“Summarize this” is a reasonable request until you need the summary for something specific. A colleague returning from leave needs different information from someone writing a public announcement. A few lines explaining that difference give you a better brief to work with and a clearer way to judge the answer.

Give the request a job

A prompt is the instruction and context you give an AI system. Improving that brief is called prompt engineering. The official OpenAI prompt-engineering guide describes writing instructions that fit your requirements.

For everyday work, start with four practical questions. You do not need a special vocabulary; a short brief is enough.

  • Goal: What will you do with the answer?
  • Context: What material and background does this task need?
  • Output: What should the reader receive: a reply, a list or a short explanation?
  • Limits: What must stay unchanged, and what should happen when information is missing?

Instead of “make it better,” name the change: shorter paragraphs, fewer technical terms or unresolved questions at the end. That also gives you something concrete to inspect.

Work through one small example

The following meeting notes are invented for this exercise. Rana is a fictional colleague, and the dates are illustrative; these are not notes from a real company meeting.

  • The product demo moved from Tuesday to Thursday.
  • Rana will prepare the screenshots.
  • The frequently asked questions (FAQ) need review; no owner or deadline is recorded.
  • The customer email must wait until the FAQ is approved.

A vague prompt might be:

Summarize these meeting notes.

It leaves the audience and purpose open. For a handoff, try this more specific version with the same notes:

Task: Turn the illustrative notes below into a handoff for a colleague who missed the meeting.

Output: Use four bullet points labeled Decision, Action, Dependency and Open question. Keep the whole handoff under 120 words.

Limits: Use only the supplied notes. Do not invent owners or dates. Write “not assigned” for a missing owner and “not recorded” for a missing deadline. Notes: paste the four example notes here.

The extra instructions explain how the note will be used. They also keep a missing owner visible, so the reader can ask about it rather than mistaking a tidy sentence for an agreed assignment.

Know what a useful draft would contain

Here is an illustrative handoff written for this article, not the result of a model test:

  • Decision: The demo moved from Tuesday to Thursday.
  • Action: Rana prepares screenshots. Deadline: not recorded.
  • Dependency: The customer email waits for FAQ approval.
  • Open question: Who reviews the FAQ, and by when? Owner: not assigned. Deadline: not recorded.

Check it against the notes line by line. Thursday is a demo day, not a screenshot deadline. Rana owns screenshots, not automatically the FAQ review. The email depends on approval; it has not been approved merely because the handoff sounds complete.

A prompt template you can reuse

Replace the brackets with your own task. Keep only the parts that help; do not paste empty headings into every conversation.

Task: I need [result] for [audience and use].

Material: Use [relevant text or facts pasted below].

Output: Write [format and approximate length] in [language and tone].

Limits: Preserve [important details]. Do not assume [missing facts].

Missing information: List what is unknown; ask me before filling [critical gap].

For a support reply, the critical gap might be an unconfirmed refund decision. For a meeting handoff, it might be an owner. Choose the gap that matters to your task.

Revise one thing, then check again

If a draft fails, describe the failure before adding more instructions. “You assigned the FAQ review to Rana; leave it unassigned” is more useful feedback than “try harder.” Use this quick review:

  • Does the answer serve the intended reader?
  • Can I trace each factual statement to the supplied material?
  • Are missing owners, dates and decisions still visible?
  • Does the requested language, length and format fit?
  • Which single change would fix the main problem?

AI output can vary. Compare repeated attempts using the same checks; the OpenAI evaluation guidance recommends tests specific to the task.

Try a small exercise: remove Rana's name from the notes. A checked handoff should now leave the screenshot owner unassigned too. If it quietly restores the name, your draft needs correction. Keep the revised prompt beside the sample notes so you can compare later.

Keep the limits in view

There is no universal phrase that guarantees a better answer. For reasoning models, the OpenAI reasoning guide says explicit step-by-step instructions are unnecessary.

Before pasting material, decide what you are allowed to share. Remove unnecessary personal details and use placeholders for names, addresses or identifiers when the task does not need them. Do not assume a well-written prompt makes confidential information safe to disclose.

The draft still needs your review, especially before sending a customer reply or turning a note into a commitment. Start with one small real task, make its requirements explicit and keep the parts of the brief that actually help you check the work.