, shared interests, collaboration ideas, or thoughtful gestures.
8. Preserve useful context. Save a concise record of verified findings, interactions, and possible next steps.

I start with a prompt that begins:

"Act as my personal research, communication, and rapport-building adviser."

The full prompt also tells the AI to verify identity and important findings, separate facts from interpretation, and avoid inventing a background or assuming someone with a similar name is the right person.

What I get is a better-informed message, fewer misunderstandings, and a clear record I can return to when the relationship continues.