Learn to communicate effectively with AI to achieve accurate results and transform your way of thinking.
1. The Language of AI
Have you ever felt like AI doesn't understand you? You're not alone. Most people treat AI like a search engine, but prompting is much more than just giving commands. It's a language, a way of thinking, a precise communication between your intention and the machine's execution. Imagine AI as a haute cuisine chef: if you give it a vague recipe, you'll get a mediocre dish. But if you give it detailed and precise instructions, you'll create a masterpiece.
2. The 3 Pillars of Prompting
2.1. First Principles Thinking: Breaking Down Complexity
This principle is based on breaking down complex problems into their fundamental truths—truths that don't rely on assumptions or analogies—and then rebuilding from there. In prompting, this means:
- Define the desired outcome: What exactly do you want to achieve?
- Identify the essential components: What data does the AI need? What constraints exist?
- Build from scratch: Don't copy what already exists; create a better model from the ground up.
🎯 Key Elements
Clear objective
Accurate data
Defined constraints
Step-by-step instructions
Examples of ideal outcomes
Iteration plan and feedback
Example: Instead of asking "Write a job description for an accountant," use first principles thinking:
Write a job description for an accountant joining a fast-growing media company where AI is integrated into all operations. The role includes financial management, automation, and cash flow forecasting. Write in a human tone that attracts proactive, detail-oriented professionals who want to grow with an intelligent team. Include three unique differentiators that reflect our culture.This prompt, based on first principles, attracts the ideal candidate and saves time on revisions.
2.2. Chain of Thought: Building Clarity Step by Step
Unlike first principles, which breaks things down, chain of thought builds clarity in layers. It's like solving a complex problem by talking to yourself: you ask a question, reflect, and then ask a better question.
- Break down the problem: Instead of one complex prompt, use a series of smaller prompts.
- Build context: Each prompt builds on the previous one, guiding the AI toward the solution.
- Collaborate with the AI: Don't micromanage it, co-create the solution.
Example: To create a customer onboarding sequence:
- What are the three main emotions a new customer might feel in the first week?
- How can we transform those emotions into confidence and clarity?
- Write the first email to achieve this: short, empathetic, and personal.
- Turn this email into a one-minute voice note with a friendly tone.
- What automation could be used to increase the response rate?
2.3. Metaprompting: Thinking about Thinking
Metaprompting is using AI to design better prompts. It's like metacognition: thinking about thinking.
- Consider the structure: Instead of giving commands, ask the AI how to approach the task.
- Collaborate with the AI: Ask it what data it needs, how to structure the prompt, and how to generate the optimal prompt.
Example: To generate ideas for a video:
What data or context do you need to generate ideas for a video? How should the prompt be structured? Can you generate the optimal prompt for this task?3. Practical Implementation: Your First Prompt
Now, let's put what you've learned into practice.
Exercise:
- Choose a topic that interests you.
- Define the desired outcome: What do you want the AI to generate?
- Apply first principles thinking:
- What information does the AI need?
- What constraints are there (length, tone, etc.)?
- What should the ideal outcome look like?
- Use a chain of thought: Break the task down into smaller steps.
- Experiment with metaprompting: Ask the AI how to improve your prompt.
4. Common Mistakes and Solutions
- Vague prompt: Clearly define the desired outcome.
- Lack of context: Provide all necessary information.
- Ignoring constraints: Specify the length, tone, etc.
- Don't iterate: Experiment and adjust your prompt.
📌 PRO Log:
Record your experiments with prompts. Note what worked, what didn't, and why. This will help you develop your intuition for prompting.
5. Applied Project: Scale Your Thinking
- Starter Level: Generate 5 social media content ideas on a topic of your choice, applying first principles thinking.
- Express Level: Create a ChatGPT prompt that generates a blog post on a technical topic, using a chain of thought to guide the structure.
- Booster Level: Design a prompt system (metaprompting) to automate marketing content creation.
- Builder Level: Develop an online course on prompt engineering, including practical exercises and examples.
- Challenger Level: Create an AI tool that helps users generate effective prompts.
- Pro Level: Research and write an article on the impact of prompt engineering on the economy.
- Legend Level: Create a new framework for prompt engineering, surpassing existing models.
- Godmode Level: Design an AI that can learn and improve its own prompting skills.
6. Learning Log
- ✅ I understood that prompting is more than just giving commands; it's a language.
- ✅ I learned the three pillars of prompting: first principles thinking, chain of thought, and metaprompting.
- ✅ I know how to apply these principles in practice.
- ✅ I can identify and solve common prompting mistakes.
- ✅ I have ideas for projects that will allow me to scale my thinking with AI.
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