Tips for Giving Effective Prompts to AI

How do we use AI most effectively? AI can't read our minds, so how do we get the best possible output from it? We've put together a set of tips to help you get more successful results from AI.

Use a format/structure. Give AI a clear, structured prompt:

Who: You are this person.

What: You want to do this.

Why: ...

How: …

Have it adopt a persona. Have the AI think of itself as someone working in a specific role, such as:

A writer

An interviewer

A student

An analyst, etc.

Set the tone:

Humorous

Formal

Friendly

Warm

Serious

Professional

Authoritative

Give examples: If you want a music recommendation system, you can share examples of artists you like and dislike, helping the AI narrow down its suggestions based on your taste and improving accuracy.

Ask for details: Push for a higher level of detail and precision.

Provide details of your own as well.

Break things into steps and explain each one (especially for complex topics).

Specify the desired length of the output, and have it summarize longer outputs.

Have it evaluate and refine your own prompts.

Use English.

Ask it to cite sources and references.

Stay consistent with terminology.

Make use of apps and plugins.

Have it summarize previous conversations and documents.

Test any changes you make.

Example Prompt:

Who: You are a master digital analyst.

What: You want to create a presentation covering the differences on the website between last month and this month.

Why: Because the client wants their website to become more customer focused.

How: Use the "on-site keyword search" report.

Tone: Professional

Length: 20 sentences.