Chapter 2beginner
Being Clear and Direct
Claude responds best to clear and direct instructions.
Think of Claude like any other human that is new to the job. Claude has no context on what to do aside from what you literally tell it. Just as when you instruct a human for the first time on a task, the more you explain exactly what you want in a straightforward manner to Claude, the better and more accurate Claude's response will be.
When in doubt, follow the Golden Rule of Clear Prompting: show your prompt to a colleague or friend and have them follow the instructions themselves to see if they can produce the result you want. If they're confused, Claude's confused.
Examples
Example 1
User Prompt
Write a haiku about robots.Response
Response will be generated by the LLMExample 2
User Prompt
Write a haiku about robots. Skip the preamble; go straight into the poem.Response
Response will be generated by the LLMExample 3
User Prompt
Who is the best basketball player of all time?Response
Response will be generated by the LLMExample 4
User Prompt
Who is the best basketball player of all time? Yes, there are differing opinions, but if you absolutely had to pick one player, who would it be?Response
Response will be generated by the LLMPlayground
EditableTry modifying these prompts and sending them to your configured LLM provider.
Try it yourself
Try it yourself
Try it yourself
Try it yourself