How to write that perfect prompt for ChatGPT or Bard
Are you getting frustrated trying to get a good response ChatCPT or Bard? A good prompt is the key. Follow these 4 points to refine your prompts and reduce your workload.
ChatGPT and Bard are AI-powered chatbots that you can have a conversation with and will provide a response to a question. However, like using search, the quality of the response you get is directly proportional to the quality of the question, or in this case, the prompt we use.
1. Be clear and concise
A prompt that is very general, will in turn generate a response that lacks detail. When you write a prompt you should be able to understand what it is ‘asking’ without confusion. For example, the prompt ‘create a maths lesson’, will return a general response and not necessarily assist you with your lesson planning.
2. Keep to the point
Use short, straight to the point sentences. This will generate a specific result, that you can add to. Once you get a response that is starting to shape up well, then ask ChatGPT or Bard to expand on this. For example, if you ask what 3 topics should be covered in a unit on quadratic equations, you may well get a response like this:
- Definition and characteristics of quadratic functions
- Solving quadratic equations
- Applications of quadratic functions
3. Chunk and expand generated responses
Currently, the length of response is restricted which can lead to an incomplete generated response. To overcome this, select a segment of the text and ask for more detail to be added. O the above example you could ask for it to ‘expand, add detail and examples to build a 40-minute lesson on solving quadratic equations’. This will generate a detailed response. Keep asking for refinement if you are not happy. Phrases like ‘add more detail’, ‘Include more steps’ and ‘improve the examples’, will all lead to a better outcome.
4. Add context
When we are talking with a person in real life naturally, we understand the context of the conversation. Chatbots cannot do this. This is easily overcome by adding context to the prompt. The more concise and detailed background you can give, the better the response will be. This can be referred to as a primer that will provide the background information to assist the chatbot is providing a better response.
Keeping with the maths theme a prompt like ‘I am teaching a Year 10 maths class in Australia and need to plan a 2-week unit on quadratic equations. The class can struggle with complex mathematics. The unit will be taught via 3 90-minute sessions per week and will include 2 45-minute homework slots. Link the unit plan to the Australia curriculum and generate 5 pre- and post-unit questions.’
The response may not be exactly perfect, but you have broken the back of the work needed to complete this task.
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