How to get the best answer from AI – ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude
The Art of the Ask: How to Get the Best Answers from AI
Imagine you have commissioned the world's greatest artist to paint a masterpiece for you. If you simply say, "Paint something," you'll get a surprise, but it probably won't be what you were hoping for. If, however, you say, "I want a painting of a quiet, rainy street in Paris at dusk, in a shimmering, impressionistic style like Monet," you are going to get something much closer to your vision. The fact that you said like Monet, tells the AI to look at all of Monet's paintings and produce a paint that looks like it was made by Monet. You gave it an example (also called a shot), and the IA, because it knows almost everything just followed your example, and other directions and context you gave to it.
So to get the best answers from an AI always provide context and examples.
What is context?
Context is what is happening, why, for who or with who, where, when, for what reason. In summary, anything related to the thing.
For Example: I need help writing a letter for our water provider, we are a paper company and we have offices and also warehouses, and we want them to also deliver water to our warehouses.
What is an example?
An example is something you as a human can show the AI so it does the thing the way you like, and want it done. If you do not give an example the AI will decide for you, and it has no way of knowing exactly how you want it done, it will just do the best it can, remember, the AI is generic, you have the obligation to make it specific to your needs.
For Example: here is a letter I wrote before:
Jon Doe
Jon Artificial intelligence
Ahmed Sekou Toure Avenue
Maputo, Mozambique
July, 2025
Waterfalls Inc
Boane
Matola, Mozambique
Subject: Information on Water Delivery Location
Dear Sir or Madam,
The intent of this letter is to inform you that our headquarters are located on Ahmed Sekou Toure Avenue, right in front of the Post Office, and we would like you to deliver the agreed 5 bottles a week to this location
Please have a look at the attached document to this letter which provides further information about our location.
For any inquiries and needs, please feels free to contact us at +258829203920 or through director@jon-ai.com. Thank you for your time and consideration. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
Sincerely,
With all this information, the AI will give you the best possible letter and will copy the style of the letter you provided as an example. That is how you get the best answers from the AI. For even better results provide more than one example.
Golden Rule
I know that sometimes you will not have an example, at least provide context
Key Concept: Always provide Context
Always give information on what is happening, why do you need what you are asking or what you are about to do.
When you give context you are automatically selecting a persona from the AI that the AI can use, remember, the AI has millions of personas.
An AI chatbot is like an actor with millions of roles memorized. If you just say "Give me some lines," the actor has to guess which role to play. But if you provide context—"We're shooting a scene for a pirate movie where the captain discovers treasure"—the actor knows exactly which persona to adopt.
Prompt Examples: From Weak to Strong
Let's see the difference in practice. Notice how the strong prompts provide rich context and now also include examples (shots) to guide the AI's response style and format.
Scenario 1: Writing an Email (One-Shot Example)
Weak Prompt
"Write an email to my team."
Strong Prompt
"I need to write a short, friendly email to my development team about 'Project Phoenix.' The goal is to update them that the deadline is moving from July 1st to July 8th because of new client requirements. It's important to keep the tone positive and motivating, and to stress that their work has been excellent.
Here is an example of a similar email I've sent before:
Subject: Quick Update on Project Griffin Timeline
Hi Team,
Just a quick heads-up – we're shifting the final delivery for Project Griffin by a few days. The marketing team has given us some exciting new feedback that we want to incorporate.
Your work has been incredible, and I'm so impressed with what we've built. Let's use this extra time to make it even more polished. Thanks for your amazing effort and flexibility!
Best,
Alex"
Scenario 2: Brainstorming Ideas (Two-Shot Example)
Weak Prompt
"Give me some blog post ideas."
Strong Prompt
"My company sells high-end indoor plants online, and our target audience is millennials in small apartments. I need 10 catchy, SEO-friendly blog post titles. The topics should focus on challenges this audience faces, like finding low-maintenance or pet-safe plants, and creative ways to display them in a small space.
Use these successful titles as examples of the style I like:
Example 1: The Unkillable Trio: 3 Houseplants That Thrive on Neglect
Example 2: From Drab to Fab: 5 Hanging Plants That Will Transform Your Tiny Balcony
Scenario 3: Learning a New Topic (Three-Shot Example)
Weak Prompt
"Explain blockchain."
Strong Prompt
"Act as a friendly and knowledgeable science teacher. Explain the concept of blockchain to me as if I am a complete beginner with no technical background. Use a simple analogy involving a shared, public notebook to explain how transactions are recorded and secured. Break the explanation down into three key concepts.
Here are examples of how you've explained complex topics to me before:
Topic 1: Photosynthesis
Explanation: Think of a plant as a tiny solar-powered chef. It uses sunlight as energy to cook up its own food from water and the air.
Topic 2: The Internet
Explanation: Imagine the internet is a giant library, and every website is a book. Your web browser is like a super-fast librarian that can find and open any book you ask for in seconds.
Topic 3: Artificial Intelligence
Explanation: AI is like teaching a robot a new skill. If you show it thousands of pictures of dogs, it eventually learns to recognize a dog on its own, just like a child learns."
Key Concept: Don't Generate but Manipulate
Do not use AI to generate intelligence from scratch. Instead, use it to manipulate your existing intelligence. So dump as much as you think and know so the AI can help you.
Quick Check
You need the AI to help you create a summary of a complex technical report for your company's sales team. What key piece of context is most crucial to include in your prompt for the best result?
Recap: How to Get the Best Answer From AI
What we covered:
- The quality of your prompt directly determines the quality of the AI's answer.
- Providing Context is King: Giving the who, what, why, and where of your request is the first step to a great prompt. It tells the AI what persona to adopt.
- Examples are the Blueprint: Providing one or more examples (also called "shots") is the second key step. It shows the AI the exact style, tone, and format you want.
- Combining rich context with clear examples transforms a vague request into a precise command, guaranteeing a superior result.
Why it matters:
- Learning to provide both context and examples is the single most important skill for using AI effectively. It empowers you to move from being a passive user to being a director, guiding the AI to produce precisely what you envision.
Next up:
- We'll take a deep dive into the pioneer that started it all, ChatGPT, and explore how it continues to lead the pack.