Page 61 - CyberSecurityEssentialsEnglish

Before writing a prompt, ask two questions. What practical change do I want after the output
is used? And how will I know the output is acceptable? The first prevents the production of
text with no function. The second prevents judgment by impression alone. From this point

on, prompt engineering is tied to evaluation from the very beginning, because a prompt that
does not define success is difficult to improve in any systematic way.

TABLE 2-1: INFORMATION THAT MAY ENTER A PROMPT
Element Diagnostic question Example

Summarize, compare, extract,
Task Which specific verb?
classify, propose, review.

Which background changes the This report is for a decision
Context
result? meeting, not for publication.

Source Which text or data must the Only the attached report, tables,
material output rely on? and notes.

Who will read it, and what do A non-technical manager with five
Audience
they know? minutes.

A memo, a table, a decision list, a
Format How will the output be used?
timeline.

What relationship with the reader Professional, direct, empathetic,
Tone
is appropriate? neutral.

200 words, add no information, use
Constraints Which limits cannot be crossed?
formal language.

Success Three options, the risk of each, and
What exactly will I check?
criteria what needs verification.

✕ Common misconception Correction

Quality comes from the relevance of the

information to the task and from ordering
The longer the prompt, the better the priorities. A short, clear prompt is better
result. than long instructions that conflict with

one another or that are full of detail with
no effect on the output.

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