You do not need a magic formula. State the result you want, provide the context that changes the answer, describe the output, and name important boundaries. Then improve the result with focused follow-up messages.
The four useful parts of a prompt
| Part | Question to answer | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | What should the AI make, explain, or change? | “Create a one-page orientation checklist.” |
| Context | What audience, source, or situation changes the result? | “It is for new adjunct faculty. Use the attached handbook.” |
| Output | What format, length, or organization do you need? | “Use a table with task, owner, due date, and link.” |
| Boundaries | What must stay unchanged, be avoided, or require approval? | “Do not invent links. Flag anything missing.” |
Before and after
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This does not say who will read it, what “better” means, or what must remain accurate.
Improved: “Rewrite the announcement below for faculty. Put the deadline and required action in the first two sentences, keep all dates and URLs unchanged, use plain language, and keep it under 180 words.”
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The AI must guess which information matters and how the summary will be used.
Improved: “Summarize the attached report for a department chair. Use five bullets: purpose, two findings, one limitation, and the next decision. Cite the page number for every finding.”
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The audience, duration, learning objective, and constraints are missing.
Improved: “Draft a 50-minute lesson plan for an introductory college course on confirmation bias. Include one measurable objective, a 10-minute activity, three discussion questions, and an exit ticket. Do not assume students have prior statistics knowledge.”
Use follow-up messages
Your first prompt does not have to be perfect. Review the result and make one or two targeted requests:
- “Keep the structure, but make the tone less formal.”
- “The second claim is too broad. Narrow it and identify the source.”
- “Give me two options and explain the tradeoff between them.”
- “Before revising, list the assumptions you made.”
- “Check every date, name, total, and URL against the attached source.”
A reusable prompt
Goal: [What result do you need?] Context: [Who is it for, and what sources or facts matter?] Output: [What format, length, tone, or structure should it use?] Boundaries: [What must it preserve, avoid, verify, or ask about first?] Before finishing, check the result against these requirements and flag anything uncertain.
Protect information: A better prompt does not require more private data. Remove unnecessary names and identifiers, and follow SBS policy before attaching documents or pasting institutional information.
Related guides
- Use AI responsibly: protect information and verify the result
- Review, correct, and improve an AI response
Official guidance
See OpenAI’s Prompting guide.
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