Prompt engineering — 2 (Prompt template statement)
As a fan of elevator pitch statement, I’ve always sought to leverage templates and tweak them based on my learnings. In my quest for an effective prompt template, I finally found one that resonated with me. After making some personalized edits, I incorporate this template into my everyday consumer questions.
I have a prompt template in my notes that I’ve been using frequently lately.
Prompt template:
[Optional: Ignore previous inputs] + [Role] + [Engaging Context] + [Relevant Background Information] + [Clear Intent/Goal] + [Response Format and Constraints (if necessary)] + [Optional: Specific Questions or Prompts] + [Optional: Success Criteria or Desired Outcome]
Optional: Ignore previous inputs: This is useful in cases where you want the task or question to be considered independently of any previous information or context. It helps create a clean slate for the new task.
Role: This part is quite helpful in scenarios where you want the person responding to assume a particular persona or viewpoint. This could be very effective in creating engaging and varied tasks.
Engaging Context: This sets up the topic in an interesting way. It’s like the introduction to a story that gets you interested.
Relevant Background Information: These are the important facts or details you need to know to understand the topic and complete the task.
Clear Intent/Goal: This tells you what you need to accomplish. It’s like the objective in a game or the destination on a journey.
Response Format and Constraints (if necessary): This guides how you should respond, such as writing an essay, answering in bullet points, creating a drawing, etc.
Optional: Specific Questions or Prompts: These are additional questions or suggestions that help you think more deeply about the topic and guide your response.
Optional: Success Criteria or Desired Outcome: This addition helps clarify what a successful response looks like. It provides a clear benchmark against which the output can be evaluated. This can help in both self-evaluation and peer or teacher evaluation.
Example prompt:
Ignore my previous inputs, As an indian ancient history analyst, dive into the engaging context of the epic Mahabharata. You will specifically focus on Arjuna, who is a character displaying complex emotions and moral difficulties. Your task is to thoroughly analyze Arjuna’s character and persona, drawing from his actions, dialogues, and relationships within the epic. Convey your analysis in less than 2000 words. Consider the following questions: What are Arjuna’s key characteristics? How do his relationships with his brothers, Krishna, and his rivals shape his character? How does Arjuna’s persona evolve throughout the epic? A successful response will not only describe Arjuna’s persona, but also substantiate the analysis with relevant examples from the text
Thank you!
