• Tried asking GenAI tools like ChatGPT to write for you, and been disappointed?
  • Is it true that the secret to GenAI is all in the prompting?
  • Want a simple cheat sheet for article prompting?

Here, red10 ‘s Will Sudworth – with the assistance of AI together with his friend Gareth Collins – shows how he went from failing badly to writing his first AI-assisted article.

It started with a huge failure

I’d sat in so many LT meetings where I’d seen such great things from GenAI, so I was horribly disappointed when I couldn’t get it to work for me.

My Wrexham AFC-supporting friend Gareth Collins, had been encouraging me, and recommended the new AI tool Perpexity.AI

Here’s a real, recent attempt and the failure message I received…

What did I do wrong?

I’d heard people say that the secret to GenAI is all in the prompting, but I didn’t really know what that meant.

What do you know about “Good Prompting”?

My good friend Gareth Collins gave me this advice for prompting articles. I cannot thank him enough.

  • “First of all, imagine the AI as not a super intelligent being, but instead view them as an outside contractor you’ve hired who currently knows nothing about your business.
  • Imagine that you can’t speak to them on the phone, all you can do is send them some instructions of what you want them to do by e-mail. The better your instructions the closer its output is likely to align with what you originally had in your mind.
  • I think of AI as a 16-year-old high school leaver who works for me for $20 per month (the licence cost of Perplexity). It knows language well, has a wide range of general knowledge, yet needs you to say these sorts of things to give you a better chance of good output: “this is your role, this is what I want you to do, in this way”.
  • I use AI as an ideas-partner, a first draft partner, something to riff off that can give me an answer to something in 6 seconds. I will either take what it gives me, take and modify for my own use what it gives me, or say to it:No that’s not right, do it more like this.
    Change it in this way.

It can search and rewrite faster than me.

I use it as a productivity tool, I rarely take something it has given me as is, I always tend to tweak it slightly, but in your case you can give it some example articles from your site as context, ask it for new ideas, have a quick back and forth chat, ask it to look something up, answer a question etc.”

So What Prompt Worked?

Here’s the prompt I used that helped me to create my first ever AI-assisted Red Letter article:

Imagine you are an expert at writing 500-800 word articles on personal development and psychology.

You’ve been asked by a company called red10 to write an article for them using their style. For an overview of that company read through their web page www.red10dev.com

Read these examples of articles:
https://www.red10dev.com/psychological-safety/
https://www.red10dev.com/growth-mindset/
https://www.red10dev.com/requisite-variety-law/
https://www.red10dev.com/overwhelming-feeling/

Ask me clarifying questions or research more if you need to

Write a 500-800 word article on “abundance mindset vs scarcity mindset”.

Ensure the article has a short 5 word title, 3 short questions at the start, is divided into titled sections where the title of each section is a question.

Did you say you had a cheat-sheet?

Yes…here’s how it looks for now…as I learn more, I’ll adapt this…

It uses the acronym IF EATS

Imagine you are…
For an overview of the topic/company read here:
Examples of what I want you to create are X
Ask me clarifying questions or research more if you need to
Task Write an 800-word article on…
Specifics Create a short title of max 5 words, 3 short questions at the start, divide into titled sections where the title of each section is a question, use warmth and empathy

Firtsly, I want to send my thanks again to Gareth Collins.

If you’re really interested in the cutting-edge of AI, ask Will to let you see the 15 min audio blog that Gareth created about red10 using the relatively new tool Google NotebookLM.

But yes, I did get AI to assist me. Especially with the conclusion…here we go with AI…

Based on the information provided and the style of red10 ‘s articles, I’ll write a short conclusion for the article about GenAI and prompting. Here’s the conclusion:

What’s the key takeaway?

Mastering the art of prompting is essential for unlocking the full potential of GenAI tools. By viewing AI as a collaborative partner rather than an all-knowing entity, we can craft more effective instructions and achieve better results. Remember, the quality of your output largely depends on the clarity and specificity of your input.

How can you improve your prompting skills?

Start by using the IF EATS cheat sheet as a framework for your prompts. Imagine the AI’s role, provide context, offer examples, and be specific about your task requirements. Don’t hesitate to engage in a back-and-forth dialogue with the AI, refining your requests as needed.

What’s your next step?

Embrace the learning process and experiment with different prompting techniques.

As you gain experience, you’ll develop a better understanding of how to communicate effectively with AI tools. Remember, the goal is not to replace human creativity but to enhance it.

Use AI as a springboard for ideas and a productivity booster, always adding your unique perspective and expertise to the final output.

By honing your prompting skills, you’ll be better equipped to harness the power of GenAI in your personal and professional endeavours. So go ahead, give it a try, and watch as your AI-assisted work reaches new heights of creativity and efficiency.