Practical Tools, Clear Guardrails, Real Results
Workshop Session Jay Owen
Opening - Yesterday To Today
Yesterday we laid the foundation. Highly autonomous AND deeply human. Nine values. The big picture.
Today I'm going to show you exactly what it looks like when I sit down at my desk and go to work.
No slides for most of this. Just my actual screen. The tools I actually use. The workflows that save me hours every week.
Here's the honest truth: I use about five tools consistently. Not fifty. Five. And they cover probably 90% of what I need AI to do. By the end of this hour, you'll know all five, you'll know when to use which one, and you'll know where the guardrails are.
And one of them - I'm actually going to get YOU set up on before you leave this room.
Let's get into it.
Part 1: The Daily Stack
Wispr Flow (3 min)
What it is: Voice-to-text that works everywhere on your computer. Not just in one app - everywhere. Any text field, any application.
Why it matters: You talk 3-4x faster than you type. Wispr Flow learns your vocabulary, your style, and gets more accurate over time.
Show Wispr Flow active in menu bar. Open an email compose window. Dictate a realistic message. Show the speed and accuracy.
"That took me 15 seconds. Typing that would have been a minute and a half."
When I use it: Drafting emails, Slack messages, getting thoughts down fast. Anytime I'm thinking faster than I can type.
The key: it's not transcription. It's intelligent dictation. It understands what you mean, not just what you say.
Granola (5 min)
What it is: AI meeting notes that actually work. Runs locally on your Mac. Works with any meeting platform - Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, in-person.
Why it matters: You stop taking frantic notes and actually listen to the person in front of you. That's the "deeply human" side in action.
Show Granola running. Show a recent meeting summary (non-sensitive). Walk through key decisions, action items, structured summaries. Show how you can ask questions about the meeting after.
I use this for every meeting. Period. I don't take notes anymore. Granola handles the capture so I can be present.
Remember yesterday - "automate tasks, not relationships." This is exactly that. The task of note-taking is automated. The relationship of being in the conversation stays human.
Part 2: Claude Deep Dive
The Big Picture (2 min)
Most people think of Claude as one thing - a chatbot. It's actually three distinct tools depending on how you use it:
1. Claude Chat - Your thinking partner. Conversations, brainstorming, analysis, writing.
2. Claude Co-work - Your project partner. It works alongside you on bigger things, connected to your tools.
3. Claude Code - Your building partner. For people who want to build workflows, automations, and custom tools.
Think of it like this: Chat is a conversation. Co-work is a collaboration. Code is construction.
Let me show you each one.
Claude Chat (6 min)
Demo 1: The "Ask Me Questions" Move
"I need to prepare for a meeting with a potential client who runs a mid-size nonprofit. They're considering hiring us for a website redesign. Ask me questions that will help you help me prepare."
"This is the single most underrated prompting technique. Don't give it all the instructions. Ask it to ask YOU questions."
Demo 2: Upload and Analyze
"What used to take me an hour of reading and note-taking takes two minutes."
Key tips:
• Use Projects to organize conversations by client, initiative, or topic.
• Upload reference documents to Projects so Claude always has context.
• The more context you give, the better the output.
Claude Co-work - Demo (10 min)
What it is: Co-work is Claude working alongside you - not just answering questions but actually doing work, connected to your real tools and data.
The Connectors
This is where it gets real. Claude isn't just answering questions in a vacuum. It can see your email. It can see your calendar. It can work with your actual data.
Demo 1: Email Intelligence
Show how it prioritizes, summarizes, and can draft responses.
"I used to spend 45 minutes triaging email in the morning. Now Claude does the first pass and I just review."
Demo 2: Calendar + Prep
Show it pulling meeting details, looking up attendees, drafting prep notes.
"I walk into every meeting with full context now. Not because I spent an hour preparing. Because Claude did the research in two minutes."
Demo 3: Working on a Real Task
"This is what I mean by co-work. It's not 'do this for me.' It's 'let's work on this together.'"
Co-work turns Claude from an answer machine into a work partner. The connectors are what make it practical for your actual day-to-day.
YOUR TURN: CLAUDE CO-WORK SETUP ~0:28 - 0:36 | 8 minutes
Alright. You just watched me do it. Now it's your turn.
Pull out your phones or your laptops. We're going to get you set up on Claude Co-work right now, in this room, before you leave.
Step 1: Go to claude.ai (1 min)
Open your browser. Go to claude.ai. If you don't have an account, sign up - it takes 30 seconds. If you already have one, log in.
Step 2: Find Co-work (1 min)
Once you're in, look for Co-work in the interface. It might be in the left sidebar or the top navigation depending on your screen.
Step 3: Connect Your Email (2 min)
Now we're going to connect your Gmail. Click on connectors or integrations. Find Gmail. Authorize it.
I know - giving AI access to your email feels like a big step. Here's what I want you to know: Claude doesn't store your emails. It reads them in the moment to help you, then the data is gone. You can revoke access anytime.
Step 4: Connect Your Calendar (1 min)
Same thing for Google Calendar. Find it in connectors. Authorize.
Now Claude can see what's on your schedule and help you prepare.
Step 5: Your First Query (3 min)
Now try this. Type exactly what I'm about to put on the screen.
"What are my most important emails from this week that I haven't responded to?"
"What's on my calendar for the rest of today and tomorrow? What should I prepare for?"
"Draft a summary of my week based on my emails and calendar."
Pick one. Type it. Hit enter. And watch what happens.
Raise your hand if something useful just showed up on your screen.
You just set up your AI work partner. That took five minutes. It's going to save you hours every single week. That's what we mean by highly autonomous.
Claude Code (3 min)
What it is: Claude running directly in your computer's terminal. It can read your files, write code, build things, and automate workflows.
"This one is for the builders. If you're at a 7 or above on the AI scale, this is where things get really interesting. If you're at a 3-5, just know this exists - you'll get here."
"This is how I built the connectors and automations I use every day. If you want to go deep on this, find me at lunch."
The Differentiation Summary
Claude Chat
Claude Co-work
Claude Code
Think of it as
A conversation
A collaboration
Construction
Best for
Thinking, writing, analysis
Projects with your real tools
Automations & workflows
Skill level
Anyone
Anyone
More technical
Connected to tools?
No
Yes (email, calendar, etc.)
Yes (your files, computer)
You just tried it?
Yes!
Part 3: Agentic Browsers
Everything I just showed you was about working with your own data. But what about when you need to go find information? Research a competitor. Understand a market. Get up to speed on a topic fast.
That's where agentic browsers come in. AI tools built for the open web.
Perplexity (2 min)
What it is: AI-powered search that gives you answers with citations. Not ten links - actual answers with sources.
I use this for research, competitive intelligence, market analysis. Anything where I need sourced answers fast.
ChatGPT with Atlas (2 min)
What it is: A full web browser with ChatGPT built into the sidebar. Browse normally with AI right there to help.
Great for deep research sessions on specific sites.
Gemini (1 min)
What it is: Google's AI, built into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides. If you live in Google Workspace, Gemini is already there. Just turn it on.
The Cheat Sheet (2 min)
Don't overthink which tool to use. Here's the cheat sheet:
Thinking and writing? Claude Chat
Working with your tools and data? Claude Co-work
Building automations? Claude Code
Research with sources? Perplexity
Browsing the web with AI? ChatGPT Atlas
Inside Google Workspace? Gemini
Meeting notes? Granola
Voice to text? Wispr Flow
Eight tools. You don't need all eight. Pick two or three and master them. And you already started one of them ten minutes ago.
Part 4: Guardrails & Your Move
The Guardrails (3 min)
All of that is powerful. But power without guardrails is dangerous. Four rules I operate by:
1. Never publish without review.
AI drafts. Humans finalize. Every time. No exceptions.
2. Be transparent.
When AI helped create something, say so when appropriate. Transparency builds trust.
3. Protect privacy.
Never put sensitive data into AI without understanding where it goes.
What I never put into AI:
• Client financial data
• Employee personal information
• Passwords or credentials
• Confidential legal documents
• Private pastoral or counseling conversations
4. Serve the relationship.
If it only saves you time but costs the relationship, don't automate it.
These four guardrails are how you stay on the 'deeply human' lane while running full speed on the 'highly autonomous' lane.
Your Move (3 min)
You already started. You've got Claude Co-work connected to your email and calendar. That's not homework - that's done.
Now here's what's next:
Today and tomorrow:
• Use Co-work for something real. Triage your email tonight. Prep for a meeting tomorrow.
• Download Granola before your next meeting. Let it take notes so you can be present.
• Try the "ask me questions" technique in Claude Chat for one task this week.
The 30-Minute Rule:
Pick one recurring task you do every week. Something that takes 30 minutes or more. Use AI for the first pass. Keep the human final review. See how much time you save.
You don't have to change everything. You just have to keep going from what you started in this room.
Be a what-if person. Start today - you already did.
Q&A
Seed questions if needed:
• "What if Co-work gave me something weird - is that normal?"
• "Can I connect other tools besides Gmail and Calendar?"
• "How do I get my team set up on this?"
We've got more sessions today. Find me at lunch if you want to talk Claude Code or go deeper.
You walked in here watching. You're walking out with a tool already working. That's the difference between attending an event and taking action.
Let's keep building.
PRODUCTION NOTES
Pre-Staged Demos
#
Tool
What to Show
Prep Needed
1
Wispr Flow
Dictate an email in real time
Email compose window ready
2
Granola
Recent meeting summary
Non-sensitive meeting pulled up
3
Claude Chat
"Ask me questions" prompt
Prompt typed and ready to paste
4
Claude Chat
Upload and analyze a doc
Document ready to upload
5
Co-work
Email triage
Gmail connector active
6
Co-work
Calendar prep
Calendar connector active
7
Co-work
Collaborative task
Real deliverable ready
8
Claude Code
Quick terminal demo
Simple example queued
9
Perplexity
Research query
Relevant query ready
10
ChatGPT Atlas
Browse + sidebar
Website pulled up
Hands-On Exercise Prep
• Verify Claude Co-work is available and stable before session
• Verify Gmail and Calendar connector OAuth flows work on mobile
• Have step-by-step instructions ready as slides (slides 8-9)
• Have suggested first queries ready as a slide (slide 9)
• Consider a QR code linking to a setup guide for people who get stuck
• Have a helper in the room to assist anyone stuck on setup
• Backup: If connectors are down, pivot hands-on to Claude Chat "ask me questions" exercise
Screen Setup
• Laptop mirrored to both big screens
• All tools logged in before session starts
• Do Not Disturb mode - close all notifications
• Browser tabs pre-loaded: Claude, Perplexity, ChatGPT Atlas
• Wispr Flow and Granola running in background
• Instruction slides ready to switch to during hands-on section
From the Future Focused Leaders Summit · St. Augustine Beach, April 2026. Back to library →