Lab
12 prompt techniques
The technique tags on every prompt are this list. Each page compares a good and a bad example and links to the prompts that use it.
Five starter techniques, in order
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Assign a role
"You are an editor with 10 years of experience" — one line sets the level
0 prompts use this
Give context
Situation, purpose and reader — the same question gets a different answer
0 prompts use this
Pin down the task
Verb + object + scope. The gap between "sort this out" and "just the to-dos"
0 prompts use this
Specify the output format
Fix the table, list, length and field order and the result is usable as it is
0 prompts use this
Constraints
Write down don'ts, length, tone and banned words to head off the usual mishaps
0 prompts use this
Fence off the input
Wrap pasted material in """ so it does not get mixed in with your instructions
0 prompts use this
Show an example
Show one or two of the results you want and the format and tone follow
0 prompts use this
Think step by step
Have it write out the working first, then reach a conclusion
0 prompts use this
Have it ask back
Have it ask for the information it is missing before it answers
0 prompts use this
Self-check
Have it check its own answer against the conditions and fix what is off
0 prompts use this
Chaining
Break a big job into several separate prompts
0 prompts use this
Ask for revisions
"Shorter", "three options", "more formal" — fix it with a follow-up
0 prompts use this