Learn

Eight short lessons on the parts of a strong prompt, from the goal to prompting reasoning models. Each has worked examples and exercises scored with the same rubric as your prompts.

1. 1Goal and success criteria6 minutes

   Say what success looks like

   State the outcome you want and how you will judge it, so the model aims at something you can check.

2. 2Context and inputs6 minutes

   Give the model what it cannot know

   Supply the facts, material and situation the task depends on, clearly separated from your instructions.

3. 3Audience and purpose of use6 minutes

   Write for someone

   Say who will read the output and what they will do with it, so the level, emphasis and tone follow.

4. 4Constraints and boundaries6 minutesPro

   Draw the boundaries

   Set the scope, the must and must-not, the sources and what to do when unsure, and say which rule wins when they clash.

5. 5Task instructions6 minutesPro

   Say what to do, in order

   Turn a tangle of requests into clear, ordered steps, with the reason for the order, a stopping point and a plan for a step that fails.

6. 6Output contract6 minutesPro

   Agree the shape of the answer

   Specify the format, structure, length, language and tone of the result, and use a schema when a program will read it.

7. 7Examples and references6 minutesPro

   Show as well as tell

   When words cannot pin down the format or judgement you want, give a few varied, delimited examples, including a hard case.

8. 8Model fit and hygiene7 minutesPro

   Prompting reasoning models in 2026

   Current models reason for themselves: set the effort instead of asking for step-by-step thinking, write calmly, put long material first, explain why, and use structured outputs instead of prefill.