HyperTeamsGetting the answer you wanted
What you will learn "I tried it and it was mediocre" almost always comes down to how you asked. Five techniques, each with a bad example and a good one.
Why results vary
AI only knows what you told it. It does not know your company's situation, your manager's taste, or what happened to you yesterday.
So when you ask briefly, you get an answer that applies to anyone. That is why it feels mediocre. It is not wrong — it is not fitted to you.
All five techniques are ways to increase how much you tell it.
Technique 1 — Be specific
Bad
Nothing about what report, who it goes to, or how long. You get "a generic report format."
Good
What changes
| Asked briefly | Asked specifically | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | AI picks arbitrarily | what you specified |
| Length | all over the place | one page |
| Tone | neutral | reporting-upward |
Technique 2 — Give it the situation
This one has the largest effect.
Bad
Good
What changes
Because you mentioned last year's failure, it does not propose online training again. It suggests in-person or hands-on formats instead.
Tip Saying "this didn't work" and "we already tried this" is especially effective. You are pre-deleting the directions that will not work.
Technique 3 — Give one example
The fastest way to get something you cannot easily describe in words.
Bad
AI does not know what "our company's style" is.
Good
What changes
One example is more precise than ten lines of description. Tone, length, and sentence structure all transfer at once.
Technique 4 — Specify the format
Bad
You get long prose. Hard to read.
Good
Common format instructions
| Say this | You get |
|---|---|
| "Put it in a table" | a table |
| "As a numbered list" | 1, 2, 3… |
| "One line per item" | short |
| "So a ten-year-old would get it" | plain words |
| "Summarise in 3 lines" | 3 lines |
Technique 5 — If you do not like it, say so
We covered this in the previous chapter, but it is the most important one, so here it is again.
Do not try to get it right in one shot. Three exchanges is faster.
All five at once
Combining them gives you a request like this. It looks long; it takes two minutes to write.
What you do not need to do
There is a lot of "how to write good prompts" material online. You do not need any of it at first.
- Starting with "You are an expert" → makes little difference on modern models
- Special commands or symbols → not needed
- Writing in English → your own language is fine
Give the situation, state the format, and correct it when you do not like it. Those three matter more than everything else combined.
A more systematic treatment comes later in intent and context. For now this is enough.
Check yourself
1. What is the most common cause of "I tried it and it was mediocre"?
Answer
Not giving it the situation. AI only knows what you told it, so a brief question produces a generic answer that applies to anyone. It is not wrong — it is not fitted to you.
2. What changes when you say "we tried online training last year and 20% completed it"?
Answer
It pre-deletes a direction that will not work. It stops proposing online training and looks for another format. That is why saying "we already tried this" and "this doesn't work" is so effective.
3. What is the fastest way to get a tone or format you cannot describe?
Answer
Give one example. Paste something you wrote before and say "match this tone," and tone, length, and sentence structure all transfer at once. More precise than ten lines of explanation.
Now layer the techniques on one at a time and compare for yourself. Twenty minutes → Ask for the same thing three times