Anatomy of a good prompt
Section titled “Anatomy of a good prompt”An effective prompt isn’t a well-phrased question — it’s a brief.
The 5 components
Section titled “The 5 components”┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐│ 1. ROLE Who should it be? ││ 2. CONTEXT What's the situation? ││ 3. TASK What it needs to do ││ 4. FORMAT How to present it ││ 5. CONSTRAINTS What to avoid │└─────────────────────────────────────────┘Not all components are always necessary — but keeping them in mind helps you build much better prompts.
Deconstructed example
Section titled “Deconstructed example”Basic prompt:
“Write an article about cloud computing”
Prompt with all 5 components:
“You are a tech writer specializing in plain-language explanations (role). I’m preparing an article for my company’s internal blog — readers are salespeople with no technical background (context). Write an introductory article on cloud computing (task). Format: catchy title, 3 sections with subheadings, max 400 words (format). Avoid jargon, no code, no overly technical analogies (constraints).”
The difference in output is immediate.
The most underrated component: role
Section titled “The most underrated component: role”Giving Claude a role shifts its “perspective” on the problem:
"You are a cybersecurity expert"→ more technical, risk-oriented answers"You are a teacher explaining to beginners"→ pedagogy, analogies, progression"You are a French employment law specialist"→ precision, legal nuance, caution
Mini-POC — 15 minutes
Section titled “Mini-POC — 15 minutes”Next step → Advanced techniques