Level 1 · User
The formula for asking AI
Role, context, task and format. Four pieces, better answers.
If AI gives you generic answers, it's almost always because the question was generic. Think of it as a very capable person who just arrived and knows nothing about you.
Give it a role (who it should be), context (who it's for and what you already know), a concrete task and the format you want the answer in.
Try it today
Take a question you asked AI yesterday and ask it again with all four pieces. Compare.
Test yourself
What's missing from: "Write an email to my boss"?
- Only the format
- Context: about what, which tone, what you want
- Nothing, it's complete
See the answer
Context: about what, which tone, what you want. Without context, AI fills the gaps with the most common thing. That's why it sounds generic.
If you lead a team
Good instructions can be saved and shared. A team prompt library saves everyone hours.