The fastest path is a pre-written prompt template you fill in with one or two words — not a full explanation typed from scratch — so you can get a useful response in under 15 seconds without losing your place in the session.
Why Speed Matters in a Live Session
When you’re teaching live, every second you spend looking at a screen instead of your students costs you something. A 30-second pause to type a detailed AI prompt breaks momentum, signals distraction, and pulls your attention away from the room. The educators who use AI most effectively during live sessions have solved this problem the same way a chef uses mise en place: everything is prepared and in position before the session starts, so execution is fast when the moment arrives.
The Template Approach
Before your session, open a simple text doc with three to five ready-made prompts. Leave the variable part blank with a placeholder like [TOPIC] or [QUESTION]. Examples that work well in live teaching contexts: “Rewrite this in simpler language for a beginner: [PASTE]”, “Give me three examples of [TOPIC] that a small business owner would recognize”, “A student asked [QUESTION] — answer it in two plain sentences.” When the moment comes, copy the template, fill in the blank, and paste into Claude or ChatGPT. Total time: under 15 seconds.
Claude in particular is fast at short-form tasks. For anything under 100 words, response time is typically two to five seconds. If you’re getting slower responses, check your internet connection — Claude’s speed is consistent, so lag usually comes from the network or a heavy browser session on your machine.
What This Means for Educators
As a trainer or coach, your preparation before a session determines how fluid AI use feels during it. Five minutes spent writing your prompt templates before you go live is worth more than 20 minutes of mid-session typing. Treat your prompt file like your speaker notes — something you prepare carefully in advance and reference lightly during the session.
The Simple Rule
Never type a full AI prompt from scratch during a live session. Build your templates beforehand, keep them in a doc that stays open during class, and fill in the blank when you need a response. That one habit cuts your AI response time from 45 seconds to under 15 — fast enough to use without breaking your teaching flow.