How to write better AI prompts.
If AI has ever given you a bland, generic answer, the problem probably wasn't the AI. It was the brief. Prompting is just the skill of explaining what you want clearly, and it's the single biggest factor in the quality of what you get back.
Think of AI as a smart new starter.
Imagine briefing a capable new team member on their first day. They're quick and well-read, but they don't know your business, your customers or your standards. You'd give them context, explain the task, show them an example and tell them what good looks like. Prompting works the same way.
A simple structure.
Context
Who you are, who it's for and why it matters
Task
Exactly what you want AI to produce
Details
Tone, length, format and anything to include or avoid
Examples
A sample of what good looks like, if you have one
Before and after.
Weak prompt: "Write an email to a client about a price increase."
Stronger prompt: "I run a commercial cleaning company in Lower Hutt. Write a short, friendly email to our long-standing office clients explaining a 6% price increase from 1 April due to wage and supply costs. Keep it under 150 words, thank them for their loyalty and invite questions. Use New Zealand English."
The second prompt gets a usable result first time.
Keep the conversation going.
Your first prompt doesn't need to be perfect. Ask for changes. "Make it warmer." "Cut it in half." "Give me three options." Good prompting is a conversation, not a single instruction.
Check the result.
Always read and fact-check AI output before using it. Prompting well reduces mistakes but doesn't remove them.
Our prompting workshops run across the Wellington region and online, using your team's real tasks.