20 prompt hacks for ChatGPT
- Don’t be polite to ChatGPT: You don’t need to use politeness when giving instructions to a language model. You can skip words like please and thank you.
- Build the intended audience into the prompt: Say who the information is intended for, for example “The audience is an expert in the field.”
- Break down complex tasks: Divide complicated tasks into a series of simpler prompts in an interactive conversation.
- Use positive commands: Use words like “do” and avoid negative words like “don’t.”
- Use prompts for clarity: “Explain [specific topic] in simple terms.” “Explain it as if I’m 11 years old.” “Explain it as if I’m a senior in [field].”
- Use example-driven prompts: Give examples to make the task clearer.
- Format your prompt correctly: Start with ‘.. Instruction ..’, followed by ‘.. Example ..’ or ‘.. Question ..’ if relevant. Use one or more line breaks to separate instructions, examples, questions, context and input data.
- Use the phrases “Your task is” and “You MUST”: This gives clear instructions.
- Use the phrase “You will be penalised if”: This indicates there are consequences for not following the instructions.
- Use the phrase “Answer a question in a natural, human-like manner”: This encourages a more natural response.
- Use leading words like “think step by step”: This promotes chain of thought prompting.
- Ensure impartiality: Add the phrase “Make sure your answer is unbiased and does not rely on stereotypes.”
- Let the model ask questions: Encourage the model to ask questions to get enough details for a correct answer (e.g. “Ask me questions to get the information you need…”).
- Teaching specific topics: “Teach me [theme/topic/regulation] and include a test at the end. Don’t give me the answers; just tell me whether I got them right.”
- Assign a role to the model: Give the model a specific role for better results. For example SEO specialist or social media manager.
- Use delimiters: This helps to make the instructions clearer.
- Repeat specific words or phrases: This can help strengthen the model’s focus.
- End your prompt with the beginning of the desired answer: This helps the model go in the right direction.
- Writing detailed texts: “Write a detailed [essay/text/paragraph] about [topic], including all necessary information.”
- Correcting text without changing the style: “Revise each paragraph to improve grammar and vocabulary while preserving the original writing style.”
With these hacks you can make more effective use of ChatGPT-4 and get better, more accurate and more useful answers. Want more tips? Read more about ChatGPT or get in touch with us.