Write a brief before you write a prompt.

Name the result

“Help with this” leaves the result open to interpretation. “Draft a short update for a customer who already knows the background” tells the reader something about the format, audience and purpose.

Describe what you want to receive. An outline, a list of questions and a finished paragraph are different tasks. Asking for one at a time makes the result easier to inspect.

Provide the material

Separate source information from instructions. Say which facts the draft must use and which details are unknown. Ask it to mark missing information instead of filling the gap with an invented detail.

Use only material you are allowed to share with the tool. A useful brief can often be written with fictional names and a small sample rather than a full customer record.

Explain the checks

Tell the tool what a useful result looks like: plain language, a particular length, a supplied structure or no claims beyond the source. These are instructions, not a guarantee that the output will comply.

Review the response yourself. Check facts against the supplied material, remove unsupported claims and decide whether the draft fits the person who will read it.

A brief you can reuse

• Goal: what should this help someone do?
• Audience: who will read or use it?
• Source: which checked information may it use?
• Constraints: what should it include or avoid?
• Review: which facts and decisions need a human check?