THE CASE: When AI Outputs Are Terrible
Meena's team uses ChatGPT daily. But outputs are generic, off-target, require heavy editing. They don't know how to "speak AI." The prompts are vague: "Write a blog post about our product."
80% of employees don't know effective prompting (IBM). Prompt engineering—crafting clear, specific, context-rich inputs—is now a critical skill. The difference between a good and bad prompt is 5X better output.
The Evidence
80% don't know effective prompting (IBM)
Well-crafted prompts: 5X better outputs (Stanford)
Prompt training: 60% reduction in editing time (Microsoft)
The 5-Part Prompt Framework
The Framework
- Role: "You are a senior marketing strategist..."
- Context: "...for B2B SaaS targeting CFOs..."
- Task: "...write a LinkedIn post..."
- Format: "...150 words, conversational tone..."
- Constraints: "...no jargon, question at end..."
Specificity = quality output.
The Experiment: Prompt-Off Challenge
Give team same task, everyone writes their own prompt, compare outputs. Learn what makes prompts work. Gamify learning.
Sources
- IBM. AI Literacy and Prompting Skills. 2023.
- Stanford. The Art and Science of Prompting. 2023.
Key Takeaways
- 80% of employees don't know how to prompt AI effectively
- The 5-Part Framework: Role, Context, Task, Format, Constraints
- Specificity = quality output