“For a perfect omelette, whisk eggs with a little milk, pour into a hot pan, and cook for 1 minute on each side before flipping to serve.”
Wait, flip an omelette? 🤔
I tried again and again, but ChatGPT kept missing key details and confusing my omelette with over-easy eggs. So there I was, stuck with scrambled eggs instead of the fluffy omelette I envisioned. Breakfast in bed? Ruined.
It was then that the voice of my former software teammate popped into my head: “RTFM!” (Read the freaking manual). In the tech world, it's a phrase you hear when you’re stuck on a problem with an obvious, often documented, answer.
So, I turned to ChatGPT's documentation to improve my prompts, and in this post, I’ll share what I learned with you.
What is Prompting?
In simple terms, prompting is giving an AI (like ChatGPT) a clear instruction to guide its response. LLMs (Large Language Models) generate text based on patterns learned from massive datasets, so the clearer and more specific your prompt is, the better the response. Think of it like asking a chef to make your omelette exactly how you want it—if you don’t give them enough details, you might end up with something you didn’t ask for (hello, scrambled eggs).
Why It’s Important to Write Good Prompts
A good prompt can save you time, avoid misunderstandings, and help you get more useful, actionable results from ChatGPT. Think of it like setting the table before a meal: the better you set it up, the easier it is to enjoy the main course.
Writing better prompts is especially important for people working in any company, where precise and relevant responses can make a real difference. Whether you're asking for a market analysis, product ideas, or a marketing plan, the prompt you use will influence the quality and relevance of the result.
Common Prompting Pitfalls to Avoid
Now that you know why prompting is important, let’s look at some common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Unclear or Vague Prompts
If you don’t know exactly what you want, you might get a generic response. For example, asking "Tell me about sustainability" will give you a broad answer, but if you need specifics—like, "What are the top 5 sustainability practices for reducing carbon emissions in tech companies?"—that’s what you should ask.
“These models can’t read your mind. If outputs are too long, ask for brief replies. If outputs are too simple, ask for expert-level writing. If you dislike the format, demonstrate the format you’d like to see. The less the model has to guess at what you want, the more likely you’ll get it.” – Source
Tip:
Be specific and clear about what you're asking to avoid a generic response.
Over-complicated Tasks
Just as it’s good practice in life to decompose big tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks, the same is true of tasks submitted to ChatGPT.
For instance, suppose our omelette breakfast now must also include bacon, pastries, and freshly squeezed orange juice. This larger task for ChatGPT now includes identifying the best way to source the ingredients, preparing each of the dishes, and determining how to serve them. By splitting the main “breakfast” task into smaller subtasks with specific instructions, we can improve response accuracy and cost as larger prompts can be more expensive to run.
Tip:
Break your prompts into subtasks.
Making Broad Assumptions
Sometimes we make certain assumptions to streamline communication, but you should be mindful of how your assumptions might impact clarity, accuracy, and relevance in ChatGPT’s responses.
When prompting, don't assume ChatGPT will infer unspoken intentions. Be explicit about goals and constraints. Similarly, don't assume ChatGPT remembers previous conversations. Provide context explicitly unless you’ve added information to a shared memory.
Tip:
Don’t assume the AI knows your intentions or remembers previous conversations.
How to Write Better Prompts
So, how can you improve your prompting skills? Here’s a simple approach that can help you get better, more relevant responses every time.
Be clear and steer
When you’re talking to ChatGPT, think of it like a brilliant—but forgetful—new employee. If you don’t tell it exactly what you want, it might get things wrong. For example, if you need a formal report, say so. If you want a bulleted list, ask for it.
Tip:
The more specific and clear you are, the better the response will be. Be detailed about what you want—output, audience, tone, and format.
“Role” is key for AI glee
Give ChatGPT a clear role to help guide its response. For example: "You’re a sustainability expert," or "Pretend you're dealing with an angry customer." This will help the AI understand the context and deliver more relevant answers.
Tip:
Assigning a role helps ChatGPT narrow down its focus and tailor its responses to your needs.
Examples show so results can flow
Examples are your best friend. They show the AI exactly what kind of response you want. For instance, if you want a concise, clear report, show ChatGPT a sample. Or if you need a fun, light-hearted email in a specific style, provide an example of what you're going for.
Tip:
Always include examples to clarify the kind of output you're expecting.
Think it through, for answers that stick like glue
Ask ChatGPT to show its thinking! By letting the AI explain how it came to its conclusions, you can ensure the response makes sense and is grounded in reasoning.
Tip:
Asking for the AI’s thinking can help you spot any gaps or mistakes in its logic.
Have fun to get more done
Writing good prompts doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, it can be fun! I recently had ChatGPT help me plan a holiday dinner for my family. By giving it plenty of context and details, I ended up with a fantastic plan for a 10-person dinner, including vegetarian options and wine pairings.
Here’s the prompt I used:
“Based on what you know about me, create a simple plan for a holiday family dinner for 10 people. Create a menu I would enjoy while accounting for my vegetarian in-laws. Provide a 2-day preparation timeline, including recipes and wine suggestions.”
Compared to the basic:
“Help me plan a holiday dinner for my family.”
Can you guess which one worked better?
Conclusion
By now, you should have a good idea of how to write better prompts and avoid the pitfalls that can lead to scrambled responses. Whether you’re planning a family dinner or asking for business insights, a well-crafted prompt can save you time, frustration, and a lot of unnecessary revisions.
Now that you know enough to be dangerous, I’ll leave you with two closing thoughts:
Use AI as a starting point, not the final word. It’s tempting to lean on AI for everything, but it’s important to wear your critical-thinking hat. AI is powerful, but it can’t replace human judgment… yet. Always double-check its responses and adapt them to your needs.
Make sure you understand the privacy implications and safeguard your data accordingly. When working with sensitive data, always be cautious about what you share with AI systems (or any technology). Not all industries (like healthcare or finance) are 100% suited for sharing confidential info with AI models, so always be mindful of what you input.
