Unlock AI Potential: 4 Steps to Write AI Prompts That Deliver Results

Hello and welcome again to Elevated, the podcast helping you build a better Kitchen & Bath Design business through innovation and modernization. I’m your host, Brandy Lawson, and if you want to master AI, particularly through AI prompt writing, this is a key episode for you.

In 2022 IBM reported that 35% of businesses were using AI globally. More recently the US Census Bureau’s data reflected adoption of AI in the U.S. overall is relatively low with only 5% of businesses currently using it. In the industry breakdown of AI usage, Construction came in at 1%. Even though the US is still only in single digit adoption, it is likely that number will increase exponentially in the next year or two. But why are the numbers so low?

Obviously there can be a lot of barriers to embracing innovation, but one of the chief objections I’ve heard to using the currently available AI tools is “I didn’t get anything useful when I tried it.”

Ah yes, well there is that old adage “garbage in, garbage out.” AI is no exception to the reality that you need high quality input to achieve high quality output. The learning curve with AI is to understand how to create prompts that get the desired result. And to do that requires something that hasn’t really been absolutely necessary before, we have to reveal and understand our own thinking.

Don’t run away! Granted, the prospect of making your thinking transparent can seem daunting, but you know I’ve got a framework to get you started. And, like most things in life and business, this is a skill you can build.

AI prompt writing, or prompt engineering, is really just breaking down the steps needed to frame out any problem or task. I think the biggest issue is that without understanding or practice, we tend to skip directly to the task description without providing the adequate background information and contextualization. The biggest secret here? AI can be your Jerry Maguire, it can help you help it.

Let’s break down the 4 steps to successful AI prompt writing:

1. Tell AI the role it needs to play.

By default ChatGPT and other AI interfaces assume the role of “assistant.” Which might be fine if you need an assistant, but if you are trying to get help with research, need code written, want an article that will get ranked by search engines or crafting emails to clients about a price increase, being more specific about the role AI is playing is critical to getting the results you want.

Most AI services now have different kinds of GPTs or Personas pre-programmed for you to choose from. Pick the one that represents the role you need AI to have for the output you need. If one doesn’t exist, you can still inform AI with the specifics of the role you are needing to have it improve the output it generates.

2. Give AI adequate context to play its role.

We each have decades of expertise and experience we bring to our thinking and decision-making. The more of this information that you can share with AI, the better the output it can give you. Feeding in brand voice documents, similar examples of what you want, your values, the company values, articles or other contextual data can vastly improve outputs. It can be a bit enlightening to think about all the influences on our thinking process. Consider all the various information sources you might call on in your experience & expertise to perform the task, and feed that into the AI.

3. Tell AI the task you want it to perform

This is typically the most obvious step for users, but even an expertly crafted ask isn’t going to get you anywhere without the other steps. If you are a good delegator, you probably have this one nailed. If you aren’t a great delegator, you may need to think through the various steps in achieving the outcome you want and define your task accordingly. You may even need to break out the steps into separate requests. You can even ask AI to help you more clearly define your task.

4. Ask AI what else it needs to perform the task

THIS is the key that unlocks the next level of prompt writing skill. Use AI to tell you how to get what you want from AI. And this sometimes is where the bulk of the work for the human comes in, as AI is a great tool, but it does require high quality input from a human. When you tell AI “ask for anything else you need before you start on the task” it will kick back a list of additional information it needs or questions to answer. Providing this additional data always results in a better output.

Using these 4 steps, you can build your skill and the usefulness of AI to your business. It takes some practice and iterations, but pretty soon you’ll be creating a prompt library and updating your processes with which personas to use.

In the next episode we’ll further discuss upgrading our skills and habits to fully leverage AI, and possibly even improve other areas of business and life.