Lesson 3: Prompts: how to ask AI for what you want

Talk to AI like a brand-new helper on their first day.

🧸 The simple picture

Imagine you hire a helper who is super smart but just walked in the door. They don't know you, your family, or your job. If you say "make dinner," you might get anything. If you say "make a quick vegetarian dinner for 4, under 30 minutes, kids are picky, we have rice and beans," you'll get something great.

A prompt is just the message you type to the AI. The clearer your directions, the better the result.

🔑 Key ideas

A prompt is the question or instruction you give an AI.
Use the easy recipe T.C.F.: Task (what you want), Context (who it's for, any details), Format (list, short email, table, 3 bullet points…).
It's okay to give it a role: "You are a friendly fitness coach…" helps set the tone.
Your first answer is a first draft. Reply with changes: "shorter," "more casual," "add prices," "explain like I'm 10."
You don't need magic words. Plain, specific language works best.

🛠️ Try it (2 minutes)

Try a "before and after." First, type a vague prompt:

Write a birthday message.

Then a T.C.F. prompt:

Write a short, funny birthday message (Task) for my coworker Dana who loves coffee and hates Mondays (Context). Keep it to 2 sentences I can write in a card (Format).

Compare them. Then reply "make it a little sweeter" and see how it adjusts.

📝 Quick quiz

Tap an answer to check it.

1. What is a prompt?

A pop-up ad The message or instruction you give the AI A type of computer chip

✅ Whatever you type to the AI is the prompt.

2. What does T.C.F. stand for?

Text, Copy, Finish Task, Context, Format Try, Check, Fix

✅ Task, Context, Format: the easy recipe for good prompts.

3. The first answer isn't quite right. What should you do?

Give up Tell it what to change and ask again Turn the computer off and on

✅ Treat it like a conversation. Ask for edits.

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