Write Prompts That Actually Get Results

Most people type a vague request into ChatGPT, get a vague response, and conclude that AI isn't that useful. The problem isn't the AI — it's the prompt. The good news: there are two ways to fix it. One takes 10 seconds and requires no learning. The other gives you full control once you're ready.

The shortcut: let AI interview you

The lowest-effort way to get a better output isn't to craft the perfect prompt — it's to let the AI ask you the right questions first.

Instead of trying to think of everything upfront, add one line to whatever you're working on:

The AI will respond with something like:

You answer those questions in plain English — no formatting required — and the output you get will be dramatically better than anything you'd have got from "write me a proposal."

This works because you already know your business context. The AI just needs to extract it from you. The interview short-circuits the most common failure mode: giving the AI too little to work with.

Want more control? Use the four-part framework

Once you've had the AI interview you a few times, you'll notice a pattern: it's always asking for the same four things. Once you recognise them, you can skip the interview and give the AI everything upfront.

1. Role — Tell the AI who it's acting as. "You are a senior commercial solicitor..."
2. Task — Be specific about what you want. "...review this contract clause..."
3. Context — Give the relevant background. "...for a £500k SaaS deal with a UK enterprise client."
4. Format — Specify what the output should look like. "Respond with bullet points: risks, questions to raise, and a plain-English summary."

Here's what that looks like in practice:

The strong version took 20 extra seconds to write and will save you 10 minutes of editing. Notice how it already contains everything the AI would have asked you? That's the pattern — once you see it, you can't unsee it.

Three prompts to save right now

• Summarise this in 5 bullet points for a non-technical audience: [paste text]
• What are the 3 biggest risks in this document? [paste text]
• Rewrite this in a more confident, direct tone. Remove any hedging language: [paste text]
• I need to [task]. Before you start, ask me 5 questions that will help you do this well.

How to fix a bad output without starting over

If the first response isn't right, don't delete everything and try again. AI responds well to follow-up instructions:

• "Make it shorter"
• "Less formal"
• "Focus only on the financial implications"
• "Add a section on next steps"

Treat it like editing a first draft from a junior colleague — direct, specific feedback gets a much better second version.

And if the output still isn't right after your follow-up, let the AI diagnose the gap itself: "What else do you need to know about my situation to improve this?"