Asking your first question

What you will learn

• The three parts of a clear first request: task, context and form
• How to use follow-up messages to improve an answer
• Why working with AI is a conversation, not a single question

The idea

A prompt is the message you type to an AI tool, the question or instruction it responds to. You do not need special words or tricks. Plain, specific language works.

A clear first prompt has three parts. The task says what you want done, in one sentence that starts with a verb such as write, explain, summarise or list. The context gives a little background the AI cannot guess: who it is for, why you need it and any key details. The form says what the answer should look like: a short email, five bullet points, a two-column table, a reply under 100 words.

The first answer is a starting point. Reply the way you would to a colleague: "make it shorter", "use simpler words", "give me a second option", "why did you suggest that?". The tool can usually see what was said earlier in the same chat, so you do not need to repeat everything. If a chat drifts off course, a new chat with a clearer prompt is often quicker.

Before you send, read your prompt once more. Remove anything private you would not want stored by an outside company, such as passwords, ID numbers, health details or other people's contact information.

Example

Here is a first try:

Recipe ideas

This gets a long, general list that may not fit your kitchen or your evening. Here is the same request with a task, context and form:

Suggest three dinner recipes I can cook in under 30 minutes for two
people. We are vegetarian, and I have rice, eggs, spinach and tomatoes.
Give each recipe as a short ingredient list and five numbered steps.

The task is "suggest three dinner recipes". The context is the time, the number of people, the diet and what is already in the kitchen. The form is an ingredient list plus numbered steps.

Then a follow-up, in the same chat:

The second one looks good. Can you make it without eggs and tell me
what I need to buy?

The follow-up builds on the answer instead of starting again, so you only describe the change.

Practice now

1. Pick a small real task from your week, such as a message to write or something you want explained.
2. Write one sentence that states the task, starting with a verb.
3. Add one or two sentences of context.
4. Add one sentence about the form you want.
5. Send it in any AI tool, then send at least two follow-up messages to adjust the answer.

At the end you should have a result you could actually use after a quick edit, and a prompt you can reuse next time.

Copy this template

[Task: what you want, starting with a verb, for example "Write",
"Explain" or "Summarise".]

Context: [who it is for, why you need it, and any key details].

Format: [for example: a short email, five bullet points, a table with
two columns, under 100 words].

If anything is unclear, ask me one question before you answer. If you
are unsure about any fact, say so.

Asking AI to flag uncertainty does not make its answer correct. Keep checking the parts that matter.

Check the output

• Did it do the task you asked for, not a similar one?
• Did it use your details, or replace them with general ones?
• Is it in the form you asked for, including length, layout and tone?
• Can you confirm any facts, names or numbers in it? See How to check what AI tells you.
• Would you be comfortable sending or using it after a quick edit?

Common mistakes

• Typing a topic instead of a task. "Recipe ideas" leaves the AI to guess what you want. Start with a verb and say what should be done.
• Writing a whole page on the first try. A long first prompt can bury the main request. Start short and add detail in follow-ups.
• Starting a new chat for every small change. You lose what the AI already knows from the chat. Reply in the same chat and say what to change.
• Pasting private details to give context. Use labels such as "my manager" or "Client A" instead of real names and contact details.