Prompt Engineering tips for beginners

By Alexis

A beginners guide to prompt engineering that will leave you prompting like a pro.

Level up your LLM game

Level Up Your LLM Game: Easy Prompt Engineering Tips for Beginners

If you're new to AI and prompt engineering, diving into large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT might seem a bit intimidating. But don’t worry! You don’t need a tech background to start crafting effective prompts. In fact, mastering prompt engineering—simply put, the art of writing instructions for AI—can dramatically improve your experience with these powerful tools.

This guide simplifies key techniques and best practices, inspired by the detailed insights provided in this comprehensive whitepaper on prompt engineering, to get you creating better prompts immediately.

Getting Started: The Basics

Think of an LLM like ChatGPT as an incredibly smart prediction tool—it uses your prompt to guess what response you're looking for. Good prompts clearly guide the model toward the desired outcome. It’s a bit like giving clear directions to a friend.

Easy Prompt Techniques You Can Use Now

Here are some beginner-friendly techniques to boost your prompting skills:

1. Start Simple (Zero-Shot Prompting)

Keep prompts straightforward when your task is simple. For example:

  • Prompt: "Classify this movie review as POSITIVE, NEUTRAL, or NEGATIVE: 'This movie was fantastic!' Sentiment:"
  • Tip: Set the "temperature" (creativity) low for straightforward tasks.

2. Show Examples (Few-Shot Prompting)

If your task is more complex, providing examples helps:

  • Example: If you want the model to format pizza orders in JSON, provide a few clearly formatted examples.
  • Tip: Aim for 3–5 clear examples that cover different scenarios.

3. Give Context (Contextual and Role Prompting)

Help the model by setting context or roles:

  • Context Example: "You're writing for a blog about retro 80’s arcade games."
  • Role Example: "Pretend you're a travel guide suggesting fun activities."
  • Tip: Specify the tone or style (e.g., humorous, formal).

4. Step-by-Step Thinking (Chain of Thought)

For tasks requiring logic or reasoning, tell the model to think step-by-step:

  • Example: "Solve this maths problem step by step."
  • Tip: Combine with examples for even clearer responses.

5. Check Answers Multiple Times (Self-Consistency)

To boost reliability, ask the same question several times and select the most frequent response.

6. Use External Tools (ReAct Prompting)

If your query might need external data (e.g., latest news), encourage the model to reason first and then take action, such as searching the web.

Best Practices for Beginner Prompt Engineers

Follow these simple guidelines for consistent results:

  • Be Clear and Specific: Clearly state what you want the AI to do.
  • Use Examples: Providing examples can dramatically improve output quality.
  • Keep Prompts Short: Short, simple prompts are easier for the model to follow.
  • Specify the Output Format: Clearly mention if you want answers in bullet points, JSON, paragraphs, etc.
  • Use Action Verbs: Start prompts with verbs like "Explain," "Summarise," or "List."
  • Try Different Styles: Experiment with wording; even small changes can affect results.
  • Stay Updated: Models evolve; always adjust your prompts as AI tools update.
  • Collaborate: Exchange tips and ideas with other prompt engineers or AI users.
  • Keep Track: Record successful prompts in a simple spreadsheet to easily reference and improve later.

Final Thoughts

Prompt engineering doesn't have to be complicated. Start with these practical tips, experiment often, and remember, every improvement gets you closer to unlocking the incredible potential of AI tools like ChatGPT. Happy prompting!

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