Lab
12 prompt techniques
The technique tags on every prompt are this list. Each page compares a good and a bad example and links to the prompts that use it.
Five starter techniques, in order
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Assign a role
"You are an editor with 10 years of experience" — one line sets the level
112 prompts use this
Give context
Situation, purpose and reader — the same question gets a different answer
127 prompts use this
Pin down the task
Verb + object + scope. The gap between "sort this out" and "just the to-dos"
145 prompts use this
Specify the output format
Fix the table, list, length and field order and the result is usable as it is
263 prompts use this
Constraints
Write down don'ts, length, tone and banned words to head off the usual mishaps
196 prompts use this
Fence off the input
Wrap pasted material in """ so it does not get mixed in with your instructions
99 prompts use this
Show an example
Show one or two of the results you want and the format and tone follow
58 prompts use this
Think step by step
Have it write out the working first, then reach a conclusion
56 prompts use this
Have it ask back
Have it ask for the information it is missing before it answers
52 prompts use this
Self-check
Have it check its own answer against the conditions and fix what is off
53 prompts use this
Chaining
Break a big job into several separate prompts
50 prompts use this
Ask for revisions
"Shorter", "three options", "more formal" — fix it with a follow-up
55 prompts use this