Chapter 1: The Basics
Why start here
Before exploring advanced prompting strategies, it helps to get comfortable with the basics. Good prompts are clear, specific, and structured. They save time and reduce frustration by helping AI tools understand exactly what you need.
This chapter introduces the core building blocks of effective prompts and then links to sub-pages where you can practice specific techniques such as zero-shot, few-shot, role-based, and more.
The six building blocks
Almost every strong prompt combines some of these six elements:
- Task – What do you want the AI to do?
- Context – What background should it take into account?
- Audience – Who is the output for?
- Persona – From what perspective should the AI respond?
- Format – How should the answer be structured?
- Tone – What style of communication do you need?
Even using just two or three of these elements can make a big difference.
General vs. specific
Clear prompts guide the AI better than vague ones. Compare:
- General:
What do you think of my research proposal?
- Specific:
Assess my research proposal for alignment with EU biodiversity policy objectives and Horizon Europe mission goals,
particularly regarding nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. The proposal targets a €2M consortium call where
industry partnership is mandatory, and demonstrable societal impact within 5 years is a key evaluation criterion.
The second version adds context, audience, and task details - making the output much more relevant.
What’s next
Each sub-page in this chapter focuses on one basic prompting technique, starting with zero-shot prompting. There you’ll find:
- A short explanation of when to use the technique
- Best practices to apply the six building blocks
- Ready-to-use prompt examples in code blocks