[Colorado-Talk] Prompt engineering: How to get the most out of your AI

Wed Feb 26 16:37:33 UTC 2025

Hello Brett:

This was very nicely done! I encourage everyone to take time to read your article thoroughly.

Kindest wishes,

Curtis Chong

From: Colorado-Talk <colorado-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Brett Boyer via Colorado-Talk
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2025 6:48 AM
To: colorado-talk at nfbnet.org
Cc: Brett Boyer <bboyer202 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Colorado-Talk] Prompt engineering: How to get the most out of your AI

Unfortunately I did not attend. This is just an article I've been working on to get it out to folks. I know I don't write a lot of articles like our illustrious Mr. Chong, but I thought I would put something out to help people who might be struggling with using AI or using it And getting frustrated.

I hope this helps everyone!

On Feb 25, 2025, at 9:47 PM, Showe Trela via Colorado-Talk <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

This is wonderful. Did you go to the NFB training? Thanks for sharing this. 

Showe 

On Tue, Feb 25, 2025 at 9:33 PM Brett Boyer via Colorado-Talk <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org <mailto:colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> > wrote:

Prompt Engineering: How to Get the Most Out of Your AI

Introduction

Prompt engineering sounds fancy, and sometimes it can be, but it can also be extremely helpful if you know how to talk to your AI. You could spend all day just asking questions, or you could spend minutes asking the right questions. Here’s some background on how AI processes your data and what you can do to get the right information out of your AI.

What Is Prompt Engineering?

At its core, prompt engineering is the practice of crafting clear, precise, and structured inputs to get the best possible responses from an AI system. Think of it like giving instructions to a chef—if you're vague, you might get something edible, but if you're specific, you get exactly what you want.

How AI Understands Your Prompts

• Context Matters: The more relevant details you provide, the better the AI can tailor its response.

• Structure Improves Accuracy: A well-organized prompt increases the likelihood of getting useful results.

• Constraints Guide the Output: If you specify format, length, or style, the AI adjusts its response accordingly.

How to Write Better Prompts

1. Be Clear and Specific

Instead of: Tell me about space travel.

Try: Summarize the key milestones in human space travel since 1960.

2. Provide Context

Instead of: Give me marketing ideas.

Try: Suggest five creative marketing strategies for a small, online bakery that specializes in gluten-free desserts.

3. Use Constraints and Formatting

Instead of: Help me write an email.

Try: Draft a professional email to a client informing them of a delayed shipment. Keep it under 150 words.

Advanced Prompting Techniques

1. Role-Playing Prompts

Make the AI take on a persona or expertise level.

Act as a professional resume writer. Rewrite my resume summary to make it more engaging.

2. Chain of Thought Prompting

Encourage step-by-step reasoning.

Explain how inflation works step by step, as if teaching a high school student.

3. Multi-Step Prompts

Break down requests for complex tasks.

First, summarize the causes of the Great Depression in three sentences. Then, list five major consequences.

4. Comparative Prompts

Ask the AI to compare two things to understand nuances.

Compare capitalism and socialism in terms of economic efficiency and social equity.

5. Example-Based Prompting

Provide a sample to guide the response.

Write a product description for a smartwatch similar in tone to this one: [Insert example].

6. Reverse Engineering Prompts

Instead of asking for an answer, ask AI how it would generate one.

If I wanted to write a viral social media post about eco-friendly living, what structure and key elements should I include?

Why You Should Save and Reuse Prompts

As you refine your prompts, you’ll find some that work exceptionally well for specific tasks. Instead of reinventing the wheel, save them for future use.

Benefits of Keeping a Prompt Library:

• Efficiency: Quickly reuse well-crafted prompts instead of writing new ones from scratch.

• Consistency: Ensure you get similar high-quality results each time.

• Customization: Adapt prompts over time to better fit your needs.

Final Thoughts

Prompt engineering isn’t about memorizing magic words—it’s about thinking critically about what you need and how to ask for it effectively. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at crafting prompts that make AI work for you.

So next time you use AI, don’t just ask questions—ask the right questions.

Brett Boyer

Access Technology Instructor

Colorado Center for the Blind

_______________________________________________
Colorado-Talk mailing list
Colorado-Talk at nfbnet.org <mailto:Colorado-Talk at nfbnet.org> 
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Colorado-Talk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/myshowe86%40gmail.com
List archives can be found at <http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org>

_______________________________________________
Colorado-Talk mailing list
Colorado-Talk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Colorado-Talk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/bboyer202%40gmail.com
List archives can be found at <http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20250226/3226f764/attachment.htm>