If you've played around with Artificial Intelligence, you've no doubt had some great results — and some not so great.
Prompts are everything. Here is how to get the best results from your AI inquiries.
To begin with, word choice and precision is essential. One word can flip your results to something you didn't intend. Be as precise as possible.
One way to get around that is to tell AI who it is. "You are an experienced accountant…" or "You are a oncologist…"
Add detail about what you want. Be surgical. "Write a 400-word, factual overview of the tax code relating to…"
Large Language Models (LLMs) default to a general internet voice. If you know your audience, specify it. "Write the overview for someone who knows nothing about accounting…"
Ban what you don't want. LLMs obey negatives. Write: "Do not use narrative techniques, anecdotes or fictional examples…"
If you know what vocabulary you want to use, force the exact terms.
Examples are handy. If you have an reference article that is written in the style, structure, and voice that you prefer, paste a paragraph and ask the LLM to match it.
Specify the audience, if you know it.
Put the most critical instructions at the beginning or end of the prompt.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
