The Simple Prompt Trick to Getting Usable Output from GenAI

 

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When it comes to prompting, you'll find no end of different prompting "guides" and tutorials online. However, it all comes back to the same word at the end of the day.

Specificity.

You can only get the output you want when you have a good idea of what the output actually is. And this is where your communication skills come into play.

Yes, communication. At the end of the day, the way you instruct your GenAI is not going to be much different from how you talk to your junior, subordinate, or even yourself to get a specific thing done when you need it to be done.

And honestly, learning to communicate clearer and more effectively is never going to go out of style, so let's get to it.

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Figure Out What You Need Before You Start

I said it before, and I'm saying it again, but figure out what it is you need before you instruct someone. You wouldn't ask someone to "pass that thingamajig" without either naming the item or pointing it out. And yes, even then, they might pass you the wrong thing, but hey, that's something you can improve on.

Prompt engineering and good communication work the same way. Understand your desired outcome before you start. It's fine to ask questions if you don't know how to go about it, but if you can't articulate the destination or end state then what's the point? This also applies to life but again, a topic for another time.  

Consider these instructions:

• Pick up some pads from the supermarket.
• Get me Kotex’s all night pads with wings from the supermarket.

You can probably guess the outcome. Here’s the thing. Being clear about what you want and need from the person on the other end helps you achieve your goals and outcomes.

In a GenAI prompt, it would be the difference between:

• Write me a marketing email.
• Help me write an email introducing our new solution suite targeting medium-sized B2B retailers who are looking for logistical solutions that integrate with offline hardware.

Summary: Take the time to understand the end goal of your interaction before you even start, so there’s a higher chance of getting what you need.

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It’s a Journey, Not a Destination

The thing about good communication skills is that it’s a skill. Everyone’s vision of what their ultimate mastery of communication looks like is going to be different, and that’s fine. The only thing you need to be concerned about is whether you think your skills are “good enough” for your needs or if it needs to be further improved.

It’s not unlike reading. The simplest requirement is the skill to recognise words, then sentences, and finally understanding the concepts presented.

For a reader, the goal of their skill is to understand what is in front of them. For communicators, the goal is to ensure your ideas, needs, and wants are relayed adequately to the other party.

For a marketing copywriter playing around with GenAI, the goal isn’t to be a prompt expert or engineer (unless that’s your career goal) but to get good enough (skill) at using GenAI as a tool (goal).

Summary: Don't focus all your attention on the tool. Focus on the skills as that will carry you more effectively between the tools you'll use. 

 

 

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Practise Articulating Yourself

I’ve seen a number of prompt articles that suggest telling the GenAI you’re angry or disappointed in them will lead to better outputs, and I’ve always found it odd. It feels too much like you’re either trying to teach yourself subtly to be an emotionally manipulative person or expecting the GenAI to react like a human, when it’s something programmed into them.

Should it make you feel bad? Yes, because if you’re in a position where you have to instruct other human beings, you’re building the habit of being emotionally manipulative to them, treating them in a childish and condescending manner.

I say this because I have tried using this kind of prompt only once and it returned the answer I wanted. Why only once? Because the rest of the time, I’ve thought carefully about what I want, how I want it to appear, and finally, identify the key information required for the output. And I never needed to use that kind of prompt again.

It can be hard to figure out the right way to ask, which is why you need to practise. It sounds odd, especially if you’re a middle-aged or older person, but we’re often not taught HOW to ask. We’re told to “just ask” but in the heat of the moment, we lock up, stammer, or worse, ask for completely the wrong thing.

So practise. Practice asking for specific help, for ideal outcomes, for even asserting your rights when someone gets your order wrong. You don’t need to throw a tantrum or make someone feel bad about your asking. And your asks don’t have to be too big.

They can be as mundane as “Hey, do you know where I can get a cup of coffee in the office?” to something like “The client wants us to build an email nurture campaign, but I’m unclear about the steps we need to take. Should I just write it in Word and email it to them? What is our workflow?”

Understanding how others communicate and your own articulation practices can go a long way to building better communication and prompting skills.

Summary: Learn how to request and ask for things. Practise asking if you have issues articulating your needs and wants. Use feedback and results of your asks to learn to communicate better. 

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Bonus: Better communication is also about meeting people where they are

Communication is a two-way street. It’s about understanding your needs and wants, and helping others meet theirs too. This applies both in life and when fighting with GenAI. Pick the right person or platform to achieve your needs.

For instance, I would not go to a barista and ask them to fix my car. Neither would I go to Perplexity and ask it to review my essay for readability. The result in both would be an abject failure.

I'd call a mechanic for my car (or even an automobile hotline) or use a platform like Claude for reviewing my writing.

Summary: Identify who and what can help you achieve your goals, then approach them accordingly.

Final words

Learning to communicate effectively can get you a long way in real life and makes using GenAI a breeze. However, you need to be aware of when and where to apply your skills for the best effect. This applies to prompting as well.

Good luck, and I hope this helps!