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Lesson 2 of 5 · 10 minutes · Module 1: Say what you mean

The four parts of a good prompt

A good prompt usually has four parts: the task, the context, the format and the rules. We didn’t invent that. It’s close to what the makers of ChatGPT and Claude both advise. You’ll learn each part, then send a real prompt built from all four.

You need

  • A free ChatGPT or Claude account
  • A real job you’d like help with

A narrated walkthrough of this lesson is coming. The steps below cover everything in it.

Written by Jack Stovell · Updated 3 October 2026

  1. Step 1 of 7

    What OpenAI advises

    OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, says to be clear and specific, to give enough context, and to refine your prompt after you see the answer. It also says to name the tone you want with words like formal, friendly or professional.

    Screenshot captured 3 October 2026.
    1. Be clear and specific, and give context
    2. Refine it after you see the answer
    3. Name the tone you want

    Step 1: What OpenAI advises

    OpenAI’s help page "Prompt engineering best practices for ChatGPT", showing three tips: be clear and specific, iterative refinement, and requesting a different tone.

    CheckpointYou know what ChatGPT’s makers advise.

  2. Step 2 of 7

    What Anthropic advises

    Anthropic, which makes Claude, says to be clear and direct, to treat Claude like a brilliant new employee who doesn’t know how you work, and to be specific about the format and limits you want.

    Screenshot captured 3 October 2026.
    1. Be clear and direct
    2. Treat it like a new colleague with no context
    3. The golden rule
    4. Say what format and limits you want

    Step 2: What Anthropic advises

    Anthropic’s prompting guide at the heading "Be clear and direct", with the line about treating Claude as a brilliant but new employee, the golden rule, and the advice to be specific about the desired output format and constraints.

    CheckpointYou know what Claude’s makers advise, and that it matches.

  3. Step 3 of 7

    Part 1: the task

    Start with one sentence saying what you want made. Use a doing word: write, plan, list, check, explain. Ours: “Write a short notice about Christmas orders for my bakery.”

    CheckpointYou’ve written one sentence that says what you want.

  4. Step 4 of 7

    Part 2: the context

    Say who you are, who it’s for, and the facts it needs. Anything you leave out, it will guess, and a guess can end up as a promise you never made. Ours gave the bakery, what it makes, how ordering works and the two Christmas dates. Anthropic adds that saying why you want something helps it give a better answer.

    CheckpointYour context has every fact the AI needs, so it has nothing to guess.

  5. Step 5 of 7

    Part 3: the format

    Say what shape you want back: how long, how many versions, in a list or as paragraphs. Ours asked for two versions: about 40 words for a window poster and about 80 words for Facebook.

    CheckpointYou’ve said how long it should be and what shape.

  6. Step 6 of 7

    Part 4: the rules

    Add the dos and don’ts: tone, spelling, and what not to add. Ours said plain, friendly UK English, no prices, no emojis, and no offers, products or dates we hadn’t mentioned. That last rule is the one that stops it making things up.

    CheckpointYou have at least one rule about what it must not add.

  7. Step 7 of 7

    Send it and check the reply

    Put the four parts together and send them. You can copy ours and change it to fit your job. Ours came back with both versions, used only our two dates, and pointed out that we’d forgotten to give an email address for orders. It was right.

    The prompt · works in ChatGPT, Claude or any AI chat tool
    Task: Write a short notice about Christmas orders for my bakery. Context: I run Brook Lane Bakes, a home bakery in a small town. I make sourdough loaves and celebration cakes to order. Customers order by email and collect on Friday or Saturday, 8am to 1pm. This year the last day to order for Christmas is Saturday 12 December, and the last collection day before Christmas is Saturday 19 December. Format: Give me two versions. One of about 40 words for a poster in my window. One of about 80 words for my Facebook page. Rules: Plain, friendly UK English. No prices. No emojis. Don't add offers, products or dates I haven't mentioned.

    The reply we got on 2026-10-03, unedited. Read our reply.

    Screenshot to come

    We haven’t captured this step yet. We’d rather show nothing than an old or made-up screen.

    CheckpointYou have a reply that used only the facts you gave it.

Common problems

When you have finished

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Previous: lesson 1Why AI answers come back vagueNext: lesson 3Show it an example

Steps 1 and 2 are the makers’ own public guidance pages, captured by tools/capture/prompting-for-beginners.mjs. Step 7 happens in a signed-in chat, so it has no screenshot yet; the prompt and reply are in outputs/.

Sources, checked 3 October 2026