Prompting is the second module of my AI training for companies. This page explains the method.
Why learn to write a prompt
The quality of an answer depends first on the quality of the request. Few users find this out on their own: in a trial run by NFER with 259 teachers in England, few tried different wordings to improve the results. The trial still showed a 31% cut in preparation time, achieved with a usage guide given to participants. Method makes the difference.
The 5 parts of a good prompt
| Part | Question to ask yourself | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Who should be answering? | "You are the head of customer service" |
| Context | What does the AI need to know? | The company, the recipient and the situation |
| Task | What should it produce? | "Write a reply to this complaint" |
| Format | In what form? | Length, tone, list or table |
| Limits | What should it avoid? | "Do not invent figures; ask if information is missing" |
Before and after
Before: "Write an email to follow up with a client."
After: "You are a salesperson at an IT maintenance company. Follow up with Mr Martin, director of a 20-person business, to whom I sent a quote 10 days ago for an annual contract. Write an email of 80 words at most, friendly and direct, proposing a 15-minute call this week. Do not mention any price."
The second prompt gives a reply you can send after a quick review. The first gives generic text.
4 techniques that improve an answer
Give an example. An email you already wrote shows the expected tone better than a description.
Ask for questions. "Before answering, ask me what you need to know" avoids guesswork.
Correct instead of starting over. Say what is wrong: too long, too formal, off topic.
Ask it to show its sources. "For each figure, say where it appears in the document" makes checking easier.
Building a prompt library
A prompt that works should be kept and shared. The training teaches you to turn a good request into a template with fields to fill in, and to organise those templates by task. Each participant leaves with the AI Productivity Kit, which includes a prompt library and a prompt-writing checklist.
Format and price
Prompt training is included in the 7-hour programme, from €990 excl. VAT, and in the half day, from €590 excl. VAT. See the pricing page. To practise with a single tool, see Claude training or ChatGPT training. If the team is new to AI, start with AI training for beginners.