Claude Code for Non-Developers Training Course

Phase 1 — Introduction to Claude Code — 55 minutes

• Overview of Claude and the distinct capabilities of Claude Code compared to standard chat interfaces
• The Claude product ecosystem: claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Code (CLI), and the relationships between them
• Interface walkthrough: navigating the Claude application, initiating a coding session, and exploring the workspace
• The Claude Code reasoning process: the describe → plan → act → review cycle
• Permissions explained: the rationale behind Claude requesting confirmation before creating files or executing code
• Initial project: instructing Claude to generate a simple, styled webpage from a single sentence description
• Refining outcomes: iterating with commands like “make the header larger,” “adjust the color palette,” or “increase a navigation bar”
• Guided exercise: Participants open the Claude app, start a Claude Code session, and construct a personalized “About Me” webpage by describing their desires in plain English. They practice refining the output through follow-up instructions.

Objective: Ensure all participants are familiar with the interface and have overcome initial usage barriers.

Break — 10 minutes

Phase 2 — Creating Real-World Solutions with Plain English — 70 minutes

This is the central focus of the morning. Participants will complete four increasingly complex tasks using only natural language prompts.

• Task 1 — Interactive dashboard: Instruct Claude Code to build a styled dashboard displaying sample data with charts, statistics, and a clean layout. Practice providing design directives: “use a dark theme,” “add a sidebar,” “make it responsive.”
• Task 2 — Data analysis: Provide Claude with a sample CSV file and ask it to summarize the data, identify trends, find highest and lowest values, and generate a visual chart. This demonstrates how Claude writes and executes code on the user's behalf.
• Task 3 — Document generation: Ask Claude to read a data file and produce a formatted report — such as a sales summary, project status update, or meeting recap. This shows how Claude transforms raw data into polished deliverables.
• Task 4 — Automation utility: Ask Claude to build a simple utility — such as a unit converter, quiz app, or budget calculator. This introduces the concept that Claude can create interactive tools, not just static pages.

Following each task, the instructor will highlight the backend actions: which files were created, the code written, and how to interpret the output. Participants will document their most effective prompts in a shared Prompt Playbook.

Break — 10 minutes

Phase 3 — Optimizing Interactions with Claude Code — 50 minutes

• The craft of effective prompting: the difference between specific and vague instructions
• Live demonstration: A side-by-side comparison of weak versus strong prompts applied to the same task
• Iteration and refinement: Asking Claude to explain its choices, revert changes, or try alternative approaches
• Utilizing uploaded files: “read this document and summarize it,” “convert this spreadsheet into a chart”
• Multi-step workflows: Chaining requests to build complex outputs (“first analyze this data, then build a dashboard from the results”)
• Understanding costs and usage: How tokens, context windows, and subscription tiers function
• When to utilize Claude Code versus standard Claude chat
• Guided exercise: Participants select one of their Phase 2 projects and extend it with two new features using a multi-step prompt chain. They then compare their before-and-after prompts to identify key differentiators.

Objective: Progress from “it works” to achieving consistent, high-quality results.

Break — 10 minutes

Phase 4 — Your Claude Workflows: Live Build Session — 60 minutes

This phase shifts the dynamic in the room. Instead of individual practice, the group builds collaboratively. The instructor facilitates, but participants drive the direction — naming real problems from their jobs, suggesting prompt ideas, and debating tradeoffs. The goal is to develop prompt judgment by observing a skilled professional navigate uncertainty in real time.

Three workflow archetypes structure the session:

• Transform — Convert input X into output Y (meeting notes → action items; raw data → summary email; customer feedback → themed report)
• Draft — Generate a first version of content typically written from scratch (proposals, emails, job descriptions, social posts)
• Analyze — Interrogate a document or dataset when time is limited (a 40-page report, a spreadsheet of survey responses, a contract)

Setup and framing (10 min): The instructor introduces the three archetypes and explains the session mechanics. Participants submit real workflow problems from their jobs via a shared document or chat.

Live build #1 — Transform workflow (20 min): The instructor selects one submitted problem, builds it live while the room suggests prompt ideas, pushbacks, and refinements. The instructor narrates every decision. The session concludes with a working prompt template for the participant whose problem was addressed.

Live build #2 — Draft or Analyze workflow (20 min): Same format, different archetype, using a different participant's problem.

Reflection & share-back (10 min): Participants take a moment to note one surprising prompting move, one thing they would do differently, and one pattern to retain. Quick group share — 3-4 voices, not everyone. The instructor connects these observations to the broader Prompt Playbook.

Phase 5 — Connecting Claude to Your Tools with MCP — 50 minutes

• What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)? The universal interface for AI tools
• The significance of MCP: Transforming Claude from a chat assistant into a connected workflow hub
• The Connectors Directory: Browsing and adding integrations directly from the Claude app
• Desktop Extensions: One-click installations for Claude Desktop (no configuration files required)

Live demonstration: The instructor connects Claude to two services via the Connectors UI and demonstrates cross-tool workflows:

1. “Check my Google Calendar for tomorrow’s meetings and draft a prep email for each one”
2. “Read the latest updates from our project board and write a status summary”
3. “Pull data from this connected service and build a local report from it”

Guided exercise: Participants connect Claude to at least one service. Options are provided for varying comfort levels:

• Option A: Connect a pre-built connector from the directory (e.g., Gmail, Google Drive, or a demo service) — click, authenticate, and proceed
• Option B: Add a custom connector by pasting an MCP server URL (instructor provides a test URL)
• Option C: Install a Desktop Extension from the marketplace (for Claude Desktop users)

Participants then assign Claude a task utilizing the connected service — for example, “Read my recent emails about project updates and create a summary document.”

Key concepts covered:

• Connector mechanics: OAuth authentication, permissions, and the scope of access granted
• Managing tool access: Enabling, disabling, and controlling which connectors Claude can use per conversation
• Security awareness: Connecting only to trusted services and reviewing tool permissions
• The MCP ecosystem: Where to discover new connectors, extensions, and community-built servers

Objective: Participants perceive Claude as a connective layer between their existing services, rather than just a coding tool.

Break — 10 minutes

Phase 6 — Capstone & Next Steps — 65 minutes

Capstone mini-project (45 min): Each participant selects one scenario and builds it with Claude:

1. A polished landing page or portfolio site for their team, project, or personal brand
2. A data analysis pipeline: Upload a file, have Claude analyze it, and produce a visual report
3. An interactive tool that solves a real workflow problem (calculator, tracker, converter, quiz)
4. A connected workflow: Pull data from a connected service, transform it, and produce a deliverable (e.g., “read my calendar for next week and build a visual schedule”)

The instructor circulates to help refine prompts and showcases standout examples to the group.

Showcase and wrap-up (20 min):

• 6-8 participants share what they built (2-3 min each)
• Next steps: Claude Code CLI for terminal users, VS Code extension for developers, Cowork for knowledge workers
• The MCP ecosystem: Finding and evaluating new connectors, extensions, and community servers
• Plans: Free vs. Pro vs. Max — what each unlocks and which fits which use case
• Best practices recap: The Prompt Playbook patterns that proved most effective during the session
• Recommended resources: Official documentation, community channels, Anthropic’s prompt engineering guide
• Participants receive a reference card with key prompting patterns, connector setup steps, and a curated list of useful MCP integrations