--- title: "The prompt lab" description: "Switch a weak request into a useful brief. See exactly what each detail changes." author: Graham date: 2026-09-06 url: https://powerofai.ca/lab/prompt-lab --- # The prompt lab Switch a weak request into a useful brief. See exactly what each detail changes. Add or remove details from three example requests. The lab assembles the instructions you select; it does not run a model or score the response. ## An email Starting request: Write an email about our event. ### Audience Write to parents of first-time participants. Why it helps: Now the assistant knows whose questions the email should answer. ### Facts The community puzzle night is Friday, 6–8 pm, at Cedar Hall. Entry is free. Children attend with an adult. Why it helps: Specific facts replace guesses. These are fictional practice details. ### Useful shape Keep it under 140 words. Lead with what the event is, then give the practical details and a simple invitation. Why it helps: The format supports a reader who needs to decide quickly. ### Unknowns The registration method is not confirmed. Mark it as a detail to add; do not invent a link. Why it helps: The draft can be useful without pretending the missing information is known. ### Illustrative result for the complete brief Subject: Join us for a free puzzle night Friday Bring the family to Cedar Hall this Friday, 6–8 pm, for community puzzle night. First-time participants are welcome. Entry is free, and children attend with an adult. Registration: [add the confirmed method before sending]. ## Learning Starting request: Explain percentages. ### Starting point I understand fractions but mix up percentage change and percentage points. Why it helps: A specific gap gives the explanation a focus. ### Example Use attendance increasing from 40 to 60, then a rate increasing from 40% to 60%. Why it helps: The paired examples expose the distinction. ### Interaction Ask me one question first and wait for my answer. Why it helps: The learner has to make an attempt. ### Check After feedback, give me a different example to solve without hints. Why it helps: A fresh attempt checks what the learner can use. ### Illustrative result for the complete brief First question: attendance rises from 40 people to 60 people. How many extra people is that, and what fraction of the original 40 does the increase represent? Try answering before asking for the next step. ## Research Starting request: Summarize these reports. ### Question Compare what these reports say about meeting load. Why it helps: A question tells the assistant what to extract. ### Evidence Use only the supplied reports and cite the source location for each finding. Why it helps: The evidence boundary is clear. ### Structure Return a table with definition, period, result, and limitation. Why it helps: Definitions stay visible beside the numbers. ### Disagreement Keep conflicting findings separate and identify what would resolve them. Why it helps: A neat summary should not erase uncertainty. ### Illustrative result for the complete brief A useful result would keep one row per report, show how each defines meeting load, and preserve its date and limitations. A conclusion should follow only after those definitions are compared. No source documents are supplied in this demonstration. Authored illustrations, not live model responses. [Read about examples](/learn/prompt-with-examples).