LEARN MORE. WORKSHOP SERIES: Using AI Effectively in the Workplace

The Park Hills - Leadington Chamber of Commerce invites you to join us for the next installment of our Learn More. Do More. Lunch & Learn Series, featuring Joshua Kennon, Chamber Director, for an engaging and practical workshop on using artificial intelligence effectively in today's workplace.

Review the workshop directive here, directly from Joshua Kennon:
"Lunch & Learn Workshop Overview
Using AI Effectively in the Workplace

This Lunch & Learn workshop is designed to help local business owners, nonprofit leaders, organizational staff, and community professionals better understand how artificial intelligence can be used responsibly and practically in everyday work.

Rather than being a purely technical seminar, this session will be a practical, hands-on workshop. Participants will learn what AI can do, where caution is needed, how to write better prompts, and how to begin building a personalized AI assistant that can support their own business or organization.

1. AI Basics: What It Can Do and What It Cannot Do
This opening section will give participants a clear, practical understanding of artificial intelligence without getting lost in technical jargon. We will discuss what AI is, what it is not, and how it can be used as a helpful workplace tool.

Topics will include common workplace uses such as drafting emails, creating social media content, summarizing notes, developing procedures, brainstorming ideas, improving customer communication, and organizing routine tasks. We will also briefly compare several major AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and others, with a focus on what each platform tends to do well.

The goal of this section is to help participants see realistic, practical ways AI can support their work while also understanding its limitations.

2. AI Skills: Prompting, Checking, and Using It Responsibly
This section will focus on using AI wisely and effectively. Participants will learn why the quality of their prompt affects the quality of the answer they receive, and they will be given practical examples of prompts they can adapt for their own work.

We will also cover important ethical concerns, including privacy, confidentiality, accuracy, and responsible use. Participants will learn what kinds of information should not be entered into AI tools without proper caution, how to check AI-generated responses for mistakes, and why human judgment is still essential.

This section will also introduce the idea of a simple workplace AI policy, helping organizations think through basic guidelines for how AI should and should not be used in their setting.

3. AI Workshop: Build Your Own Workplace Assistant
The main portion of the session will be a hands-on workshop where participants begin creating their own custom GPT assistant using ChatGPT. This assistant can be designed around the needs of their specific business, nonprofit, department, or organization.

Participants will be guided through identifying a repeated workplace task, defining the assistant’s purpose, giving it clear instructions, shaping its tone, and preparing it to help with real-world work. Examples may include a marketing assistant, customer service assistant, administrative assistant, event planning assistant, policy-writing assistant, nonprofit communication assistant, or internal training assistant.

The goal is for participants to leave with more than information. They should leave with a working tool they can continue developing and using after the workshop.

Participant Preparation
Because this workshop includes a hands-on component, participants are encouraged to bring a laptop or other device with a keyboard. Those who want to build their own custom GPT during the session should have access to a ChatGPT Plus account for the workshop.

Before attending, participants are also encouraged to think through a few repeated tasks they regularly perform in their business, nonprofit, department, or organization. These may include tasks such as writing emails, creating social media posts, answering common customer questions, preparing reports, planning events, developing procedures, summarizing meetings, or creating training material.

Coming with one or two repeated tasks in mind will help participants build a more useful AI assistant during the workshop.

Workshop Goal
By the end of the Lunch & Learn, participants should have a clearer understanding of how AI can be used in the workplace, how to use it responsibly, how to write more effective prompts, and how to begin building a personalized AI assistant that can help them save time, improve communication, and strengthen everyday workflows."

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the way businesses, nonprofits, and organizations operate. From improving communication and streamlining administrative tasks to enhancing marketing efforts and increasing productivity, AI has become an invaluable tool for professionals across every industry. This interactive workshop is designed to help attendees move beyond the headlines and discover practical ways AI can immediately improve their daily work.

Rather than focusing on theory, this hands-on session will provide participants with real-world demonstrations, guided exercises, and practical strategies they can begin implementing as soon as they return to the office. Whether you're a business owner, manager, employee, nonprofit leader, or community professional, you'll gain valuable skills that can help you save time, improve efficiency, and work more effectively.

During this workshop, participants will learn how to:

• Save time by automating repetitive tasks.
• Improve emails, letters, and everyday business communication.
• Create stronger marketing and social media content.
• Write effective prompts that produce better AI-generated results.
• Build a customized AI assistant tailored to their workplace and daily responsibilities.
• Understand responsible AI use and best practices for professional settings.

Attendees will leave with practical knowledge they can immediately apply, including stronger prompting techniques, a better understanding of AI capabilities and limitations, and their own customized workplace AI assistant built during the session.

To get the most from this interactive workshop, participants are encouraged to bring a laptop or device with a keyboard. ChatGPT Plus is recommended for the hands-on portion of the event, though it is not required. Participants should also come prepared with one repetitive or time-consuming task from their workplace that they would like AI to help improve.

Lunch will be catered by Glenda Straughn, and the registration fee of $25 per Chamber Member and $40 per non-Chamber Member. This includes your lunch and class fee.

The catering menu includes lasagna, Italian green beans, and French bread.
 

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Time: Noon
Location: The Cardinal Center, MAC Tech Building
Cost: $25 per Chamber Member | $40 per non-Chamber Member (includes lunch and workshop)

Reservations are required and must be received by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, August 14, 2026.

Whether you're just beginning to explore artificial intelligence or looking to use it more effectively in your organization, this workshop will provide practical tools, real-world examples, and actionable strategies to help you work smarter and accomplish more.

We look forward to welcoming you for another opportunity to Plug In. Learn More. Do More.