Designing Effective Prompts & AI Interactions Training

Designing Effective Prompts & AI Interactions

• Understanding AI Interaction Models
  • How AI systems interpret instructions and requests
  • Why interacting with AI is different from questioning a human
  • The role of clarity, intent, and specificity
  • Common causes of poor or misleading AI responses
• Anatomy of an Effective Prompt
  • Defining the task and desired outcome
  • Providing relevant context and background
  • Establishing expectations for tone, format, and scope
  • Communicating assumptions and constraints
• Defining Roles, Instructions, and Perspective
  • Using role-based instructions to guide responses
  • Setting perspective and audience expectations
  • Aligning AI output with professional standards
  • Avoiding ambiguity and conflicting instructions
• Structuring Requests for Reliable Results
  • Single-step vs multi-step prompts
  • Breaking complex tasks into manageable steps
  • Sequencing instructions logically
  • Managing length and level of detail
• Iterative Prompting and Refinement
  • Evaluating AI responses for accuracy and usefulness
  • Refining prompts based on output quality
  • Using follow-up instructions effectively
  • Maintaining control over evolving interactions
• Managing Errors, Ambiguity, and Hallucinations
  • Recognizing inaccurate or fabricated information
  • Clarifying vague or incomplete responses
  • Redirecting AI when outputs drift from intent
  • Knowing when to restart or reframe an interaction
• Applying Constraints and Guardrails
  • Controlling tone, style, and formatting
  • Limiting assumptions and speculation
  • Requesting citations, structure, or verification
  • Ensuring consistency across repeated tasks
• Reusable Prompt Patterns and Workflow Design
  • Identifying common use cases and patterns
  • Creating prompt templates for recurring tasks
  • Maintaining consistency across teams
  • Establishing personal or organizational prompt libraries
• Applying Prompting Skills in Daily Work
  • Writing and editing professional content
  • Research and information synthesis
  • Planning, outlining, and idea generation
  • Supporting analysis and decision preparation
• Summary and Next Steps
  • Review of key interaction principles
  • Applying prompting skills responsibly
  • Connecting prompt design to AI productivity tools
  • Preparing for advanced AI workflows and system design

Before Taking this Class

Completion of AI Fundamentals for Professionals or equivalent knowledge is strongly recommended.

Software/Setup For this Class

Participants should have access to at least one AI assistant tool that supports interactive chat-style prompting, approved by their organization.

Examples include:

• Microsoft Copilot (web or Microsoft 365 integration)
• ChatGPT
• Claude
• Another comparable enterprise-approved AI assistant