Lesson 5 of 89 min

How to Write a Useful Prompt

Learning goal: Write prompts with goal, context, input, constraints, output — and verification.

Lesson

Useful prompts need Goal, Context, Input, Constraints and Output; important tasks also need Verification. Specify audience, evidence boundary, length and uncertainty. Inspect the first result and refine unclear instructions. Examples guide tone and format; constraints improve safety and consistency.

Example

Summarize an attached article in 150 words using only that article and flag uncertain claims.

Common mistake

Adding length without clarity.

Exercise

Draft and revise a prompt using all six fields.

Commands to try

Curated workflow shortcuts from the Academy library — not necessarily native Claude commands.

Quick check

What beats “make it better”?

Answer: A defined audience, goal, limits and format.