Ask Better Questions

Good prompts give context, a goal and a format. Tell the tool who the answer is for and how long it should be. Then ask a follow-up to improve it.

A prompt recipe

• Role: who the model should act as.
• Context: the background it needs.
• Task: what you want, in one sentence.
• Format: length, tone, structure.

Example (fictional)

Compare 'Write about our sale' with 'You are a friendly shop owner. Write a 60-word email to existing customers announcing a weekend sale on candles, 20 percent off, plain tone, one call to action.' The second gives a more specific starting draft.

Common mistakes

• Giving no audience or length.
• Accepting the first answer.
• Not saying what tone you want.

Exercise

Rewrite one weak prompt of your own with role, context, task and format, then compare results.