Instructions tell the model what task to actually perform.
Being specific beats being polite, and telling it what to do beats telling it what to avoid.
Summarise this in three bullet points works better than make it shorter.
Putting the instruction before long context usually helps.
Vague instructions are the single most common cause of disappointing output.
The instruction is the sentence that says what you actually want done.
It is the part most often written carelessly and most often the reason output disappoints.
Specific beats polite, and a clear demand outperforms a courteous request every time.
Summarise this in three bullet points for a non-technical reader beats make it shorter.
Say what to do rather than what to avoid, since negatives are followed less reliably.
Do not use jargon leaves the model guessing; write for a fifteen-year-old gives it a target.
One instruction per request works better than five stacked into a paragraph.
When several are needed, number them so nothing is silently dropped.
Put the instruction before long context, or it can be lost behind the material.
Repeating it briefly at the end helps on very long inputs.
Name the output format explicitly, since the model will otherwise choose one for you.
Give a worked example when the format is unusual, because examples beat descriptions.
State the audience, as that single fact changes vocabulary and depth more than any adjective.
If the output is wrong in the same way twice, the instruction is ambiguous rather than the model stupid.
Read your prompt as a brief handed to a competent stranger with no other context.
One question on this card. Every option explains itself once you pick, right or wrong.
17 concepts in this module, then a graded test with every answer explained.