How to Communicate with AI Lesson 3 of 20
Teacher
⌂ Home ← Prev Next → Student view
Part 1 - The Basics

3. Be Clear and Specific

Goal: Remove guesswork from your prompt so the AI does not have to assume.

Most weak answers come from vague prompts. The AI fills any gap you leave with an assumption, and its assumption may not match yours. Specific prompts close those gaps.

Specific means naming the details that matter: who it is for, how long, which aspect, what to include or leave out. You are not being bossy; you are saving a round of back-and-forth.

The Script (Template)

[Task] about [topic]. Make it [length], for [audience], focusing on [specific aspect].

Worked Example

You write
Write advice about saving money. Keep it to 4 bullet points, for a university student on a tight budget, focusing on food and transport only.
AI replies (sample)
- Cook in batches: prepare 3-4 meals at once to cut both cost and takeaway temptation.
- Buy supermarket own-brand staples; they are often 30-50% cheaper for the same thing.
- Get a student travel pass instead of paying per trip.
- Walk or cycle short journeys; it saves fares and gym fees at the same time.
Why it works
The length (4 bullets), audience (broke student) and scope (food and transport) were all pinned down, so the AI could not wander off-topic.

Do & Avoid

Tips

  • If you would need to clarify the request for a human, clarify it for the AI first.
  • Numbers help: '4 bullet points', 'under 100 words', 'exactly 3 examples'.

Common Mistakes

  • Vague scope: 'saving money' could mean tax, investing, coupons - which did you mean?
  • Hidden assumptions: you pictured a student; the AI pictured a retiree.

Practice

  • Take yesterday's vague prompt and add audience, length and focus.
  • Write two versions of one prompt - one vague, one specific - and compare answers.
Teacher Notes Suggested: 20 min

Learning objectives

  • Students identify the missing details in a vague prompt.
  • Students add audience, length and scope deliberately.

Talking points

  • Run a vague prompt and let the class predict where the AI will 'guess wrong'.
  • Introduce the checklist: WHO, HOW LONG, WHICH PART?

Answer key / what good looks like

  • Specific versions should name at least audience + one of length/scope.
  • The vague vs specific comparison should show tighter, on-target answers.

Discussion questions

  • When is a little vagueness actually fine (brainstorming) vs harmful (instructions)?