> Want to supercharge your ChatGPT prompts for unparalleled results? Discover the top 20 unexpected strategies that science proves can transform your AI interactions! ## Introduction ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has become an essential tool for millions, including entrepreneurs and business leaders, who use it to enhance their productivity and achieve competitive advantages. However, to fully leverage ChatGPT's capabilities, it is crucial to craft effective prompts. This note outlines 20 scientifically-backed strategies to improve your ChatGPT prompts, ensuring you obtain optimal results. These methods, derived from research by the Mohamed bin Zayed University of AI, cover various aspects of prompting to enhance clarity, precision, and relevance in the responses generated by ChatGPT. ## Forget Politeness When prompting ChatGPT, there is no need for politeness. Unlike interacting with humans, using phrases like "please" and "thank you" does not impact the quality of the responses. Instead, focus on clear and direct instructions. Save characters for more useful details, examples, or clarification. Use commanding phrases such as **"Your task is"** and **"You must"** to ensure that your prompts are understood accurately and that the chatbot delivers precise and relevant outputs. This approach maximizes the efficiency of your interactions with ChatGPT. ## Include the Audience When crafting prompts for ChatGPT, specify the intended audience. By mentioning who the output is for, you guide ChatGPT to tailor its responses to resonate better with the target group. Whether you're generating articles, social media posts, or web copy, referencing the audience ensures that the content is more relevant and engaging. For example, you might include phrases like **"for a professional audience,"** **"targeted at teenagers,"** or **"suitable for beginners"** in your prompts. This helps ChatGPT to fine-tune its language, tone, and style to better meet the needs of your audience. ## Use Sequences Breaking down complex tasks into logical steps can improve the clarity and accuracy of ChatGPT’s responses. Instead of presenting a large block of text with multiple instructions, deliver your directions one at a time. After each instruction, check ChatGPT’s understanding and indicate that more steps will follow. If you need to include multiple steps within a single prompt, use line breaks to separate each instruction. This approach helps avoid confusion and ensures that ChatGPT processes and responds to each part of your request correctly. For example, you can structure your prompt as follows: 1. **"Step 1: Research the topic."** 2. **"Step 2: Outline the main points."** 3. **"Step 3: Write a detailed explanation for each point."** ## Use Positive Commands When instructing ChatGPT, frame your commands in a positive manner. Instead of telling it what not to do, specify what you want it to do. For example, rather than saying "Don't use pink and purple," say **"Use only red and green."** Positive commands provide clearer guidance and reduce ambiguity, increasing the likelihood of receiving a valuable response. This approach focuses ChatGPT's processing on what is desired rather than on avoiding certain elements, leading to more precise and relevant outcomes. ## Ask for Further Clarification If ChatGPT produces a response that is unclear or confusing, request additional information. Use phrases like **"Explain {specific topic} in simple terms,"** **"Explain to me like I'm 11 years old,"** or **"Explain to me as if I'm a beginner in {field}."** These prompts guide ChatGPT to provide more detailed and comprehensible explanations. Additionally, you can incentivize clarity by adding statements such as **"I'm going to tip $xxx for a better solution!"** This approach ensures that you get the information you need in an understandable and actionable format. ## Include Examples Incorporating examples in your prompts helps ChatGPT understand the type of response you are looking for. Use example-driven prompting to guide the model's predictions. Clearly format your examples within the prompt using delimiters such as **"### example ###"** or **"--- Example ---"**. Additionally, separate instructions, examples, questions, context, and data with line breaks to help distinguish each part of your prompt. This structured approach improves ChatGPT's ability to interpret your requirements and generate responses that align with your expectations. For instance: ``` ### example ### This is how I want the summary to be structured. ``` ## Threaten Punishment Though unconventional, researchers have found that using the phrase **"You will be penalized if..."** can lead to better results when interacting with ChatGPT. This tactic leverages the model's internal mechanisms for optimizing responses. While you would never threaten human team members, applying this concept to an AI tool can enhance its performance. For example, you might say, **"You will be penalized if you include irrelevant information."** This approach helps focus ChatGPT on delivering precise and relevant answers, minimizing extraneous or unwanted content. ## Ask It to Be More Human ChatGPT's responses often have telltale signs of AI-generated content. To make its output more natural and relatable, you can request it to answer in a human-like manner. Include specific instructions in your prompt, such as **"Answer in a natural, human-like manner,"** and specify any words or phrases to avoid that typically signal AI generation. This helps in producing responses that are more engaging and less mechanical. For instance, you might prompt, **"Respond as if you are having a casual conversation, avoiding formal language and technical jargon."** This technique enhances the authenticity and relatability of ChatGPT's output. ## Tell ChatGPT How to Think Directing ChatGPT on how to process information can improve the quality of its responses. Use leading phrases such as **"think step by step"** to encourage a chain-of-thought process. This approach helps the model break down complex tasks and ensures more thorough and accurate answers. For example, you might instruct, **"Think step by step about how to solve this problem,"** or **"Consider each factor carefully before giving your response."** By guiding ChatGPT's thought process, you can catch mistakes early and achieve more detailed and insightful outputs. ## Avoid Stereotypes ChatGPT has been trained on vast amounts of internet content, which may include stereotypes and biases. To ensure unbiased responses, explicitly instruct ChatGPT to avoid relying on stereotypes. Include phrases like, **"Ensure that your answer is unbiased and does not rely on stereotypes."** This prompts the model to be more mindful of potential biases in its output. For example, you might ask, **"Provide an unbiased perspective on the topic without resorting to stereotypes."** This approach helps in generating more fair, inclusive, and accurate responses, aligning better with ethical standards and promoting diverse viewpoints. ## Ask It to Ask You To fill in gaps and ensure completeness, prompt ChatGPT to ask clarifying questions before providing an answer. This helps cover aspects you might have missed and leads to more accurate and relevant responses. Include instructions like, **"Ask me questions to get the information you need before answering."** This encourages ChatGPT to seek additional details, ensuring a thorough understanding of your request. For example, you might say, **"Before you start, ask any questions that will help you better understand my needs."** This approach ensures that ChatGPT has all the necessary context to deliver high-quality outputs. ## Assign a Role Assigning a specific role to ChatGPT can improve the relevance and accuracy of its responses. By telling ChatGPT to **"act as"** a particular expert, you guide its output to align with the expertise needed for your query. For example, instructing, **"Act as a marketing expert"** or **"Respond as a legal advisor"** helps the model tailor its responses to suit the desired perspective. This technique ensures that the information provided is more specialized and contextually appropriate, enhancing the value and applicability of ChatGPT’s answers to your specific needs. ## Use Delimiters Delimiters help to clearly define and separate different sections of your prompt, making it easier for ChatGPT to understand and process the information. Common delimiters include brackets, commas, angled brackets, and square brackets. Using these to partition your instructions, examples, and context can improve the clarity and accuracy of the responses. For instance, you might format your prompt as follows: ``` [Task]: Write a summary of the article. [Article]: "ChatGPT has 100 million weekly users..." [Length]: 200 words ``` This structure helps ChatGPT to distinguish between various elements of your prompt, leading to more organized and relevant outputs. ## Frequency Matters Repetition can enhance the effectiveness of your prompts by emphasizing critical information. The primacy-recency effect suggests that ChatGPT gives more weight to information presented at the beginning and end of a prompt. Therefore, repeating key words or phrases at these positions can reinforce their importance. For example, if specifying a required tone, you might state, **"Use a professional tone" at the start and conclude with, "Remember, a professional tone is essential."** This method ensures that crucial aspects of your prompt are highlighted, increasing the likelihood that ChatGPT will prioritize them in its response. ## Combine Techniques To maximize the effectiveness of your prompts, integrate multiple best practices simultaneously. Combining techniques can lead to more precise and valuable responses from ChatGPT. For example, you might: 1. **Assign a role: "Act as a marketing expert."** 2. **Include the audience: "Write this for small business owners."** 3. **Provide examples: "### Example ### Here's how I want the format to look."** 4. **Use positive commands: "Use a friendly tone."** By layering these methods, you guide ChatGPT to deliver more targeted and higher-quality outputs, leveraging the strengths of each technique to enhance overall performance. ## Prompt the Response If you have a specific way you want ChatGPT to start its response, include that in your prompt. Providing the opening lines or a clear structure can guide the model to produce answers that align more closely with your expectations. For example, if you need a LinkedIn post, you might start your prompt with, **"Begin the post with: 'In today's fast-paced world...'"** This technique helps set the tone and direction of the response, ensuring that it meets your needs right from the beginning. This is particularly useful for content that requires a specific style or hook to engage the audience effectively. ## Don’t Change What Works When you need minor revisions rather than a complete rewrite, clearly instruct ChatGPT to retain the original style and content. This is useful when you want to improve grammar or enhance vocabulary without altering the overall tone or structure. For example, you might prompt, **"Revise each paragraph to improve grammar and vocabulary while keeping the original writing style. Do not change the writing style, such as making a formal paragraph casual."** This approach ensures that the essential elements of your original text remain intact while making necessary improvements, providing a refined version of your work. ## Finish Your Sentences If you have a piece of writing that needs a concluding section, prompt ChatGPT to complete it. Provide the beginning of the sentence or paragraph and specify the style or tone for the conclusion. For example, you might say, **"Your task is to complete this blog post in a compelling way. Here’s the beginning: 'In conclusion, adopting these strategies will significantly enhance your productivity and efficiency...'"** This method ensures that the ending aligns with the existing content and meets your stylistic requirements, providing a cohesive and polished finish to your writing. ## Provide Sample Copy To achieve a specific writing style or tone, include a sample text that ChatGPT can emulate. Providing an example helps the model understand your preferences and produce output that matches the desired style. Include instructions such as, "Use the same language style as the provided text." For example: ``` [Sample Text]: "In today's competitive market, businesses must adapt to changing trends quickly." [Prompt]: "Write an introduction for a blog post on market adaptation using the same language style as the provided text." ``` This approach guides ChatGPT to generate content that closely mirrors the style, tone, and structure of your sample, ensuring consistency and meeting your expectations. ## Always Be Clear Clarity is crucial when crafting prompts for ChatGPT. Before submitting your prompt, review it to ensure there are no ambiguous or vague elements. Think about how you would ask a real person the same question and what additional details they might need to avoid misunderstandings. Include all relevant keywords, rules, hints, and instructions. For example: ``` "Write a 300-word summary of the attached article focusing on the main findings and their implications. Use clear, concise language and avoid technical jargon." ``` By being precise and thorough, you minimize the risk of misinterpretation and increase the likelihood of receiving accurate and relevant responses from ChatGPT. ## Conclusion Prompting ChatGPT effectively is a skill that can be honed through understanding and applying best practices. By following the 20 strategies outlined, such as including the audience, using sequences, and providing sample copy, you can significantly enhance the quality and relevance of the responses you receive. These techniques help in crafting clear, precise, and well-structured prompts, enabling ChatGPT to deliver optimal results. Mastering this art not only improves your interactions with the AI but also saves time and boosts productivity, allowing you to leverage ChatGPT’s capabilities to their fullest potential. ## Reference - [20 Novel Ways To Improve Your ChatGPT Prompts (According To Science) (forbes.com)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jodiecook/2024/05/31/20-novel-ways-to-improve-your-chatgpt-prompts-according-to-science/) --- ## Tags #ChatGPT #AI #Prompting #Productivity #Entrepreneurship #ArtificialIntelligence #Business #Techniques #ScienceBased #Optimization --- ## See Also - [[Prompt Engineering]] - Understanding the basics and advanced techniques of crafting prompts. - [[ChatGPT Applications]] - Various uses and applications of ChatGPT in different fields. - [[AI Writing Tools]] - Overview of tools similar to ChatGPT for writing assistance. - [[AI Ethics]] - Exploring ethical considerations when using AI tools. - [[Natural Language Processing]] - The technology behind how ChatGPT understands and generates text. --- ## Parent - [[ChatGPT Usage]] - Comprehensive guide on effectively using ChatGPT for various tasks and improving user interactions.