Anatomy of a clear prompt

Most disappointing results come from vague requests. "Write an email about the project delay" leaves the assistant guessing about the audience, the reason, the tone, the length and what you want the reader to do. It fills those gaps with generic choices.

A clear prompt usually covers five things. You will not need all five every time, but checking them takes seconds.

1. Task

Say exactly what you want produced. Use a verb: draft, summarise, compare, list, rewrite, explain.

2. Context

Who is this for? What is the situation? What does the reader already know? Include the facts the assistant cannot know: names, dates, decisions, constraints.

3. Examples

If you have a good example of the style or format you want, include it. One real example often works better than a paragraph describing the style.

4. Constraints

Length, tone, words to avoid, things that must be included, reading level, language.

5. Format

How should the answer be laid out? A short email, a table with given columns, bullet points, three options to choose from.

Before and after

Vague:

Write an email about the project delay.

Clear:

Draft an email to our client, Dana, explaining that the website launch moves
from 3 March to 17 March.

Context: the delay is because their payment provider approved our account
later than planned. Design and content are finished. Dana is friendly but
busy, and she will need to tell her own manager.

Constraints: under 150 words, calm and direct, no excessive apologies,
no technical jargon. Offer a 15 minute call on Thursday or Friday.

Format: subject line, then the email body.

The second prompt takes a minute longer and usually needs only small edits.

Put instructions before long material

When you paste a long document, state the task first, then the document, then repeat the key instruction at the end if the document is very long. Mark the document clearly, for example by placing it between lines such as --- report start --- and --- report end ---, so the assistant knows what is material and what is instruction.

Ask for what you want, not just what to avoid

"Do not be too formal" is less useful than "write as you would to a colleague you know well". Positive instructions give the model a target.

Let it ask questions

For complex tasks, add: "Before you start, ask me up to three questions about anything important that is unclear." This often surfaces missing context you did not think to include.

Rewrite three of your own recent requests using the five parts, and compare the results.