Mastering Prompting with ChatGPT and Google Bard

Jun 30, 2024

Mastering Prompting with ChatGPT and Google Bard

Introduction

  • Presenter: Jeff, tech professional. Spent hundreds of hours learning prompt engineering.
  • Goal: Teach a formula for consistently generating high-quality outputs from ChatGPT and Google Bard.
  • Importance of Prompting: Good prompts produce precise results, while bad ones give generic outputs.

The Six Building Blocks of a Good Prompt

  1. Task
  2. Context
  3. Exemplars
  4. Persona
  5. Format
  6. Tone

Task

  • Action Verbs: Start tasks with verbs like generate, give, write, analyze.
  • Clarity: Clearly state what you want to achieve.

Context

  • Questions to Determine Context:
    • What's the user's background?
    • What does success look like?
    • What environment are they in?

Exemplars

  • Definition: Examples to guide the AI.
  • Benefit: Greatly improve the quality of outputs.
  • Use Cases:
    • Bullet points for resumes
    • STAR framework for interview prep
  • Complex Examples: Providing existing formats for job descriptions.

Persona

  • Definition: The role you want the AI to play.
  • Examples:
    • Physical therapist for workout plans.
    • Recruiter for job seeking.
    • Senior product marketing manager for creative briefs.
  • Pro Tip: Use famous individuals or fictional characters.

Format

  • Visualization: Visualize the end result's look and feel.
  • Common Formats: Tables, emails, bullet points, code blocks.
  • Pro Tip: Requesting bold changes for proofreads.

Tone

  • Definition: The mood or attitude in the response.
  • Tone Types: Casual, formal, witty, enthusiastic, pessimistic.
  • Pro Tip: Explain the desired feeling to the AI for better tone suggestions.

Comprehensive Prompt Example

  • Context: Launching the Apple Car with Tesla.
  • Task: Write an email to Tim Cook about pre-orders.
  • Persona: Senior Product Marketing Manager at Apple.
  • Format: Include TL;DR, project background, business results, and team thanks.
  • Tone: Clear, concise, confident, yet friendly.

Conclusion

  • Comparison of Prompts: Detailed prompts yield better results than generic ones.
  • Next Steps: Upcoming video on advanced prompting.
  • Additional Resources: Top five ChatGPT productivity tips.