Module 2: Be Clear, Be Specific!
Learn how to write clear instructions that AI can understand
Learning Objectives
- Learn how to write clear and specific prompts
- Understand why details matter when talking to AI
- Practice improving vague prompts
Why Clarity Matters
Imagine you're playing a game of "Simon Says" with a friend who takes everything very literally. If you say, "Simon says touch your nose," they'll touch their nose. But if you say, "Simon says move your hand," they might be confused. Move it where? How far? Which hand?
AI is a lot like that friend. It needs clear, specific instructions to understand exactly what you want. When your prompts are vague or confusing, the AI has to guess what you mean, and it might guess wrong!
Vague prompt: "Write a story."
AI's dilemma: What kind of story? How long? Who are the characters? What's the setting? What genre?
Clear prompt: "Write a short adventure story about a 12-year-old who discovers a secret door in their school library. The story should be about 300 words and have a surprising ending."
The clear prompt gives the AI specific details about what you want, making it much more likely that you'll get a story you enjoy!
Common Mistakes in Prompt Writing
Even when we try to be clear, we sometimes make mistakes that confuse AI. Let's look at some common problems:
1. Being Too Vague
Vague: "Tell me about sports."
Better: "Explain three popular team sports played in schools, including the basic rules and equipment needed."
2. Using Ambiguous Words
Ambiguous: "Tell me about cool animals."
Better: "Tell me about animals that live in extremely cold environments like the Arctic and how they survive there."
3. Asking for Too Much at Once
Overwhelming: "Tell me about planets, stars, black holes, astronauts, rockets, and how to become a scientist, plus give me a quiz about space."
Better: "Tell me three interesting facts about each planet in our solar system that would surprise a 7th-grade student."
4. Not Specifying Format
Unclear format: "Give me information about photosynthesis."
Better: "Explain photosynthesis in a step-by-step process with 5 steps that would be easy for a 7th-grade student to understand."
How to Add Helpful Details to Your Prompts
To make your prompts super clear, try including these types of details:
1. Who is the information for?
Tell the AI who will be using the information. This helps it adjust the complexity and style.
"Explain how airplanes fly in a way that a 7th-grade student would understand."
2. What format do you want?
Specify if you want a list, story, explanation, poem, etc.
"Create a bulleted list of 5 ways to reduce plastic waste at school."
3. How long should it be?
Indicate the length you want, either in words, paragraphs, or time to read.
"Write a short paragraph of about 3-4 sentences describing what causes rainbows."
4. What style or tone?
Let the AI know if you want something funny, serious, exciting, etc.
"Tell me about dinosaurs in a funny and exciting way that would make kids laugh."
Remember: The more specific details you provide, the better the AI can understand what you want!
The CLEAR Method for Writing Prompts
Here's an easy way to remember how to write good prompts. Just think of the word CLEAR:
C - Context (Who is this for? Why do you need it?)
L - Length (How long should the response be?)
E - Examples (Can you give an example of what you want?)
A - Action (What exactly should the AI do?)
R - Result (What format or style do you want?)
You don't need to include all of these in every prompt, but the more you include, the clearer your prompt will be!
Using the CLEAR method:
"I'm working on a science project about volcanoes (Context). Please write a 200-word explanation (Length) of how volcanoes erupt (Action). Include a comparison to shaking a soda bottle and opening it (Example). Make it exciting and use simple language that a 7th-grade student would understand (Result)."
Let's Test Your Knowledge!
Time for a quick quiz to see what you've learned about writing clear prompts.
Question 1: Which of these prompts is the most clear and specific?
Question 2: What does the "L" stand for in the CLEAR method?
Question 3: Why is it helpful to tell the AI who the information is for?
Fix the Prompt Challenge!
Let's practice improving vague prompts. For each vague prompt below, try to make it more clear and specific using what you've learned.
Vague prompt: "Tell me about the ocean."
Your improved prompt could be: "Explain three amazing ocean discoveries from the last 10 years that would fascinate a 7th-grade student. Include what was discovered and why it's important."
Practice with Promptie
Now try improving these vague prompts on your own:
- "Help with my homework."
- "Tell me about space."
- "Make a game."
What We Learned
- Clear, specific prompts help AI understand exactly what you want
- Common mistakes include being too vague, using ambiguous words, and asking for too much at once
- Adding details about audience, format, length, and style makes prompts better
- The CLEAR method helps you remember important elements to include in your prompts
- Practice improving vague prompts by adding specific details
Great job completing Module 2! In the next module, we'll learn how to use context and examples to make our prompts even more effective.
