Prompting fundamentals

Prompting is how you tell ChatGPT what you want to know, make, or change. A prompt can be a question, an instruction, or a goal. You don’t need technical syntax or a rigid formula. Start in your own words, review the response, and use follow-up messages to shape the result.

A short prompt is often enough. For larger or more important tasks, include the parts that matter:

• Goal: What should ChatGPT do?
• Context: What information or sources will help?
• Output: What format, length, or level of detail do you need?
• Boundaries: What must stay unchanged? What should ChatGPT avoid or check with you before it acts?

Use only the parts that help. You don’t need to fill in every item or follow a required format.

Start with the result, not a detailed list of steps. Include the audience or format when those details change what ChatGPT should produce.

Turn these meeting notes into a short update for the project team.
Put the decisions and next steps first.

This prompt explains what to create and who will read it. Describe a process when the process itself matters. Otherwise, leave ChatGPT room to search, compare information, and adjust its approach.

Add useful context

Share the information that could change the result. Add only the sources that matter, and explain what ChatGPT should take from each one.

• Attach documents, spreadsheets, presentations, or PDF files when you want ChatGPT to summarize, compare, transform, or create files for review.
• Add a screenshot, diagram, or other image input when the task depends on visual context. Point out the area that matters instead of relying on the image alone.
• Ask ChatGPT to use web search when the answer depends on current information, and ask for sources when you need to check the result.
• Use a project when related chats should share files, sources, or a local folder.

Use connected sources

When ChatGPT has access to connected sources, name where it should look and what it should find. You don’t need to describe every search it should run.

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