Advanced Techniques

Go beyond basics with these advanced prompting techniques.

Chain-of-Thought Prompting

Ask the AI to think step by step:

"Solve this problem step by step, showing your reasoning:

A store has 150 items. 40% are on sale, and of those,
30% are less than $10. How many sale items cost less than $10?"

Why it works: Breaking down complex problems leads to more accurate answers.

Role Prompting

Give the AI a specific persona:

"You are an experienced startup mentor who has helped
100+ companies raise funding. Give me feedback on my
pitch deck from that perspective."

Effective roles:

"You are a senior [profession]..."
"As an expert in [field]..."
"Pretend you're a [role] who..."

Few-Shot Learning

Provide examples of what you want:

"Convert these casual phrases to professional language:

Casual: "Hey, just checking in about that thing"
Professional: "I wanted to follow up regarding our previous discussion"

Casual: "My bad, I'll fix it"
Professional: "I apologize for the oversight. I will correct this immediately"

Now convert:
Casual: "Can't make it tomorrow, something came up"

Structured Output

Request specific formats:

JSON Format

"Analyze this customer review and return JSON:
{
  'sentiment': 'positive/negative/neutral',
  'key_points': ['point1', 'point2'],
  'action_items': ['action1', 'action2']
}

Review: [text]"

Table Format

"Compare these three options in a table with columns:
Feature | Option A | Option B | Option C"

Markdown Format

"Create a document with proper markdown:
- Use ## for main sections
- Use bullet points for lists
- Use code blocks for examples"

Constraint Prompting

Set clear boundaries:

"Write a product description with these constraints:
- Maximum 50 words
- Include the words 'innovative' and 'easy'
- Start with a question
- End with a call to action
- No superlatives (best, greatest, etc.)"

Build up complex outputs:

Step 1: "Outline a blog post about productivity tips"
Step 2: "Expand the first section with more detail"
Step 3: "Add examples to each tip"
Step 4: "Write an engaging introduction"
Step 5: "Create a compelling conclusion"

Negative Prompting

Specify what to avoid:

"Write a professional email. DO NOT:
- Use exclamation marks
- Use casual language
- Make it longer than 3 paragraphs
- Include unnecessary pleasantries"

Multi-Perspective Analysis

Get different viewpoints:

"Analyze this business decision from three perspectives:
1. The CFO (financial focus)
2. The CTO (technical focus)
3. The customer (user experience focus)

Each perspective should include concerns and recommendations."

Socratic Questioning

Have the AI ask you questions:

"I want to plan a new feature for my app. Before I describe
it, ask me 5 questions that will help you give better advice.
Then wait for my answers before proceeding."

Prompt Chaining

Break complex tasks into connected prompts:

Prompt 1: "List the main components needed for a login system"
Prompt 2: "For [component 1], describe the implementation approach"
Prompt 3: "Write the code for [component 1] based on that approach"
Prompt 4: "Now do the same for [component 2]..."

Temperature Guidance

Direct the creativity level:

"Give me 5 marketing taglines:
- 2 should be conventional and safe
- 2 should be creative and bold
- 1 should be completely unexpected"

Self-Verification

Ask the AI to check its work:

"Solve this math problem. After your answer, verify it
by working backwards. If there's a discrepancy, explain
and provide the correct answer."

Context Windows

For long projects, maintain context:

"We're working on a project together. Here's a summary
of what we've decided so far:
- [Decision 1]
- [Decision 2]
- [Decision 3]

Now, let's work on [next part]. Keep these decisions in mind."

Quick Reference

Technique	Use When
Chain-of-thought	Complex reasoning
Role prompting	Need specific expertise
Few-shot	Want consistent format
Structured output	Need parseable data
Constraints	Specific requirements
Negative prompting	Avoiding common mistakes
Multi-perspective	Need balanced analysis

Practice Exercise

Try combining techniques:

"You are a senior product manager at a tech company.

Analyze this feature request using chain-of-thought reasoning:
[Feature request]

Structure your response as:
1. Initial assessment (2-3 sentences)
2. User impact analysis (bullet points)
3. Technical considerations (bullet points)
4. Recommendation (clear yes/no with reasoning)

Do NOT include implementation timeline or resource estimates."