Prompt Engineering
What is Prompt Engineering?
Prompt engineering is the skill of crafting the right instructions (prompts) that tell an AI what you want it to do. The better your prompt, the better your results.
Think of it like talking to a smart assistant. If you’re vague, you’ll get vague results. If you’re clear and detailed, you’ll get magic.
Anatomy of a Good Prompt
A good prompt usually includes:
- Clear instruction: What should the AI do?
- Context: Who is it for? What is it about?
- Format: How should the response look?
- Tone (optional): Should it sound formal, friendly, persuasive?
Example:
❌ Bad: “Write an email.”
✅ Better: “Write a formal email to a new client introducing our services in a friendly, professional tone.”
Prompt Types You Should Know
There are different styles of prompts for different goals:
- Instructional prompts: “Explain how solar energy works to a 10-year-old.”
- Creative prompts: “Write a bedtime story about a cat who learned to code.”
- Role-based prompts: “Act like a career coach and review my CV.”
- Step-by-step prompts: “Break down how to plan a social media calendar for a new product.”
- Refinement prompts: “Make this summary sound more persuasive.”
Tips for Better Prompting
To get the most out of A.I:
- Be specific: Vague prompts = vague answers.
- Give examples: If you want a certain style, show it.
- Use follow-up prompts: You can refine or ask the AI to improve its own response.
- Test variations: Try rewording if the answer isn’t quite right.
- Iterate and learn: The more you experiment, the better you’ll get.
Prompting is not just typing. It’s a thinking skill, the clearer your thoughts, the better your prompts.