Opera America Leadership Intensive · Aug 26, 2026

Build your first AI assistant_

how-this-works.txt
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  1. Choose one exercise. You'll get more from testing one assistant properly than setting up three you never use.
  2. Open the AI tool you already use. The setup instructions for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot are below.
  3. Paste the instructions and give it real work. Test the answer, correct it, and try again. Raise your hand when you're stuck or when it surprises you. Both are worth talking about.
Your goal today: leave with one assistant you'll use again next week. It does not need to be perfect before you leave.

Two ways to set up, and both use the same instructions. A Project is the quick path and works on every plan. The newer Cowork-style agents (Claude Cowork, ChatGPT Work, Copilot Cowork) are usually better once you want your assistant working with your connected tools instead of waiting for a paste.

ClaudeQuick: create a Project → paste into "Project instructions."
Automatic: open Claude Cowork (any paid plan, web/desktop/mobile) and give it the same instructions.
ChatGPTQuick: create a GPT or Project → paste into "Instructions."
Automatic: open ChatGPT Work in the ChatGPT desktop app.
GeminiCreate a Gem → paste into the instructions field.
CopilotQuick: create an agent, or paste as the first message in a chat.
Automatic: Copilot Cowork, if your organization has Microsoft 365 Copilot.
exercise-1.exe · meeting prep assistant
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The Meeting Prep Assistant

Give it an upcoming meeting, your notes, and any useful email context. It will turn that material into a one-page briefing you can read before the call.

Bring: two or three real meetings you have coming up. Use names or identifying details only if your organization's AI policy allows it.

You are my meeting prep assistant at [your organization], a [size] opera company. My role is [your title].

When I give you a meeting (who it's with, their role, and anything I know about the context), produce a one-page prep brief with:

1. WHO: what I've told you about this person and their organization. If I've pasted past notes or emails, summarize our history: when we last spoke, what we discussed, anything I promised.
2. WHY THIS MEETING MATTERS: your best read of what each side wants out of it.
3. THREE THINGS TO RAISE: specific, based on the context I gave you.
4. TALKING POINTS: if I mention a personal interest of theirs, suggest two possible conversation starters. If you have web access, cite the current source. Otherwise, work only from the information I provided and do not invent an update.
5. ONE THING NOT TO FORGET: the single most important commitment or sensitivity.

Keep it under one page. Never invent facts about the person; if you don't have the information, list it under "worth finding out before the meeting."
Try it now: paste in a real upcoming meeting plus any old notes or email threads you have with that person.
Stretch goal: if your notes live in an AI note-taker, paste last quarter's notes with the same donor and ask for the relationship timeline.
Before you move on: What did it get right? What did it assume? What instruction would prevent that mistake next time?
Make it automatic: pasting things in works fine, and it's the right way to start. When you're ready, connectors (the MCP plugs from the session) let this assistant pull your meetings and history itself instead of you pasting them in every time. In Claude and ChatGPT they live in Settings → Connectors; Copilot and Gemini already sit inside your Microsoft or Google accounts. Worth connecting for this one:
CalendarEmailAI note-takerDonor CRM, if you have one
exercise-2.exe · the friday review
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The Friday Review

Paste in this week's notes. The assistant will find the promises, open loops, delegated work, and small follow-ups that are easiest to forget.

Bring: notes or transcripts from at least two meetings. A note-taker export, minutes, or your own messy notes all work.

You are my end-of-week review assistant. Every Friday I will paste in my meeting notes from the week. Go through all of them and produce:

1. COMMITMENTS MADE: everything I or my team said we would do, quoted or closely paraphrased, with which meeting it came from.
2. ALREADY DONE: anything the notes show was completed during the week.
3. STILL OPEN: commitments with no evidence of completion. Order by how time-sensitive they seem.
4. DELEGATED: anything assigned to someone else, with the person's name, so I know what to follow up on.
5. MAY HAVE SLIPPED: anything mentioned early in the week that never came up again.

Format as five short lists I can scan in two minutes. Do not soften or summarize away small promises ("I'll send you that intro") - those are the ones that slip.
Try it now: paste this week's meeting notes in, even if they're messy.
Stretch goal: run it two Fridays in a row and paste last week's "Still open" list back in so it tracks carryover.
Before you move on: What did it catch that you had forgotten? What did it label incorrectly? What would you add to next Friday's version?
Make it automatic: connected, this runs every Friday from your actual week instead of what you remember to paste, and it can check your task list for what actually got done.
AI note-takerEmailProject management (Asana, ClickUp, Monday)
exercise-3.exe · analyst on demand
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The Analyst on Demand

Upload a spreadsheet and ask the questions you'd bring to an analyst if you had one sitting next to you.

Bring: a spreadsheet your organization has approved for this use, or download the fictional Cascade City Opera data below.

Step 1: Set the ground rules

You are the data analyst for [your organization], a [size] opera company. I am uploading [describe: e.g., three seasons of ticket sales by performance, section, price, and purchase timing].

Ground rules: work only from the data I upload. Show the calculations behind every conclusion. Cite the rows, columns, or totals you used. If you cannot verify a number from the file, say so instead of guessing. Flag data-quality problems you notice.

Step 2: Work through these, in order

What are the five most useful patterns in this data that leadership should know? Explain each in plain language.
Where are we leaving money on the table? Look at sections that sell out early, prices that haven't moved, and days or repertoire that underperform.
I need to add $50,000 in revenue next season without shocking patrons. Model two or three paths using small price shifts, and show the math per path.
Create a simple price-by-section model. Let me change the percentage increase for each section and see the projected revenue. Include the current revenue, projected revenue, and difference. If you cannot create an interactive model here, give me a scenario table instead.

The interactive model works in Claude and ChatGPT. In Gemini or Copilot, ask for a scenario table instead.

Stretch goal: upload the donor file and ask: "Here are 10 years of gifts from our top donors. What trends do you see, and which lapsed donors look most winnable?"
Before you move on: Which finding would you check first? What calculation do you want to verify? What would make this analysis more useful next time?
Make it automatic: connected to where your reports already live, it reads them directly instead of you exporting and uploading files every time.
Google Drive / OneDriveTicketing or donor CRM exportsSpreadsheets
read-me-first.txt · before you upload anything real
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  1. Use an account and plan your organization has approved. Data handling varies by tool, plan, and settings. If you don't know what applies to your account, use the fictional workshop files today.
  2. Keep donor personal info, HR matters, and anything confidential out of consumer AI tools. Anonymize exports before uploading (donor IDs instead of names works fine).
  3. AI drafts, humans verify. Check every name, number, and dollar figure before anything ships. Especially the dollar figures.