Write a prompt that works

A prompt is what you type to an AI assistant: your request. You type it in ChatGPT (chatgpt.com), Claude (claude.ai) or Gemini (gemini.google.com). A free account is enough. A good prompt has four parts. This recipe comes from our workshops, and it works in any AI assistant.

The prompt recipe

1. Who I am: I run ___ in ___.
2. The job: Draft, summarize or plan ___. Add the words "Draft only." You check it and send it yourself.
3. What it needs to know: facts, dates, names (write Person A, not the real name), and anything that has to hold, such as "we are closed Sundays."
4. What I want back: the shape and length. For example, "three bullets," "under 120 words," "a table."

When the answer is wrong: fix the recipe. Add the missing fact, or restate what you want back. Do not argue with it.

Five starter prompts

Copy one, paste it into your AI assistant, fill in the square brackets and send it. Before you paste anything in, take out names and personal details. What should I never paste into an AI tool? has the list.

Email.

I run [my business]. Draft a short, friendly reply to the email below. Say [the key point]. Offer [next step]. Under 120 words. Draft only. Email: [paste, with names and personal details taken out]

Long public document.

Read the text below. Don't summarize it. List who needs to do what, by when, and any questions I need to answer. Text: [paste]

Planning.

Help me plan [a job / a sale / an event] for [who it is for] by [date]. Give me a schedule, a checklist, and the three things most likely to go wrong.

Plain language.

Rewrite the text below so a busy person understands it in 30 seconds. Keep every fact. Text: [paste]

Getting started.

I need to write [document]. Ask me five questions first, then give me a first outline.

Try it: about twenty minutes

1. Pick one real task from your week, with nothing private in it. An email you owe, a public document to digest, or a plan.
2. Write a prompt with the four parts.
3. Run it. If the answer is off, add the missing fact or say what shape you want back, and run it again.

Then ask for "a shorter version" and "a warmer version."

What it is good at, and what to check

On its own it does not look things up. It writes the words most likely to come next, from the huge amount of text it has read.

Good at: first drafts, summaries and reorganizing, rewording into plain language, brainstorming and explaining.

Check it: facts, exact numbers, and anything recent. Some tools search the web. If yours did not, treat recent news as a guess. It sounds just as sure when it is wrong. You own what you send.

Treat it like a fast, eager new hire: great first draft, you check the facts.

Match the tool to the job

Most AI assistants come in a faster version and a more careful one. Each version is called a model. Some plans let you choose. If yours gives no choice, skip this part.

• Quick lookup or plan: the faster model is fine. Check any fact that matters.
• Careful writing: run the same request on two models. Keep the one that sounds more like you.
• Long document: use the more careful model. Ask who needs to do what, not for a summary.

Which AI tool should I use? has more on choosing.

Your one thing

Finish this line for yourself. It is a plan, not a prompt. For example: This week I will use ChatGPT for my reply to the supplier.

This week I will use ______ for ______.

The rule under all of it

Your AI assistant drafts. You decide. Do the sending, posting and filing yourself.