Prompt engineering for non-techies
Think of prompt engineering as the art of being specific. AI doesn’t "know" what you want; it predicts what comes next based on what you give it.
1. The "Persona" Trick
The easiest way to get better results is to give the AI a job title.
Bad: "Write an email about a late shipment."
Good: "You are a polite customer success manager. Write an email to a client apologizing for a late shipment and offering a 10% discount."
2. Give it a Recipe (Step-by-Step)
If you have a complex task, don’t ask for the finished product all at once. Tell it the steps.
“First, summarize this article. Second, extract the three main pain points. Third, write a LinkedIn post based on those points.”
3. Use "Few-Shot" Prompting (Examples)
AI is a world-class copycat. If you show it what you like, it will mimic it perfectly.
Instead of saying "Write a funny product description," give it two examples of funny descriptions you’ve already written, then say, "Now, write a third one for this new product."
4. Constraints are Your Friend
Non-techies often forget to tell the AI what not to do.
"Write a summary of this meeting, but do not include the part about the budget, and keep it under 150 words."
5. Ask it to "Think"
If you’re asking for advice or a solution to a problem, add this simple phrase to the end: "Let’s think about this step-by-step." This actually triggers the AI to process logic more accurately before it gives you the final answer.
The Golden Rule: If the AI fails, it’s usually because the prompt was too vague. Talk to it like a very smart intern who has zero common sense—you have to be explicit about everything
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