Chapter 1 of 6 · 4 practices · 3 min · 4-question quiz
Clear instructions and context
Most bad outputs come from prompts that leave the model to guess. These practices close the gaps a reader with no background would fall into.
Start: Write the prompt as a brief for a capable colleague with no background4 practices in this chapter
- 1Write the prompt as a brief for a capable colleague with no backgroundAnthropic's prompting guide puts it as a golden rule: show your prompt to a colleague with minimal context on the task and ask them to follow it. If they would be confused, the model will be too.
- 2Explain why a rule exists instead of only stating itA bare rule gives the model one instruction. A rule with its reason lets it handle cases you did not list. Anthropic's guide shows the difference with a formatting rule: With the reason attached, the…
- 3Say what to do, not only what to avoidNegative instructions name the thing you do not want, which keeps it in view. Positive instructions describe the target directly.
- 4Use numbered steps when order matters and set a role in the system promptWhen the order or completeness of steps matters, write them as a numbered list. Anthropic's guide recommends sequential steps for exactly this case, and Google's Gemini guide lists step-by-step tasks…
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