The method

What a prompt is, the six steps to write it well, and the template to copy.

Introduction

What a prompt is, and why it matters

A prompt is the request you write to the AI. It looks like any other question, but it decides almost everything that comes back.

It is all the AI knows about youIt does not know your country, your industry, your client or your situation unless you tell it. Where information is missing, it fills the gap with the most common assumption.

Plausible does not mean trueThe AI does not look for the right answer. It writes the most likely one, based on your words. And it writes it in the same confident tone, whether it is right or wrong.

People who know the job ask betterThey know what information to give and what limits to set, and they notice what is missing from the answer. That is the difference you saw tonight between BEFORE and AFTER.

In this guide you will find the six-step method, the prompts of the evening's experts, ready-to-copy templates, how to prepare context with projects and skills, eight rules, and a checklist to review an answer before you use it.

The method

Six essential steps, in this order

A good prompt gives the AI what a professional would ask for before answering. The examples come from Monica Bormetti's case.

1

Role

Who the AI should be, and who it works for.

Act as my assistant in preparing psychoeducational materials.

2

Context

Country, rules that apply, industry, who you are, who the result is for.

I am working on a case of performance anxiety and I use a cognitive-behavioural approach.

3

Goal

The exact output you want: a draft, a handout, a note.

Prepare a draft handout for the patient on normalising the arousal response.

4

Requirements

What it must contain, numbered.

Explain the 'fight or flight' response using the metaphor of an alarm system.

5

Limits

What it must not do, and how to flag doubts.

Do not use generic reassuring phrases such as 'everything will be fine'.

6

Format and tone

Length, structure, language, audience.

Use language that is validating, accessible and focused on tolerating uncertainty.

The step most often missing is number 2. Without context, the AI fills the gaps with the most common assumption: when you write in Italian, it is often Italian law and Italian rules.

To copy

The template

Replace the parts in square brackets and delete the lines you do not need.

Act as [role: my assistant for / an expert in ...].

Context: [who I am and what I do]. The case concerns [specific situation].
The following apply: [country, canton, law, standards or reference method].
The result is for [who will read or use it].

Goal: prepare a draft of [specific document].

Requirements:
1. [what it must contain]
2. [what it must distinguish or compare]
3. [what it must flag]

Limits:
- Do not [what to avoid: promises, generic phrases, shortcuts].
- If you are not sure about a fact, write [to be verified] instead of making it up.
- Do not invent sources, articles or numbers.

Format: [length, structure, tone, language].
Before you answer, tell me what information you are missing.

The last line is the most useful: it asks the AI to ask the questions an expert would ask before answering.