Gemini in Google Docs and Drive
1. Gemini in Google Docs and Drive
2. Working with Gemini in Google Docs and Drive
Welcome back. In the previous video, we learned how to organize your inbox. Now, we are going to tackle two other productivity challenges: Blank page syndrome in Google Docs and the endless searching for files in Google Drive. We've all been there. You need to create a document, and you are staring at a cursor that just blinks at you. It may be painful. But with Gemini, you don't have to start from scratch again. We can use the Gemini features to generate a first draft instantly. Let's see how we can go from zero to a solid draft in just 60 seconds. Let's assume you need to draft a new document, like a marketing brief. Open Google Docs and create a new blank document. You may be prompted with multiple options to quickly get started writing. For example, you can use the "Generate document" button to create a formatted template. Let's see how it works. I type only "create a marketing brief." And just like that, we receive a ready-to-use template. But let's focus on a specific task. Imagine you need to draft a proposal for an online coffee shop. You open a new document and click the "Help me write" button on top of the document or the pencil icon. I will treat this prompt like a brief for a colleague. I type "write a project proposal for a new customer loyalty program for our online coffee shop. Include tiers for subscribers (Silver, Gold, and Barista), a referral bonus structure, and a launch timeline for Q4." Look at that. In a few seconds, I have a professional structure. I'm not staring at a blank page anymore. I'm editing a plan. It gives me the executive summary, the tier breakdown, and the timeline I asked for. If you like what's suggested, click "Insert" to add it to your document. If you want to improve the generated response, you can choose to refine the generated text with a prompt or use the "Refine" button with the predefined options to make it more concise, casual, formal, add details, or just turn the text into a bulleted list. You can do it now with a whole document or later on to make specific changes to selected paragraphs. We can check it. Click "Insert". And let's say I want to expand on the referral bonus section. Highlight it and choose the "Elaborate" option. Here we go. Gemini added details to build upon the text. With that, Gemini is the drafter, and you are the editor. We can also create in our documents an interactive AI-generated summary that can be updated when making changes to the document. Just type the @ symbol in the document and click the "AI summary" option. When the block appears, I can refresh it and accept or discard changes alongside my collaborators. Now, let's talk about finding information. How much time do you waste opening PDF after PDF in Drive just to see what's inside? Let's fix that using the Gemini site panel. We are in Google Drive. Just like in Gmail and Docs, we have the side panel on the right. Imagine you need specific information like the exact launch date for the coffee subscription, but you can't remember if it's in a slide deck, a doc, or a PDF. Moreover, you have several files with similar names. With Gemini, you don't need to open each of them. Let's type "when is the launch date for the coffee shop subscription?" Gemini scans across Drive files, finds the specific date inside a document, and gives you the answer, indicating the source as well. We found the fact without opening a single document. We can even ask Gemini to compare two selected files. Type "compare these documents" or ask Gemini to summarize just one selected file and put the key insights you need. Now, think of a situation where you need specific information quickly and don't have time to search through files, for example, during a meeting. With AI, you can use natural language questions to find quick facts about any project or topic without hunting through folders and files. So, use Gemini in Docs to break writer's block and in Drive to stop the endless open-close and open-close cycle of finding files. Your action item: Open a blank doc today. Use the "Help me write" button and create the draft you've been putting off.3. Let's practice!
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