Jennifer is a compliance officer at a fast-growing company in Durham. In response to a recent increase in her workload, Jennifer has turned to AI to help with initial document reviews. She’s uploaded an extensive set of documents into their company’s approved GenAI system that demonstrates the required language compliance standard. With some thoughtful prompt engineering, she has coaxed it to evaluate new drafts quickly to identify non-compliant language.
Jennifer’s approach is innovative, but the output is only as good as the input. In the AI arena, our inputs are known as prompts. Crafting precise and effective prompts is essential to guiding AI systems to produce useful and relevant outputs. While our example above comes from a compliance application, the same technique that Jennifer uses can be applied to learning initiatives. Crafting prompts, known as prompt engineering, bridges the gap between GenAI capabilities and human interaction, and it’s transforming the way we approach learning and development.
Let’s examine the world of prompt engineering in more detail and explore its significance, levels of mastery, and practical applications.
What is prompt engineering?
Prompt engineering is the art and science of designing inputs (prompts) that guide GenAI systems to produce valuable and relevant outputs. Unlike traditional programming, which involves writing detailed instructions in code, prompt engineering leverages natural language to interact with AI models.
A unique blend of language, logic, and creativity is essential for enhancing communications between humans and GenAI systems while unlocking the full potential of AI technologies.
Why prompt engineering matters in L&D
In the L&D space, prompt engineering plays a pivotal role in creating personalized learning experiences. Tailored prompts can significantly improve learner engagement, providing dynamic and interactive educational content. By mastering prompt engineering, educators and trainers can develop more sophisticated and adaptive learning environments that cater to individual needs and preferences.
Levels of prompt mastery
Learning to engineer prompts takes some time. We recommend a phased approach, which will help you take full advantage of GenAI tools.
Basic Level: Foundations of AI interaction
At the basic level, prompt engineering involves understanding the fundamental capabilities of GenAI systems and how to interact with them using simple commands. Basic level prompt mastery is a crucial starting point, as it lays the foundation for more advanced interactions.
Basic prompts are straightforward and task-oriented. Examples include asking a GenAI system to “summarize the key points of our company’s new compliance policy” or “translate the HR manual into Spanish.” These commands elicit direct and literal responses from the GenAI system.
Practicing with basic prompts will help you grasp the capabilities and limitations of GenAI. We encourage users to experiment with different prompts and observe how the system responds, laying the groundwork for more complex interactions.
Example prompts for the basic level:
- “What are common learning objectives for a customer service training program?”
- “Summarize the key points from last month’s team meeting.”
- “Create a list of 10 quality, open-ended questions to ask during a sales interview.”
Advanced Level: Crafting rich GenAI dialogues
As you become more familiar with GenAI prompts, you can move to the advanced level, where prompts are designed to elicit more nuanced and contextually relevant responses. Advanced-level prompt engineering involves sophisticated techniques, such as role-playing and context-setting.
Advanced prompts often include additional context or scenarios to guide the GenAI system’s responses. For example, “You are a team leader. How would you motivate a team member who is consistently underperforming?” or “Explain the benefits of our new project management tool to a group of senior executives.”
At the advanced level, prompts are used to generate richer dialogues and more detailed outputs. Users need to have a deeper understanding of how GenAI systems process language and context to create effective prompts.
Standardized templates and tools can help you structure prompts more effectively, leading to consistent and reliable responses. These tools will help you refine your prompts to achieve your desired outcomes.
Example prompts for the advanced level:
- “Develop a comprehensive onboarding plan for new employees, including training schedules and key learning objectives.”
- “Create a project proposal for implementing a new learning management system in our organization.”
- “Generate a customer service role-play for new hires.”
Expert Level: Mastering the symphony of GenAI communication
The expert level represents the pinnacle of prompt engineering, where users design complex prompts and fine-tune GenAI interactions for optimal performance. At the expert level, you’ll address sophisticated challenges, including AI hallucinations, biases, and security.
Expert-level prompts resemble higher-order programming, requiring intricate design patterns to navigate complex GenAI interactions. For example, “Analyze the potential impacts of a remote work policy on our company’s productivity, employee satisfaction, and overall culture. Provide data-driven insights and actionable recommendations.”
At the expert level, you’ll meticulously adjust AI models to enhance performance, similar to tuning a musical instrument. Continuous iteration and validation help to ensure the GenAI produces accurate and relevant outputs.
Expert prompt engineers are vigilant about potential pitfalls like GenAI-generated misinformation (hallucinations), biases, and security issues. They employ rigorous validation systems, reliability augmentation, and debiasing mechanisms to mitigate these risks.
Techniques such as prompt chaining and iterative construction enable the creation of intricate GenAI applications. These methods allow for ongoing evaluation and refinement to maintain cutting-edge performance.
Example prompts for the expert level:
- “Develop a strategic plan for our company’s expansion into international markets, considering economic, cultural, and regulatory factors.”
- “Write a persuasive business case for adopting a new technology, supported by industry trends and ROI analysis.”
- “Simulate a board discussion about the implications of recent market changes on our business strategy, ensuring balanced perspectives and incorporating data-backed arguments.”
Give prompt engineering a try
If you’ve been hesitant to dip your toe into the AI pool—or perhaps struggled to find practical applications in your workflow—the structure and examples above will give you a starting point. While ChatGPT is the best-known GenAI tool on the market, there are many other options that you can use to practice and refine your prompt engineering skills. Click here to view our top GenAI recommendations for L&D professionals in content creation, visuals, voiceover, and video.
Up next: we’ll delve into practical applications of prompt engineering for L&D.
