Elements of a Prompt
Instruction - a specific task or instruction you want the model to perform
Context - external information or additional context that can steer the model to better responses
Input Data - the input or question that we are interested to find a response for
Output Indicator - the type or format of the output.
General Tips for Designing Prompts
Start Simple
As you get started with designing prompts, you should keep in mind that it is really an iterative process that requires a lot of experimentation to get optimal results.
Avoid Impreciseness
Given the tips above about being detailed and improving format, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to be too clever about prompts and potentially creating imprecise descriptions. It’s often better to be specific and direct.
For example, you might be interested in learning the concept of prompt engineering. You might try something like:
Explain the concept prompt engineering. Keep the explanation short, only a few sentences, and don't be too descriptive.
It’s not clear from the prompt above how many sentences to use and what style. You might still somewhat get good responses with the above prompts but the better prompt would be one that is very specific, concise, and to the point. Something like:
Use 2-3 sentences to explain the concept of prompt engineering to a high school student.
To do or not to do?
Another common tip when designing prompts is to avoid saying what not to do but say what to do instead.