Ask for the result you want
When an answer disappoints you, find what your request left out, add it, and send it again.
Prevents mistakes like "A request most people have sent".
Help me write a clear request for a task. Don't do the task itself. The task: [what you want done, in your own words] About me and my work: [two or three lines about your work] First ask me up to three questions, one at a time. Ask only about facts or about the reader: things that would change the result. Then write the request in five short parts: the job (the result I want), the material (the facts I must paste in), the constraints (who reads it and what they already know), the output shape (length and format), and the rules (what must not happen). Don't invent facts, names, dates or figures. Where a fact is missing, write ADD: and say what I need to paste. Use lengths and formats, not words like "professional" or "concise". Keep the request under 200 words, in plain text I can copy.
When an answer disappoints you, find what your request left out, add it, and send it again.
Imagine you run a small tuition centre. Your Std 10 evening batch has to move to a later time. You ask AI:
write a message to parents about the timing change
It gives you:
Dear Parents, I hope this message finds you well. Due to unforeseen circumstances, there will be a change in class timings. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Nothing in it is wrong. Nothing in it is useful either. It doesn't say which batch, what time or from when.
Look at what the AI was given. It knew there was a timing change, that there were parents, and that you wanted a message. It had to guess everything else. Lesson 1 showed what happens then: the reply added a delivery date nobody had promised. Here it added "unforeseen circumstances".
The AI didn't fail. The request left out five things.
| Part | What you write | Without it |
|---|---|---|
| The job | The result you want, and why | It writes a typical message, not the one you need |
| The material | The facts, pasted in | It fills each gap with something that sounds right |
| The constraints | Who reads it, and what they know or worry about | Right facts, wrong reader |
| The output shape | Length and format | A long reply when you wanted three lines you could send |
| The rules | What must not happen | The line you delete every time |
You don't need to learn the names today. You need to notice which one is missing when a reply lets you down.
5 to 10 minutes. You'll rewrite one request you really send, in five short lines, and send it before you finish. Lesson 4 starts from this request, and Lesson 6 turns it into a prompt you save.
Open Your tasks from Lesson 1 and take the task you chose to start with. If a request disappointed you this week, use that one. Either works.
Here's a filled example, from the printing shop in Lesson 1:
| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| The job | Tell Mrs Rao her 200 wedding cards are delayed, so she hears it from us first. |
| The material | The paper arrived late. Printing starts Wednesday. No delivery date yet. |
| The constraints | She has ordered from us once. The wedding is on the 24th. She is worried. |
| The output shape | A WhatsApp message, under 50 words. |
| The rules | Don't promise a date. One line of apology, not two. |
If you want to see the difference, send your old one-line version in a fresh chat as well. "More details" has room for a second and a third request. One is enough for now.
Your requests
One request you really send, rewritten in five short lines. Lessons 4 and 6 start from it.
A few words. For example: telling a customer their order is delayed.
One line each: the job, the material, the constraints, the output shape, the rules.
More details (optional)
Only if you have one. Keep its vagueness; it shows what changed.
Look at the last request you sent. Can you point to all five parts in it?
Can you name one task this week where writing five parts would be the wrong move, and say why?
If a reply disappoints you today, name the missing part before you type anything else.
Your request stays saved in this browser. Lesson 4 opens it again: you'll find out what background the AI was still missing, and keep that for next time. Lesson 6 opens it too, and turns it into a prompt you can paste every time.
For now, remember:
When the answer is wrong, change the request.