Start with the task
A useful prompt tells the AI what to do, who the output is for, what context matters, and how the answer should be structured.
- State the goal.
- Name the audience.
- Define the output format.
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AI Tools Lesson 2
Prompt Engineering Basics
Learn how to write prompts that produce clearer, more useful, and more consistent results.
Foundation30 min
Lesson Guide
Add useful constraints
Constraints reduce cleanup work. You can ask for length, tone, sections, table columns, things to avoid, and examples to follow.
- Use a tone guide.
- Ask for required sections.
- Say what not to include.
Revise the result
Prompting is iterative. If the first answer is too broad, ask the model to make it shorter, more specific, more structured, or better aligned with your audience.
- Ask for a second version.
- Request a critique.
- Compare multiple drafts.
Practice Task
Rewrite a vague request into a prompt with task, audience, context, constraints, and output format.
Ready Checklist
- The prompt has a specific task.
- The prompt includes context.
- The desired output format is explicit.