Prompting

Well-designed prompts lead to stronger, more accurate results. Use these techniques to help the model understand exactly what you need — including the context, structure, tone, and format. 

Tips & Techniques

Choose the Right Assistant

Different assistants are designed for different types of tasks. Choose one based on your goal. Explore TGPT Assistants.

Use the START Method

Every strong prompt includes these five elements:

1. Situation: Provide context regarding the need. Example: "I am a staff member who is preparing to lead a team building event."

2. Task: What are you trying to accomplish? Example: "Write an invitation to the event, asking staff to provide dietary restrictions."

3. Action: What output format is best? Example: "Email format with no more than two paragraphs."

4. References: Are there resources the tool should consider? Example: "Include a summary of the following (add text)."

5. Tone: Who is your audience? Example: "Write in an excited but professional tone."

Edit and Improve the Response

Your first response isn’t the final product. Use these refinement techniques:

• Expand: Update the tone or layout. Example: "Tell me more about..."

• Direct: Provide boundaries for the model. Example: "Only provide content if you are certain it is true."

• Investigate: Ask follow-up questions. Example: "What are the likely outcomes if I dont provide lunch?"

• Trim: Condense or expand upon areas. Example: "Revise the response to be no more than two paragraphs."

Provide Feedback

Your feedback helps improve accuracy, speed, and UC San Diego-specific knowledge. You can report issues or confirm that responses are helpful. Be sure to share when responses are accurate and useful or confusing, incorrect, or needing improvement. 

Prompt Engineering Guide

Review our best practices guide to getting the most out of AI tools

View the Guide