A one-line prompt is a wish. A work prompt is a ticket: who it is for, what is true, what is forbidden, and what “done” looks like.
Aside. The robot does not get your badge. Your manager still reads the email with your name on it.
“Unlock the model” is not a skill. Writing the packet is.
The four lines that stop most junk
- Role — the job and the reader, not “world-class expert.”
- Facts — only what you pasted or typed. If it is missing, say NEED.
- Fences — no prices, no legal promises, no medical advice, no names you did not supply.
- Done — bullets, a 120-word email, a three-option list with a recommendation. Pick one.
Bad: “Write something good about the delay.”
Useful:
You are writing for a store manager who has eight minutes before open.
Facts you may use: shipment delayed to Thursday; we will pull from the downtown warehouse; no discount was approved.
Do not invent a reason, a refund, or a name.
Output: 8-line email, subject line, one sentence I should not send if I am unsure.
Techniques that earn their keep
- One example of a good reply you already sent. Models copy shape better than they copy slogans.
- Step out loud for anything with a number: “list the steps, then the answer.” You will see where it left the rails.
- Two drafts, same packet in two tools if the send matters. Agreement is comforting. Disagreement is a gift.
Skip “act as a helpful assistant.” It is already trying to be that. It does not know your customer.
What to do with the first draft
Read it like a colleague you do not fully trust. Delete the throat-clearing. Check every proper noun. If a sentence would be expensive if wrong, verify it in the system of record — the CRM, the policy PDF, the sheet — not in a second chat.
Save the ones that work
A notes file with five prompts you reuse beats a “prompt library” you never open. Name them after the job: late-shipment-email, meeting-recap, weekly-to-manager.
Try this today
Take the next email you owe. Do not start in the compose window. Write the four lines. Generate. Edit. Send from you.
You are done when
You have one saved prompt that produced a draft you actually sent — after you checked it.