learn / ai for everyone / ae4 · 1 of 1 · 7 min
The four things every good prompt has, how to let the AI interview you, and when to keep going in a chat and when to start over.
## Talk to it like a smart new coworker
The AI is like a brilliant coworker on their first day. They know a lot about the world, but nothing about you, your situation, or what "good" looks like to you. Most bad answers come from prompts that leave it guessing.
Compare:
weak write an email to my landlord
strong write a short, polite email to my landlord asking them to
fix the bathroom fan. it's been broken 3 weeks and I
reported it on May 2. firm but friendly. under 120 words.The second one takes 20 seconds longer to type and saves three rounds of "no, shorter" and "no, mention the date".
## The four parts
Good prompts usually cover four things. You don't need labels, just make sure each one is in there:
- Goal. What you want made or decided. "Write an email", "compare these two plans", "explain this bill".
- Context. The facts it can't know: who it's for, what already happened, what you've tried.
- Format. Length, structure, tone. "Three bullet points", "under 100 words", "like you're talking to a 10-year-old".
- Constraints. What to avoid or include. "Don't mention the rent increase", "only use the PDF I attached".
Front-load the goal, then paste context below it. For anything longer than a paragraph, separate your instructions from your material with a clear marker ("Here's the document:") so the model doesn't confuse the text you want summarized with the instructions you're giving it. Show one example of what you want when tone or format is hard to describe. Examples beat adjectives.
You want help choosing a laptop. Which prompt will get the most useful answer?
## Let it interview you
When you're not sure what to include, flip it around:
I need to plan a 5-day trip to Japan in April. Before you suggest anything, ask me up to five questions you need answered to make a really good plan.
This works for resumes, budgets, gift ideas and hard conversations. The model is good at knowing which questions matter, and you only have to answer them.
Two more tricks that cost almost nothing:
- "What's missing or unclear in my request?" It will point out gaps you didn't notice.
- "Give me three different versions." It's easier to point at the one you like than to describe it.
## Steer, don't restart (until you should)
The first answer is a draft. Reply with specific feedback, just like you would to a person:
- "Good, but cut it in half and drop the second paragraph."
- "Too formal. Write it like a text to a friend."
- "You assumed I have a car. I don't."
But start a fresh chat when the conversation has gone off the rails. If you've corrected the same mistake twice, or the chat is very long and it's forgetting things, it's quicker to start clean with a better first prompt. The lesson Context Windows, Memory & Compaction explains why long chats get worse.
You're 60 messages into planning a party. The AI keeps forgetting the guest count you gave at the start, even after you've corrected it twice. What should you do?
## Practice
Put the steps for getting a great result in order.
- 1.If it keeps going wrong, start a fresh chat with a better first prompt
- 2.Give specific feedback to steer it
- 3.Read the first answer as a draft
- 4.Add the facts it can't know and how the result should look
- 5.State what you want made or decided
Try it now. Pick something real from your week, like an email, a decision or a confusing letter. Write the prompt with all four parts and compare the result to what you'd have gotten from a one-line request.