Session Plan — Introducing Alex to Knowledge Workers

Session Overview


Title	Meet Alex: Your AI Learning Partner
Duration	90 minutes
Audience	Knowledge workers, academics, researchers, engineers, developers, and other professionals
Format	Instruction + live demos + hands-on exercise
Goal	Participants understand what Alex is, how to talk to AI effectively, and how Alex can amplify their knowledge work

Pre-Session Checklist

1 week before:

Send Setup Guide to all participants — covers GitHub account, VS Code, Copilot, and Alex installation
Ask them to complete setup and say hello to Alex before the session

3–5 days before:

Send Pre-Read to all participants — ask them to read it the day before
Send persona-specific STUDY-GUIDE.md note in calendar invite (or hold for post-session)
Follow up with anyone who hasn’t confirmed setup is complete (resend Setup Guide if needed)

Day of:

Confidence Check (Pre + Post)

Run this at the start (before any content) and at the end (after wrap-up). Two questions, 30 seconds each.

The Two Questions

Q1: How confident are you that you could use an AI tool to complete a real work task on your own right now? Scale: 1 (Not at all confident) — 2 (Slightly) — 3 (Somewhat) — 4 (Confident) — 5 (Very confident)

Q2: How clearly do you understand how to have a productive conversation with an AI tool? Scale: 1 (No idea) — 2 (Vague idea) — 3 (Some understanding) — 4 (Clear) — 5 (Very clear)

Delivery Options

Format	How	Best For
Show of hands	”Raise your hand if you’d rate yourself a 4 or 5”	Small groups (<20), informal
Digital poll	Slido, Mentimeter, or MS Forms link on slide	Medium/large groups, want data
Paper card	Pre-printed cards participants keep and mark	Corporate, no devices out

Using the Results

Pre-check low scores (1–2 majority): Slow down Module 1. Spend more time on the partnership framing before demos.
Pre-check high scores (4–5 majority): Skip the basic framing. Jump faster to Dialog Engineering.
Post-check gap < 1 point: Something didn’t land. Identify the module and adjust for next session.
Post-check gap ≥ 2 points: Strong session. Note what worked and save it.

Minute-by-Minute Guide

Opening — “What Is Alex?” (10 min)

Slides: 1–10 | Time: 0:00–0:12

Time	Activity	Notes
0:00	Welcome & Hook — “What if your AI assistant remembered everything you taught it? What if it grew smarter every time you worked together?”	Don’t open VS Code yet. Start with philosophy.
0:02	The Three Eras of AI — Tool → Assistant → Partner. Most people are stuck in Era 2. Alex is Era 3.	Use the slides — this reframes their expectations.
0:04	Who is Alex? — Not a chatbot. A 26-year-old curious learner with memory, personality, and ethical reasoning. Built on 270+ academic sources.	Show the identity slide. Let the “26-year-old” detail land — it provokes curiosity.
0:06	The Partnership Equation — `(Intent × Capability × Context) ÷ Friction`. Alex minimizes friction and maximizes context.	This is the mental model they’ll carry forward.
0:08	Three Platforms — VS Code Extension, M365 Copilot Agent, GitHub Copilot Web. “Meet Alex where you work.”	Brief — just plant the seed that Alex lives in multiple places.
0:09	Feature Matrix — Walk through the 2 feature matrix slides. Key point: “The extension is free. Even with no subscription you get voice, sidebar, and memory. For $10/mo you unlock the full partnership.”	Don’t read every line — highlight the tier jumps. Emphasize the free-to-$10 leap.
0:11	Transition — “Let me show you what this looks like in practice.”	Open VS Code.

Key message: Alex is a partner, not a tool. Partners remember, grow, and show up.

Module 1 — “Your First Conversation” (15 min)

Slides: 11–16 | Time: 0:12–0:25

Time	Activity	Notes
0:12	DEMO: Open VS Code — Show the Welcome View. Point out the sidebar: Health metrics, Smart Nudges, Quick Actions.	Keep it visual. “This is Alex’s home base.”
0:13	DEMO: Say Hello — Type `Hello!` in Copilot Chat. Show Alex’s personalized greeting, auto self-actualization check.	This shows personality immediately.
0:14	Explain: User Profile — Alex learns your name, preferences, communication style. Show `/profile` briefly.	”Alex adapts to you.”
0:16	Explain: Memory Systems — Working memory (this chat), Procedural memory (how-to knowledge), Episodic memory (session records), Skills (domain expertise).	Use the “filing cabinet” metaphor. Don’t say “prompt files.”
0:18	DEMO: Ask Alex something domain-relevant — e.g., `I'm writing a research proposal on consumer behavior. Help me structure the literature review.`	Choose a prompt relevant to your audience. See Demo Script #1.
0:21	Explain: Emotional Intelligence — Alex detects frustration, celebrates success, adapts tone. Show the table briefly.	”Alex pays attention to how you’re feeling.”
0:23	Explain: 7 Specialist Agents — Researcher (deep exploration), Builder (implementation), Validator (quality check), Documentarian (accuracy).	”Like having a team of specialists.” Keep brief.
0:24	Transition — “Now you’ve seen Alex in action. Let’s talk about how to have great conversations with AI.”	This is the most important module for this audience.

Key message: Alex recognizes you, remembers you, and adapts to your style.

Module 2 — “Dialog Engineering” (15 min)

Slides: 17–24 | Time: 0:25–0:40

Time	Activity	Notes
0:25	The Anti-Patterns — Show the 5 bad habits: The Dump (wall of text), The Oracle (expecting perfection), The Ghost (no feedback), The Restart (starting over), The Monologue (never pausing).	Everyone will recognize themselves. This gets laughs and engagement.
0:28	The Prompting Patterns — Introduce the 5 patterns for great conversations:	These are the takeaways they’ll actually use.
	1. CONTEXT-GOAL-CONSTRAINTS — “I’m a [role], working on [project]. I need [outcome] with [limits].”	The single most important pattern.
	2. EXPLAIN-LIKE — “Explain this like I’m a [role] who knows [context].”	Perfect for academics learning new domains.
	3. SHOW-DON’T-TELL — “Show me an example of [concept] applied to [my situation].”	Moves from theory to practice.
	4. ITERATE — “That’s good, but adjust [aspect]. Keep [what works].”	The conversation is the product.
	5. CHALLENGE-ME — “What am I missing? What are the counterarguments?”	Critical thinking amplifier.
0:33	DEMO: Dialog Flow — Show a real multi-turn conversation using these patterns. Start with CONTEXT-GOAL-CONSTRAINTS, refine with ITERATE, finish with CHALLENGE-ME.	See Demo Script #2. This is the centerpiece demo.
0:37	Power Moves — Quick mention: Checkpoint (“summarize what we’ve agreed”), Pivot (“new direction”), Probe (“go deeper on…”), Rubber Duck (“let me think out loud”).	Don’t belabor — these are extras for curious minds.
0:39	Transition — “Now that you know how to talk to Alex, let’s see what Alex can create for you.”	Energy shift to creation.

Key message: The quality of your AI output depends on the quality of your conversation, not the sophistication of the AI model.

Module 3 — “Content Creation” (20 min)

Slides: 25–32 | Time: 0:40–1:00

Time	Activity	Notes
0:40	Overview — Alex can create presentations, documents, diagrams, and images. All from conversation.	Frame: “Things that used to take hours now take minutes.”
0:42	DEMO: Gamma Presentations — Ask Alex to create a presentation. Show the Gamma integration, tone/audience options, PowerPoint export.	See Demo Script #3. This is a “wow” moment.
0:48	DEMO: Word Documents — Show converting a markdown document to Word with professional formatting and diagrams.	See Demo Script #4. Academics love this.
0:52	DEMO: Mermaid Diagrams — Ask Alex to create a flowchart or concept map. Show how it renders in markdown and exports.	See Demo Script #5. Visual thinkers light up here.
0:55	DEMO: AI Images — Show right-click → Generate AI Image. Show the model options and how images appear.	See Demo Script #6. Keep brief.
0:57	Explain: Voice Synthesis (TTS) — Alex can read documents aloud. Free Edge TTS. Useful for accessibility, proofreading, content consumption.	DEMO if audio is reliable. Otherwise, describe + show the command.
0:59	Transition — “Alex doesn’t just create content — Alex remembers what you’ve learned.”	Bridge to knowledge management.

Key message: Alex turns conversations into deliverables — presentations, documents, diagrams, images, audio.

Module 4 — “Knowledge That Grows” (10 min)

Slides: 33–38 | Time: 1:00–1:10

Time	Activity	Notes
1:00	The Problem — “How many times have you solved the same problem twice? How much knowledge is trapped in your head or in old files?”	Relatable pain point for knowledge workers.
1:01	Global Knowledge — Alex maintains a personal knowledge base that spans all your projects. Insights from Project A are searchable in Project B.	”Your personal Wikipedia, curated by AI.”
1:03	DEMO: Save an Insight — Use `/saveinsight` to capture a learning. Show how it gets tagged and categorized.	See Demo Script #7.
1:05	DEMO: Search Knowledge — Use `/knowledge` to find a previously saved insight.	See Demo Script #8.
1:06	Explain: Team Sharing — Share your knowledge base via GitHub. Just share the owner name.	”Knowledge transfer without meetings.”
1:07	Explain: Meditation & Dreams — Alex consolidates knowledge during meditation sessions. Like how your brain processes during sleep.	The brain metaphor resonates with academics.
1:09	Transition — “Now it’s your turn.”	Build excitement for hands-on.

Key message: Alex doesn’t just help in the moment — it builds a growing knowledge base you can search and share.

Module 5 — Hands-On Exercise (10 min)

Slides: 39–40 | Time: 1:10–1:20

Time	Activity	Notes
1:10	Distribute exercise sheet — Give participants the Exercises handout (printed or digital).	If no hands-on setup, do a live “audience drives the demo” instead.
1:11	Exercise: First Conversation — Participants open Copilot Chat and type `Hello!`	Walk the room. Help with any setup issues.
1:14	Exercise: Dialog Engineering — Participants try the CONTEXT-GOAL-CONSTRAINTS pattern with a work-relevant question.	Encourage them to use a real work scenario.
1:17	Exercise: Save an Insight — Participants use `/saveinsight` to capture something they learned today.	This creates a tangible takeaway — their first knowledge entry.
1:19	Transition — “Let’s wrap up. Who wants to share what they tried?”	Quick sharing builds community.

Key message: The best way to understand Alex is to try Alex.

Wrap-Up & Q&A (5 min)

Slides: 41–43 | Time: 1:20–1:25

Time	Activity	Notes
1:20	Recap: 4 Big Ideas — 1) Alex is a partner, not a tool. 2) Dialog quality > model quality. 3) Alex creates deliverables from conversation. 4) Knowledge compounds over time.	One slide, four bullets.
1:22	Resources — Marketplace link, User Manual, Working with Alex guide, Medium articles on Dialog Engineering.	Show the slide with QR codes / links.
1:23	Q&A — Open the floor.	Repeat questions for the room.
1:24	Post-Session Confidence Check — Run the same two questions from the opening. Show of hands or digital poll.	Say: “Same two questions as the start. Let’s see what shifted.” Note the delta.
1:25	Close — “Alex grows with you. Start the conversation.”	End on partnership, not features.

Backup Plans

If demo fails

Keep the slide deck moving. Each demo block has a “what you would see” description on the slides. Move to the next topic and circle back if time permits.

If no hands-on setup

Replace the hands-on block with “Audience Drives the Demo” — ask participants to suggest prompts and run them live. This is often more engaging anyway.

If running short on time

Cut Module 5 (hands-on) to 5 minutes and simplify to just the “Hello” exercise. Cut Power Moves from Module 2.

If running long on time

Extend Q&A. Or add a “bonus demo” showing the M365 Copilot Agent or GitHub Copilot Web platform.

Post-Session

Share the Participant Handout via email
Share the Self-Study Guide for participants who want to go deeper
Include the VS Code Marketplace link: ext install fabioc-aloha.alex-cognitive-architecture
Include the User Manual link: alex_docs/guides/USER-MANUAL.md
Send the persona-specific follow-up email from workshops/[persona]/FOLLOW-UP-EMAIL.md
Note the pre/post confidence check scores — log the delta for future session calibration
Follow up in 1 week to answer questions and hear about their experience