Write clear and specific prompts
​Prompt engineering involves designing ​the best prompt you can to get the output you want ​from an LLM. ​This includes writing clear, specific prompts ​that provide relevant context.
A good prompt follows a simple framework:
- Task,; what you want an AI tool to do
- Context; Including detailed context in your prompts can narrow an AI tool’s focus and tailor its output
- References; examples or resources that illustrate what you want an AI tool to produce. They specify details about your desired output, such as the style, tone, and format
- Evaluate; it’s essential to carefully evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the AI-generated content before using it or sharing the output with others.
- Iterate; process of refining your prompt based on the AI’s output
When you provide an AI tool with a task, also consider including information about:
- Persona: What expertise do you want the AI tool to draw from, and who is the audience? For example, you might ask the tool to complete the task with the expertise of an IT professional, or ask it to create an output geared towards a specific audience like your manager or team.Â
- Format: How do you want the output to be formatted? For example, you might ask the AI tool to create a bulleted list or a comparison table.
Pro Tip: When you’ve arrived at an effective prompt for a particular task, save it! You can use your most effective prompts as templates for different use cases and needs. This can help you replicate successful AI-output consistently—without starting from scratch every time.