ChatGPT, a conversational AI tool, has made it possible for the average person to receive responses on any topic under the sun, including philosophy, code, and sonnets. However, users can get more interesting and useful results from ChatGPT by using “prompt engineering.” This skill involves adding a few more words or an extra line of instruction to yield better responses.
There are several ways to elicit better responses from ChatGPT, such as getting responses in tabular form, having the bot produce output in the style of one’s favorite author, setting limits on the response length, and keeping the audience in mind when making requests. By using follow-up prompts and natural language, ChatGPT can even make changes to the tables it creates and produce them in a standard format that can be understood by other programs like Microsoft Excel.
Getting responses in tabular form is especially useful for generating information or creative ideas. For instance, users can ask for meal ideas and ingredients, game ideas and equipment, or the days of the week and their translations in different languages.
To get ChatGPT to produce output in the style of a favorite author, users can prompt it with specific writing styles or themes. For example, they can ask for responses in the simple style of Ernest Hemingway or the dense style of Charles Dickens.
Setting limits on the length of the response can also yield better results from ChatGPT. Users can ask it to produce responses with a certain number of words or paragraphs. If ChatGPT doesn’t follow the response properly, it can be corrected to try again.
Finally, keeping the audience in mind when making requests can help ChatGPT tailor its responses accordingly. Users can tell ChatGPT that they are speaking to a particular audience, such as 10-year-olds or business entrepreneurs, and it will respond accordingly.
Overall, prompt engineering is becoming a specialized skill that helps users get better responses from ChatGPT. By using follow-up prompts and natural language, ChatGPT can be directed to produce more interesting and useful outputs.
