Sheet 3

Prompting that works

AI Tools Field Guide

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Say who reads it, show an example, name the format, give the source, ask what it assumed.

Before

  • “Write a memo about the new leave policy.” That is the whole prompt.
  • What you get: a plausible memo about a policy the model invented, in a shape your office does not use.
  • Why: it cannot see who reads it, what good looks like, what shape you need, or what the policy says. What it cannot see, it guesses.

After

  • The job. “Draft a memo announcing the attached leave-request changes.”
  • Reader. “E-3 to O-4, skimming on a phone; the CO will sign it.”
  • Example. “Match the tone and structure of the attached memo.”
  • Format. “Under 250 words: what changed, what to do, who to ask.”
  • Source. “Use only the attachment. Mark anything missing [CONFIRM]. List your assumptions.”

Then iterate

  1. Read the draft against the source before you read it for style.
  2. Correct one thing per turn. “Item 3 is not in the instruction; the date in paragraph 2 should be 14 March.”
  3. Ask what it assumed. The list is a checklist you can read in a minute.
  4. Start fresh when it drifts, with only the source and the request that still matter.

Take away

Reader, example, format, source, assumptions. Put those five in the prompt and the first draft is usable; edit in turns and the third is yours.