Prompting 101

When creating a prompt on any of the main models, you'll get the best results by including the following.  It does not have to be this formulaic.  The most important thing is to iterate and continue to refine.  

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ROLE: What role would you like it to play.  For example, "Respond as a seasoned CHRO with expertise in clean energy companies" or "Respond as if you're an editor for the BBC"
 

GOAL: Clearly outline the objective, such as: generating text, answering questions, or any other task.  For example, "provide me with a set of situational interview questions that will help me test the cultural fit for a direct report"
 

CONTEXT: Providing the right context enables the AI to grasp the nuances of the topic, thereby increasing the relevance and accuracy of its responses.  Examples:  attach briefing papers, reports, someone's full LinkedIn profile, or a description of your role and your tone.  The more context you provide the better your result will be.
 

FORMAT: Specifying the desired format -- bullet points,  full sentences, paragraphs, script, survey questions.  Example, tell if it you want a blurb for a web site, a survey complete with potential answers, or a movie script. 

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TONE & STYLE: Setting the tone and style.  Do you want it to be professional, casual, academic or something else? You can also point to known writers like David Attenburough, Seth Godin, or Hunter S Thompson. You can also point to the tone of a known publication like the Harvard Business Review.
 

LENGTH: Defining the desired length.  For example, do you want a headline, a LinkedIn post, two pages, 500 words, or an entire chapter.
 

TEMPERATURE: Adjusting the "temperature” relates to how factual and grounded the response is to the original request.    For example, you may want it to stay very close to the facts or, for a creative project or ideation, you may want it to be "more Creative" or "blue sky" or to "think out-of-the-box"
 

After you get a desired response, ask it to:

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REFLECT. Ask your favorite foundation model: "What did I miss?" or "How can I improve the clarity?" or "what objections might [insert person or role] have with what I wrote?"
 

REFINE Believe it or not, you can improve your results by saying things like, "Please go back and reread the entire document" or "I know you can do better, please try again."

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Other Resources

Actis and The Prompt offer to portfolio companies

Companies, research, and resources mentioned in the Actis conference presentation