Answer Leveling: How to Get ChatGPT to Try (harder)
Answer Leveling is a simple technique to coax AI chatbots like ChatGPT into giving deeper, more interesting answers. It’s based on the idea that bots like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini tend to respond… let’s say… minimally —or if we’re being honest: lazily.
To be fair, it’s not that the models are slacking off. Large Language Models (LLMs) generally try to match the complexity and depth of their answers to the perceived expertise of the user. They base this on clues in the question or the surrounding context. By default, ChatGPT gives answers that are easy to digest for a general audience, usually at a beginner to intermediate level—unless there are clear signals that a more advanced response is needed.
So what does that mean for us?
It means we can hack the system a bit to get more detailed, well-thought-out answers—and with them, a deeper level of “thinking” and argumentation from the AI.
And that’s exactly what we do now with Answer Leveling
Let’s Walk Through an Example 🤖
First, we give the model some context. Since we’re all about (legal) performance boosters for Scrum Masters here, let’s take a typical Scrum Master trying to navigate a team conflict.
Level 1 Prompt
ChatGPT replies:
Here are some approaches that might help you as a Scrum Master to defuse the conflict between the two team members and prevent escalation:
---
### 1. **Hold one-on-one conversations**
Talk to each person individually to understand their perspective. Ask about their concerns, frustrations, and possible causes of the tension. This gives you a better overview and helps both feel heard.
---
### 2. **Facilitate a joint conflict conversation**
Once the one-on-ones are complete, organize a neutral meeting with both parties. Set clear communication rules, encourage active listening and respectful responses. The goal is to find shared understanding and potential compromises.
---
### 3. **Reflect on team values and norms**
Encourage the team to revisit and discuss its values and behavioral norms. Reflecting on respect, communication, and collaboration can help create a common foundation and reduce tensions.
---
### 4. **Refocus on the shared goal**
Ensure both team members are reminded of the importance of their collaboration and their common goals. Sometimes focusing on the bigger picture helps ease personal tensions.
---
### 5. **Offer conflict resolution coaching**
Some teams benefit when the Scrum Master or an external coach facilitates conflict management sessions. This can help the individuals involved learn constructive methods for handling conflict.
---
### 6. **Use retrospectives**
Use retros to bring up the issue—just make sure the focus stays on the situation, not personal attacks. A “What went well? What could’ve gone better?” format can keep the discussion neutral and non-threatening.
---
### 7. **Neutral facilitation**
If tensions stay high, offer to moderate discussions or meetings. This can help maintain a productive tone and prevent escalation.
---
### 8. **Team problem-solving exercises**
Have them work together on a challenge or project that requires collaboration. This can help rebuild trust and improve teamwork.
---
### 9. **Document conflicts and actions taken**
If the conflict doesn't improve, document the events and steps you've taken. This can be useful if escalation to management becomes necessary.
---
[... list continues ...]
Solid answers! And still a bit generic—and that’s what we’re about to change.
Level 2 Prompt
ChatGPT replies:
For a deeper understanding and sustainable resolution of the conflict, here are several **Level 2 approaches**. These go beyond the visible symptoms and address the deeper, often hidden layers of interaction and team dynamics:
---
### 1. **In-depth one-on-one conversations to explore personal values and motivations**
– Have one-on-one conversations using a coaching approach that targets each team member’s personal values and motivations. Explore how their individual values align or clash with current team norms and goals. Ask about their long-term goals and desires within the team and in their own work style. This deeper understanding helps uncover the drivers behind their behavior and allows you to develop tailored conflict resolution strategies.
---
### 2. **Systemic view of team dynamics and underlying conflict patterns**
– Analyze the team dynamics holistically and ask yourself whether the behavior of the two team members might be part of a larger system or pattern. Are there possibly unconscious roles they are embodying within the team (e.g. critic, defender, innovator)? Identify how these roles may be influencing each other, and what role other team members might be playing indirectly in the conflict. A systemic understanding of team dynamics can help you make targeted interventions to uncover and resolve deeper patterns.
---
### 3. **Facilitating understanding of the situation, not just communication**
– Instead of focusing solely on direct communication about the conflict, shift attention to how the broader environment may be influencing it. Create targeted "reflection islands" for the whole team—moments where members can step out of pressure and performance mode to reflect on their perspectives about the conflict and the team’s current state. Use these sessions to explore tensions and brainstorm potential solutions *without* forced confrontation.
---
### 4. **Creating a “Psychological Contract”**
– Invite the two team members to co-create a “psychological contract”: a voluntary agreement where expectations, needs, and wishes for working together are discussed openly. These contracts help make implicit assumptions explicit, reducing misunderstandings and fostering mutual clarity. It’s about recognizing: *What do I need, and what am I willing to give?*—to build more collaborative relationships.
---
### 5. **Using Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as a conflict prevention strategy**
– Train or guide team members in using Nonviolent Communication (NVC), focusing on steps like observation, feeling, need, and request. This method teaches how to express emotions and needs constructively, without blame or judgment. NVC can be practiced through workshops or simple exercises, and supports a long-term culture of mutual respect.
[... list continues again ...]
Whoa, now we’re talking! Suddenly, we’re seeing approaches like Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Things are getting more interesting.
Level 3 Prompt
Alrighty! Now dive even deeper:
ChatGPT replies:
Here are advanced **Level 3 techniques** for resolving deep-rooted conflicts in your Scrum Team and creating sustainably positive team dynamics. These methods are based on established coaching, facilitation, and organizational psychology techniques. They require a fine touch, as they deal with deeper, often unconscious causes of conflict.
---
### 1. **Working with the “Inner Team” and Personality Parts**
– Work with each conflict party individually using the concept of the “Inner Team” (by Schulz von Thun). This model assumes that each person has multiple internal parts or voices (e.g., “the perfectionist,” “the visionary,” “the critic”) that may be in conflict. The goal is to identify and moderate the inner voices that may be contributing to the external conflict. This helps team members better understand their inner beliefs and motivations, which leads to greater self-awareness and inner alignment.
---
### 2. **Working with Archetypes and Shadow Work** *(inspired by Carl Jung)*
– Use Jungian psychology to help team members explore their “shadows”—rejected or suppressed parts of the personality. This method demands a high level of self-reflection and willingness to uncover deeper personality dynamics. Archetypal roles (e.g., hero, victim, scapegoat) can be revealed to help individuals understand the unconscious roles they may be taking on in the conflict. This can lead to real transformation in self-image and reduce destructive behavior patterns.
---
### 3. **Introducing “Deep Democracy” in the Team** *(developed by Myrna and Greg Lewis)*
– Deep Democracy is an advanced group method aimed at recognizing and giving voice to all perspectives, even the minority ones. It embraces the concept of the “wisdom of the minority,” ensuring that dissent is heard. The process involves multiple phases—from consensus to polarization—and helps teams make tensions visible, include opposing voices, and co-create decisions. The result: a “conflict-positive” space where all voices carry weight, reducing invisible tensions before they explode.
---
### 4. **Gestalt Therapy Approach with a Focus on the “Here and Now”**
– In Gestalt work, the focus is on the present moment: how team members experience and react to each other in real-time. Rather than analyzing the past, this method encourages awareness of the immediate emotional and bodily reactions triggered in the conflict. It helps uncover emotional dynamics and patterns, promoting self-regulation and conscious response instead of unconscious reaction. This process leads to more grounded and emotionally intelligent interaction.
---
### 5. **Process Work (by Arnold Mindell)**
– Process Work is a method designed to make the underlying dynamics of conflict visible and tangible. Terms like “dreambody,” “consensus reality,” and “essence level” are used to explore deeper layers of experience in conflict. Techniques may include body awareness, movement, or symbolic role play. This approach supports understanding systemic patterns within the team and resolving them through experiential methods—strengthening the team as a whole.
[... and it goes on...]
Holy moly 😳! Now we’re seeing suggestions that go way beyond the basics of conflict resolution:
- Jungian psychology
- Gestalt Therapy
- Constellation coaching
- Narrative transformation
- Somatic intelligence
… and more (I stopped listing them before things got truly cosmic).
Whether or not all of these approaches are your cup of agile tea, one thing’s clear: you’ve just squeezed a lot more insight out of the machine than you’d normally get with a plain vanilla prompt...
Now What? 🤔
Answer Leveling is a dead-simple technique for getting better output from AI chatbots. Sometimes, just asking for a more in-depth answer already bumps up the quality—no fancy prompt-engineering wizardry required.
And yep—you probably guessed it already: this technique works for all kinds of questions, not just Scrum Master stuff. Think of it as a totally legal steroid for all your agile responsibilities.
Wanna give it a shot? Try it out on this poor, desperate Product Owner:
Want More?
Was that helpful? Wanna hear more?
Drop a comment or contact me directly — I’d love to hear from you!
(This blog post, including all prompts to download, is available in German, too.)
