One of the most common complaints I hear about AI is:

“I tried it, but the answer wasn't very good.”

Sometimes that's true.

But sometimes the problem isn't the AI.

It's the question we've asked it.

Imagine walking into a travel agent and saying:

“Holiday?”

They wouldn't know where to begin.

Where?

When?

How long?

What budget?

Beach or city?

Relaxing or sightseeing?

AI works in much the same way.

Compare these two prompts

Prompt A:

Give me holiday ideas.

Now compare it with:

Prompt B:

My wife and I would like a seven-day European holiday in September. We enjoy history, local food and sightseeing but don't want somewhere that requires lots of strenuous walking. We'd prefer a hotel rather than self-catering and have a moderate budget. Suggest five destinations and explain why each might suit us.

Which do you think will produce the more useful answer?

Almost certainly the second.

My simple prompting formula

When asking AI for something, think about four things:

1. What do I want?

Be clear about the task.

2. What's the background?

Give relevant context.

3. Are there any restrictions?

Budget, length, location, experience level, etc.

4. How do I want the answer presented?

List? Step-by-step? Table? Short explanation?

You don't need to use complicated “prompt engineering”.

Just imagine you're explaining the job to another person.

Then continue the conversation

Your first prompt doesn't have to be perfect.

If the answer isn't quite right, say:

That's useful, but make it simpler.

Or:

Give me three more examples.

Or:

Option 2 interests me. Tell me more about that.

AI works best as a conversation, not a slot machine where you enter one question and hope the perfect answer falls out.

Try improving one of your own prompts

Ask ChatGPT something.

Look at the answer.

Then add more context and ask again.

Compare the difference.

That small experiment will teach you more about prompting than pages of technical explanation.

Want to Discover More Ways AI Could Help You?

I'm Tony Phelps, author of AI Made Simple for the Over 50s.

I wrote the book for people who are curious about Artificial Intelligence but don't want complicated technical explanations or unnecessary jargon.

Inside you'll find 50 practical AI prompts showing you how AI can help with everyday tasks, learning, writing, planning, hobbies, organisation, new ideas and much more.

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Keep learning. Keep experimenting. And don't worry about getting everything right first time.

Tony Phelps
Author of AI Made Simple for the Over 50s