From various online sources – refer sources below

Effective AI prompting is foundational to maximizing business value from generative AI systems. The quality of a prompt directly determines the relevance, accuracy, and usefulness of the AI’s output. Below is a structured guide to constructing expert-level prompts, highlighting mandatory elements, discretionary enhancements, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Mandatory Elements of a Good Prompt

• Clear Directive (Task):
• The core instruction specifying exactly what you want the AI to do. Use action verbs and avoid ambiguity (e.g., “Summarize this report in 100 words” or “List three cybersecurity threats facing banks in 2025”)[3][8].

• Context:
• Provide relevant background to help the AI understand the scenario and tailor its response. For business use, context might include industry, audience, or specific operational constraints (e.g., “Assume you are advising a Canadian retail bank on digital fraud prevention”)[1][4].

• Output Format:
• Specify the desired format for the response—such as a list, table, executive summary, or formal report. This ensures the output is directly usable (e.g., “Present your answer as a bulleted list of recommendations”)[1][8].

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Discretionary (Enhancing) Elements

• Role/Persona:
• Assign a persona to the AI to shape tone and expertise (e.g., “Act as a chief technology officer” or “Respond as a compliance specialist”)[1][6].

• Exemplars (Examples):
• Provide sample inputs and/or outputs to clarify expectations, especially for complex or nuanced tasks. This is particularly valuable for structured business communications or technical outputs (e.g., “Here is an example of the style I want: …”)[3].

• Tone and Style:
• Indicate the desired tone (formal, concise, persuasive, etc.) and audience (executive, technical, general public), which is crucial for business communications[3].

• Scope and Constraints:
• Limit the breadth of the response to a single topic or specify exclusions/inclusions (e.g., “Do not include blockchain solutions” or “Focus only on North American regulations”)[4].

• Keywords:
• Use strategic keywords to reinforce the focus of the prompt, especially for technical or industry-specific tasks[4].

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Items to Avoid in AI Prompts

• Ambiguity and Vagueness:
• Avoid unclear or open-ended instructions without sufficient context. Vague prompts lead to generic or irrelevant outputs[4][7].

• Overly Complex or Convoluted Language:
• Do not use unnecessarily complex phrasing or conflicting terms (e.g., “exact” and “estimate” together), as this can confuse the model and degrade output quality[5].

• Closed (Yes/No) Questions:
• These restrict the richness of the response. Prefer open-ended or specific questions that encourage detailed, actionable answers[4].

• Excessive Length or Irrelevant Details:
• While context is important, overly long or unfocused prompts can dilute the AI’s understanding. Balance detail with brevity[4].

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Summary Table: AI Prompt Structure

Element	Mandatory	Discretionary	To Avoid
Clear Directive	✔		Vague/ambiguous instructions
Context	✔		Irrelevant or excessive details
Output Format	✔		Unspecified or open format
Role/Persona		✔
Exemplars		✔
Tone/Style		✔
Scope/Constraints		✔	Conflicting requirements
Keywords		✔
Closed Questions			✔
Complex Language			✔

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Best Practices for Business Value

• Iterate and Refine:
• Continuously improve prompts based on AI outputs and business needs. Iterative refinement is key to achieving expert-level results[2].

• Align with Business Objectives:
• Tailor prompts to address specific business challenges, use cases, and stakeholder requirements for maximum value.

• Test Across Scenarios:
• Evaluate prompt effectiveness in different contexts (e.g., compliance, risk, customer engagement) to ensure robustness and reliability[2].

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By mastering these prompt engineering principles, researchers and business professionals can consistently elicit high-value, contextually relevant, and actionable outputs from AI systems[2][4].

Sources

[1] The ultimate guide to writing effective AI prompts – Atlassian https://www.atlassian.com/blog/artificial-intelligence/ultimate-guide-writing-ai-prompts

[2] Prompt Engineering for AI Guide | Google Cloud https://cloud.google.com/discover/what-is-prompt-engineering

[3] The Perfect Prompt: 6 Essential Components for Creating Effective … https://docsbot.ai/article/the-perfect-prompt-6-essential-components-for-creating-effective-ai-prompts

[4] The Ultimate Guide to Writing AI Prompts: Examples & Best Practices https://kipwise.com/blog/ai-prompts

[5] The Dos and Don’ts of AI Prompting – Innovation in Business https://www.innovationinbusiness.com/the-dos-and-donts-of-ai-prompting/

[6] Getting started with prompts for text-based Generative AI tools https://www.huit.harvard.edu/news/ai-prompts

[7] Understanding Prompt Structure: Key Parts of a Prompt https://learnprompting.org/docs/basics/prompt_structure

[8] How to Write the Best AI Prompts with Examples – Workiva https://www.workiva.com/blog/how-to-write-ai-prompts

[9] Effective Prompts for AI: The Essentials https://mitsloanedtech.mit.edu/ai/basics/effective-prompts/

[10] 10 Best Practices for Prompt Engineering with Any Model – PromptHub https://www.prompthub.us/blog/10-best-practices-for-prompt-engineering-with-any-model

[11] Prompt Structure in Conversations with Generative AI – NN/g https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-prompt-structure/

[12] Elements of a Prompt – Prompt Engineering Guide https://www.promptingguide.ai/introduction/elements

[13] The five essential elements of a GenAI prompt – ICAEW.com https://www.icaew.com/insights/viewpoints-on-the-news/2025/jan-2025/the-five-essential-elements-of-a-genai-prompt

[14] Best practices for generating AI prompts – Work Life by Atlassian https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/best-practices-for-generating-ai-prompts

[15] Things to Avoid when Prompting AI to Create Perfect Results https://prompteam.ai/blog/things-to-avoid-when-prompting-ai-to-create-perfect-results

[16] 12 prompt engineering best practices and tips | TechTarget https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/Prompt-engineering-tips-and-best-practices

[17] How to Write Better AI Image Prompts – From Basic to Advanced [2024] https://letsenhance.io/blog/article/ai-text-prompt-guide/

[18] How to Write the Best AI Prompts: 7 Key Elements – RebelMouse https://www.rebelmouse.com/ai-writing-prompts

[19] A guide to prompting AI (for what it is worth) – One Useful Thing https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/a-guide-to-prompting-ai-for-what

[20] How to use generative AI in product design | McKinsey https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/generative-ai-fuels-creative-physical-product-design-but-is-no-magic-wand

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