Prompting
The golden rule: shit in = shit out
The single most important thing to understand about AI:
Vague, lazy prompts → generic, useless results.
Detailed, thoughtful prompts → excellent, tailored results.
It's that simple. The quality of what you put in determines the quality of what you get out.
Think of AI like a brilliant assistant who:
- Knows everything, but nothing about your specific situation
- Can do anything, but needs clear instructions
- Works fast, but can't read your mind
Your job: provide the context, details, and specifics that make the output useful.
Have your folder selected for most things, even a basic question. Claude then knows why you're asking. The selector sits under the chat box. See What is Cowork? and Context is king.
The golden formula
[Role/Context] + [Task] + [Specifics] + [Format/Tone] = Effective Prompt
Breaking it down
Role/Context: who you are and the situation.
- "I'm a sales manager preparing a quarterly review."
- "I'm planning a team offsite for 15 people."
Task: what you want done.
- "Write an email..."
- "Analyse this data..."
- "Create a list of..."
- "Summarise this document..."
Specifics: the details that change the answer. This is the bit people skip.
- Length (words, paragraphs)
- Key points to include
- What to avoid
- Who it's for
Format/Tone: how it should arrive.
- Tone: professional, warm, formal, conversational
- Format: bullet points, paragraph, table, email
- Style: concise, detailed, analytical
Examples: bad vs good
Example 1: Email writing
❌ Bad prompt:
Write an email about the project
✅ Good prompt:
I'm a project manager. Write a 150-word email to my team announcing that we're launching the new client portal next Monday.
Include:
- Go-live date and time (Monday 9am)
- What's changing for them
- Where to find training materials
- Who to contact with questions
Tone should be clear and encouraging (not overwhelming). Make them feel prepared.
Why it's better: clear context, specific details, defined length, tone guidance.
Example 2: Data analysis
❌ Bad prompt:
Look at this data
✅ Good prompt:
I'm a sales director. Analyse this Q1 sales data and:
1. Identify top 5 performing products
2. Highlight any concerning trends
3. Compare performance to same period last year
4. Suggest 3 actionable insights for Q2 planning
Format as an executive summary (max 300 words) with bullet points for key findings.
[paste data]
Why it's better: specific analytical tasks, clear output format, actionable focus.
Example 3: Content creation
❌ Bad prompt:
Write a social post
✅ Good prompt:
I'm a marketing coordinator. Write a LinkedIn post (200 words max) about our company's new remote work policy.
Key points:
- Hybrid model: 3 days in office, 2 days remote
- Employees choose which days
- Starting next month
- Focus on work-life balance and productivity
Tone: Professional but approachable. Emphasis on employee wellbeing and trust. Include 3 relevant hashtags.
Why it's better: platform specified, word limit, key messages, tone, format requirements.
Before you write the prompt
The habits that matter more than a longer prompt live on their own page: Superpower techniques. Start with the problem, plan before you execute, and tell Claude to ask you clarifying questions before it guesses.
A shape you can reuse
Use this when the task matters. Three hard rules at most. If you have more constraints, run a second pass to check them. A long list of rules gets dropped.
GOAL
[The test a finished answer must pass. Not the steps. The outcome.]
CONTEXT
[Facts it cannot know: the audience, the numbers, what has already been decided.]
CONSTRAINTS
[Three at most. Length, tone, what to leave out.]
If anything is missing, ask me first.
Goals beat examples. One example is useful when you need a format. Five examples, and it copies the surface and misses the point. Say what done looks like.
Don't lead the witness. "This is the right approach, isn't it?" and "Maybe we should just..." push it towards the answer you already want. Ask a neutral question if you actually want the flaws.
Be exact about the output. "Make it premium" is not a brief. "A one-page table: cause, evidence, fix" is.
Name what you don't want. "No preamble. Don't invent a number that isn't in the file. Don't open with 'I hope this email finds you well'."
Worked examples by job
Same shape. Different rooms. Swap in your own facts.
Board brief
GOAL
A one-page brief a non-executive can read in three minutes and know what we're asking them to decide.
CONTEXT
We're a consumer goods brand. Next month's board. Decision: whether to pause a product line that is down 18% on last year. I'll paste the two-page pack. The chair likes plain English and hates surprises.
CONSTRAINTS
One page. Lead with the decision, then the numbers, then the risk if we wait. No jargon.
If anything is missing, ask me first.
Finance variance
GOAL
Commentary I can paste under the monthly pack. Each variance over 10% gets a cause, not a description of the number.
CONTEXT
I'm the FD. Compare this month to budget and to the same month last year. I'll attach the export. Flag anything that looks like a timing difference rather than a real movement.
CONSTRAINTS
Table: line, variance, likely cause, question for the budget owner. Under 400 words. Don't invent a cause if the export doesn't support one.
If anything is missing, ask me first.
Contract risk
GOAL
A first pass of this NDA so our lawyer starts from the odd clauses, not from a blank page.
CONTEXT
We are the party receiving information. UK company. The draft is attached. We usually accept a two-year term and mutual obligations. We don't accept a non-compete.
CONSTRAINTS
Table: clause, what it says, why it matters, what we'd ask to change. Quote the draft. Don't give legal advice dressed up as certainty. Mark anything you're unsure of.
If anything is missing, ask me first.
More prompts in this shape: Recipes by role.
The six principles
1. Be specific
Vague: "Help me with marketing."
Specific: "Create 5 email subject lines for our Black Friday sale, for customers who haven't purchased in 6 months."
2. Provide context
No context: "Write a report."
With context: "I'm presenting to the executive team about customer satisfaction. Write a 1-page summary of these survey results, with the trends and what you'd recommend."
3. Define the output
Undefined: "Analyse this."
Defined: "A table with 3 columns: Finding, Impact, Recommendation."
4. Set a few constraints
Unconstrained: "Write an email."
Constrained: "Write a 100-word email. Under 3 paragraphs. Don't mention pricing."
Three hard rules, then stop. Check anything else in a second pass: "Now check this draft against the brand rules in my tone file. List what fails. Don't rewrite it yet."
5. Specify tone
No tone: "Respond to this complaint."
With tone: "Respond with empathy and professionalism. Acknowledge the frustration. Don't be defensive."
If you have a tone file, point at it. Don't re-describe your voice in every prompt.
6. Prefer a goal to a stack of examples
One short example is enough when the format is unusual. The goal does the real work.
GOAL
Three product descriptions a buyer can scan. Each one names the material, who it's for, and the price.
EXAMPLE OF THE LENGTH ONLY
"The Pro Desk Chair. All-day comfort, lumbar support, breathable mesh. Adjustable height and arms. £299."
Now write for: [your products]
Techniques that still earn their place
Current models already reason. You don't need to tell them to think step by step, and you don't need to dress them up as "an expert with 20 years' experience". That padding doesn't help. Be specific about the job instead.
Multiple options
Give me 5 versions of this headline, from plain to bold. One line on who each version is for.
Iterate on the draft
The first answer is a draft.
Prompt 1: "Draft an email about..."
Prompt 2: "Make it 30% shorter"
Prompt 3: "More weight on the deadline"
Prompt 4: "Now write the subject line"
Better than "no, that's wrong": edit your message, or tell it which section to redo. "Rewrite the opening only. Leave the rest."
A stable template
I need a [type of content] for [audience] about [topic].
Key messages:
- [point 1]
- [point 2]
- [point 3]
Tone: [tone]
Length: [length]
Format: [format]
If anything is missing, ask me first.
Quick questions, cheaply
When you don't want a research project:
Answer here. No web search. No files. Under 150 words.
Plan anything complex first
Decks, models, skills, and scheduled tasks. Don't build them until the plan is agreed. That's Superpower techniques.
Say it out loud
Typing a careful prompt is slow. Talking is faster, and you include the detail you'd have skipped.
Wispr Flow types into the Claude box, and into email, Slack, and anywhere else. Hold the key, talk, let go. See Wispr Flow.
If it isn't installed yet, use the microphone in Claude. It only works inside Claude.
A useful way in, if you can't see the prompt yet:
I'm trying to write a proposal for a new client. Ask me what you need, then draft the prompt we'll use. Don't write the proposal yet.
Speak for a few minutes. End with: "Those were messy voice notes. Ask me what you still need."
Common patterns
Summarise
Summarise this [document type] in [length]:
- Focus on [aspect]
- Highlight any [specific elements]
- Format as [structure]
[paste content]
Brainstorm
I need ideas for [goal].
Context:
- Audience: [who]
- Budget: [constraint]
- Timeline: [when]
- Must include: [requirements]
Give me 10 ideas, from the safest to the most uncomfortable. Say what you'd need to believe for each one to work.
Analyse
Analyse this [data or text] and:
1. [specific question]
2. [specific question]
3. [specific question]
Present findings as [format]. If a figure isn't in the source, say so.
Transform
Turn this [input] into [output]:
Requirements:
- [constraint 1]
- [constraint 2]
- [constraint 3]
[paste input]
Compare
Compare [A] and [B] on:
- [dimension 1]
- [dimension 2]
- [dimension 3]
A table, then a recommendation and the main reason it could be wrong.
When the result is bad
Too generic. Add the specifics. Who it's for, what decision it supports, what to leave out.
Wrong tone. Point at your tone file, or name the audience. "This is to a stockist, not to the board."
Too long or too short. Give a length. "100 words", "3 bullets", "one paragraph".
Missing the point. List what must be in it.
Wrong on the facts. It will state a guess with a straight face. You supply the facts, or you check them. Open the links. Don't trust a confident citation you haven't read.
Doesn't sound like you. That's a context problem, not a prompt problem. Fix the tone file. See Context is king.
It ignored a rule. You probably gave it eight rules. Cut to three. Check the rest in a second pass.
Where to start in 30 minutes
- Take one email you actually need to send this week.
- Write it with the formula: who you are, the task, the specifics, the format.
- Add "If anything is missing, ask me first." Answer the questions.
- Do one edit pass out loud, in Wispr Flow or with the microphone. "Shorter. Take out the apology in line two."
- Save the prompt if you'll do this job again. That's the start of a skill.
Remember: great prompting is a skill you get by doing it. Shit in, shit out. More of the right detail, better results.