Stop overthinking your prompts. Seriously. Most people approach large language models like they’re diffusing a bomb or trying to cast a spell in a specific dialect of Latin. They buy "prompt engineering" packs for $47 and spend twenty minutes crafting a paragraph that looks like legal jargon just to get a recipe for sourdough. It’s exhausting. And honestly? It’s usually counterproductive. The secret to getting the best output isn't a secret at all: you just need to tell it what you want in the same way you’d talk to a smart, slightly literal-minded intern.
Why "Tell It What You Want" Works Better Than Prompt Hacks
The tech has changed faster than our habits. Back in 2022, you had to be careful. You had to use specific keywords and weird formatting to keep the early models from hallucinating or losing the plot. But we're in 2026 now. The models—whether you're using Gemini, GPT, or Claude—are built on natural language processing that actually understands intent. When you try to use "hacks," you often end up burying your actual request under a mountain of fluff.
Think about it like this. If you hire a contractor to fix your kitchen and you spend three hours talking about the "synergy of the domestic culinary space" instead of saying "I want marble countertops and a deep sink," you’re probably going to hate your new kitchen. AI is the same. When you tell it what you want clearly, you remove the guesswork.
The Problem With Being Too Formal
We’ve been conditioned by Google Search. For twenty years, we’ve used "keyword-ese"—shorthand phrases like best pizza NYC or how fix sink leak. But LLMs don't want keywords. They want context. When you’re too formal or too brief, the AI fills in the gaps with its own training data, which might not be what you had in mind. It guesses. And AI guesses are where the generic "In today's fast-paced world" nonsense comes from.
If you want a professional email that doesn't sound like a robot wrote it, don't just say "Write an email about a late shipment." That’s too vague. Tell it: "Hey, I need to tell a client their order is two days late because of a storm. Keep it short, don't apologize too much, but be firm that it'll be there Wednesday." See the difference? You told it the vibe. You gave it the facts. You set the boundary.
The "Intern" Mental Model
I always tell people to treat the AI like a very bright 22-year-old who has read every book in the world but has zero common sense about your specific life. This intern is fast. They’re eager to please. But if you don't give them a specific goal, they’ll just do what they think "standard" looks like.
Setting the Scene
Don't just give a task. Give a role. If I’m trying to figure out a workout plan, I don't just ask for a list of exercises. I tell the AI: "You’re a high-end personal trainer who specializes in people with lower back pain. I have 30 minutes, two dumbbells, and a very grumpy cat who might trip me. Give me a circuit."
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That’s how you tell it what you want effectively. You’ve defined the constraints. You’ve mentioned the cat (constraints matter!). You’ve told it your equipment.
- Bad Prompt: "Give me a workout."
- Good Prompt: "I need a 20-minute bodyweight routine for a hotel room. No jumping because I don't want to annoy the people downstairs."
The second one wins every time because it's grounded in reality.
Breaking the "Polite" Habit
Interestingly, some researchers, like those in the 2023 study Large Language Models Understand and Can be Enhanced by Emotional Stimuli, found that adding a bit of "emotional pressure" can actually improve performance. Now, I’m not saying you should scream at your computer. That’s weird. But telling the AI "this is really important for my career" or "be as concise as possible, my boss is waiting for this" actually shifts how the model prioritizes its output.
It’s about weight. When you tell it what you want and add why it matters or what the specific "fail state" is, the model narrows its focus.
Context Injection vs. Prompt Bloat
There is a massive difference between providing context and just writing a lot of words. Prompt bloat is when you use those "mega-prompts" you see on LinkedIn that are 500 words long. Most of that is garbage. Context injection is giving the AI the specific "Lego bricks" it needs to build your answer.
If you’re writing a blog post, give it your voice. Don't ask it to "write in a catchy tone." That means nothing. Instead, say: "I like short sentences. I use a bit of slang. I hate the word 'delve.' Write a paragraph about why electric bikes are better than cars using that style."
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You’re basically giving it a map instead of a vague direction.
Real-World Example: Coding
I see this in the dev world a lot. A junior dev will ask an AI to "fix this code." The AI tries, but it doesn't know the tech stack or the legacy issues. A senior dev will tell it what you want by saying: "This Python function is hitting a memory limit when the CSV is over 1GB. Refactor it to use a generator instead of loading the whole thing into a list. Keep it compatible with Python 3.9."
Precision beats volume. Every. Single. Time.
Stop Asking, Start Directing
We tend to ask AI questions. "Can you help me with a meal plan?" Of course it can. It’s a computer. You’re wasting a turn. Instead, command it. "Create a 5-day meal plan that is strictly vegetarian, under $50 total, and involves zero kale. I hate kale."
By being direct, you skip the "Sure! I can certainly help you with that" fluff and get straight to the data.
The Iteration Loop
Rarely does the first response nail it. That’s okay. This is where most people give up and say "AI sucks." No, you just haven't finished the conversation. If the output is too wordy, tell it: "This is too long. Cut the first two paragraphs and make the rest a list."
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If it’s too formal: "You sound like a textbook. Make it sound like a text message to a friend."
You have to be willing to steer the ship. The AI is the engine, but you are the captain. If you don't tell it what you want during the second and third pass, you’re leaving 80% of the value on the table.
The Ethics of Clarity
There’s a weird gray area here. Some people think that if they don't use the "perfect" prompt, they're being "unfair" to the tool or they’re not "doing it right." Let go of that. These models are built on human language. The most "human" way to communicate is to be clear about your needs.
When you tell it what you want, you’re also reducing the chance of the AI making things up. Hallucinations usually happen when the AI is trying to fill a void. If you don't give it facts, it creates them to satisfy the prompt structure. Provide the facts, and the AI becomes a filter and a formatter rather than a fiction writer.
Actionable Steps for Better Results
You don't need a course. You just need to change your mindset. Next time you open that chat box, try this workflow instead of your usual routine.
- Define the Goal First: Before you type a single word, know what "success" looks like. Is it a 200-word email? A working block of CSS? A list of five puns about owls?
- Give the "Why": Explain the context. "I'm writing this for a group of skeptical investors," or "This is for a 5-year-old's birthday party."
- Set the Constraints: This is the most important part. Tell it what not to do. "No clichés," "No mention of politics," "Don't use the word 'transformative'."
- Specify the Format: Don't let it decide. Tell it: "Give me a bulleted list," "Write it as a dialogue," or "Put the most important info in the first sentence."
- Be Brutal with Feedback: If it misses the mark, tell it exactly where. "The third point is wrong. I don't use AWS, I use Azure. Fix that and rewrite."
The goal is to spend less time "prompting" and more time communicating. The more you treat the interface as a bridge between your idea and a finished product, the better that product will be. Stop searching for the magic phrase. There isn't one. The magic is just being clear about your own expectations.
The next time you sit down to work with an AI, ignore the templates. Forget the "Act as a..." gimmicks for a second. Just look at the cursor and tell it what you want like you're talking to someone you're paying by the hour. You'll be surprised at how much smarter the machine suddenly seems when you stop speaking to it in code.