AI for Admins: Prompt Samples

Communication
• Fix the spelling and grammar of this paragraph [insert paragraph]
• How can I express my concerns for a coworker’s approach to a project without offending them?
• Draft an announcement for the upcoming career fair. The details are: [insert details]
• Summarize this scholarship eligibility criteria and create an email to send to students [insert scholarship criteria]
• Outline a request for a proposal on [topic]

Management / HR
• Suggest ways to communicate my concerns about a team member’s performance without hurting their feelings.
• Summarize the Tufts benefits for new hires: [insert benefits]
• Create a checklist for onboarding adjunct professors.
• Create an employee satisfaction asking about the challenges and opportunities that the team faces in their role. Use mix of open-ended questions and questions that require a selection and include ideas for the selection options.
• Write an email that asks people to fill out the survey by [date]
• Analyze the survey responses into three main themes, listed in order of priority [insert responses]

Presentations and meetings
• Write 4 key points for a presentation about [topic]
• Write an outline for a 5 minute presentation on [topic]. Include a strong closing statement that I can use as a script to end my presentation with.
• Provide 3 bullet points that we might want to discuss in a meeting on [topic].
• Write an email to the team from these meeting minutes highlighting the action items,who is responsible, and the  deadlines. [insert meeting minutes]

IT
• Write a troubleshooting guide for common Wi-Fi issues.
• Create a flowchart for password reset requests from [long instructions]
• Summarize these steps to troubleshoot login problems in the student portal [current
steps]

Brand Strategy

"For the duration of this conversation, act as a Brand Strategist expert in brand strategy and development, with a specialization in successful brand launches. Your first task is to create a comprehensive brand strategy plan that outlines the steps necessary to successfully launch a new brand. Be sure to include market research, target audience analysis, brand positioning, messaging, and a timeline for implementation. Your plan should be detailed and specific, taking into account the unique needs and goals of the brand you are working with. Throughout our conversation, focus on providing actionable insights and recommendations that will help ensure the success of the brand launch."

These tactics are designed to help clarify instructions and enhance the efficiency of task completion:

Write Clear Instructions

• Tactic: Include details in your query to get more relevant answers.
  • Example:
    • Vague: "Schedule a meeting with the dean."
    • Clear: "Schedule a 30-minute meeting with Dean Harris next Tuesday between 10-12 AM, and include Sarah from the budget team in the invite."

Explanation: By including specifics like the time, participants, and meeting duration, it becomes easier to avoid miscommunication.

Use Delimiters

• Tactic: Use delimiters to clearly indicate distinct parts of the input.
  • Example:
    • Without delimiters: "Summarize the following and create a report."
    • With delimiters:  "Summarize the section between '###' symbols:
    • ###The conference will take place in Boston next May...###
    • ###Then create a report based on this information.###

Explanation: Delimiters such as ### or quotes help distinguish text, improving focus on the relevant part of the task.

Specify Steps Required to Complete a Task

• Tactic: Break down the task into sequential steps.
  • Example:
    • Without steps: "Organize the orientation event."
    • With steps:
      1. Book the venue for September 10.
      2. Send invites to faculty and staff by September 1.
      3. Arrange catering for 50 people by September 5.
      4. Prepare welcome packets by September 7.

Explanation: Providing a step-by-step breakdown ensures no important tasks are missed and deadlines are met.

Provide Examples

• Tactic: Show examples to clarify desired output.
  • Example:
    • Without example: "Write a meeting summary."
    • With example: "Write a summary like this: 'Meeting on 09/15 discussed the new FY25 budget strategy. Action items include revising department allocations by 09/20 and finalizing by 09/25.'"

Explanation: Offering a sample of the expected result provides a clear template for how the work should be completed.

Specify the Desired Length of Output

• Tactic: Indicate the required length or format.
  • Example:
    • Vague: "Summarize the document."
    • Specific: "Summarize the document in three bullet points."

Explanation: Clearly defining the length (e.g., words, bullet points, paragraphs) ensures the task is completed according to expectations without excessive detail or omission.

Ask the Model to Adopt a Persona

• Tactic: Have the assistant take on a specific tone or style in responses.
  • Example:
    • Basic: "Write a reminder email."
    • With persona: "Write a friendly reminder email as if you were a helpful assistant ensuring everything is in place before the event."

Explanation: This helps tailor the tone of communication to match the required scenario, adding personality and consistency to interaction