Concept 03 · 7 min
Most bad answers come from bad briefs. Not from bad models.
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Scene 1
Day one
Friday morning. Sarah needs a follow-up email to Mr. Miller after yesterday’s meeting. She tries two briefs.
Brief A · 14 lines
- Client record: Miller Joinery, client since 2019.
- Contact: Mr. Miller, owner.
- Accounts: business current account, savings, equipment loan.
- Overdraft limit: €10,000.
- Emails since 2019: account opening, equipment loan, overdraft questions.
- Meeting notes, Thursday: overdraft request discussed.
- He sends his last three months of statements.
- He settles the invoice that’s 12 days overdue.
- We review his overdraft request next Tuesday.
- Product sheet: business savings account.
- For spare cash, opened online or at the branch.
- Conditions and rates: see the full sheet.
- (full product sheet pasted here)
- Write the email.
Brief B · 5 lines
- Write a follow-up email to Mr. Miller after Thursday’s meeting.
- Next steps: he sends his last three months of statements; he pays the invoice that’s 12 days late.
- We review his overdraft request next Tuesday.
- Warm, formal, no banking jargon.
- Subject line, five sentences at most, next steps as bullets.
Which brief gets the better email?
Picture a brilliant intern on day one: they write well, know nothing about Mr. Miller, and forget everything overnight. What you hand them is a prompt: everything they need, and nothing else.
Scene 2
The prompt, block by block
Sarah’s first try is one line: the goal. Add one block at a time, and watch what changes in the email.
Goal
Sarah’s prompt
GoalWrite a follow-up email to Mr. Miller after our meeting about his overdraft.The email
Dear Mr. Miller,
Further to our recent meeting regarding your authorised overdraft facilityjargon, please find the next steps below.
Next steps: [next steps].
We will review the drawdownjargon on [date].
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely, Sarah
- Right facts ✗
- Plain words ✗
- Clear layout ✗
Step 1 · Goal
Sarah’s prompt
GoalWrite a follow-up email to Mr. Miller after our meeting about his overdraft.The email
Dear Mr. Miller,
Further to our recent meeting regarding your authorised overdraft facilityjargon, please find the next steps below.
Next steps: [next steps].
We will review the drawdownjargon on [date].
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely, Sarah
- Right facts ✗
- Plain words ✗
- Clear layout ✗
Step 2 · Context
Sarah’s prompt
GoalWrite a follow-up email to Mr. Miller after our meeting about his overdraft.ContextWe met Thursday. Next steps: he sends his last three months of statements; he settles the invoice that’s 12 days overdue. We review his overdraft request next Tuesday.The email
Dear Mr. Miller,
Further to our meeting on Thursday regarding your authorised overdraft facilityjargon, please find the next steps below.
Kindly provide your last three months of statements and settle the arrearsjargon on your account.
We will review the drawdownjargon next Tuesday.
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely, Sarah
- Right facts ✓
- Plain words ✗
- Clear layout ✗
Step 3 · Audience
Sarah’s prompt
GoalWrite a follow-up email to Mr. Miller after our meeting about his overdraft.ContextWe met Thursday. Next steps: he sends his last three months of statements; he settles the invoice that’s 12 days overdue. We review his overdraft request next Tuesday.AudienceSmall-business owner, client since 2019. Warm, formal, no banking jargon.The email
Dear Mr. Miller,
Thank you for meeting me on Thursday about your overdraft limit.
Could you send me your last three months of statements, and pay the invoice that’s 12 days late?
We’ll look at your overdraft request together next Tuesday.
Let me know if you have any questions, I’m happy to help.
Best wishes, Sarah
- Right facts ✓
- Plain words ✓
- Clear layout ✗
Step 4 · Format
Sarah’s prompt
GoalWrite a follow-up email to Mr. Miller after our meeting about his overdraft.ContextWe met Thursday. Next steps: he sends his last three months of statements; he settles the invoice that’s 12 days overdue. We review his overdraft request next Tuesday.AudienceSmall-business owner, client since 2019. Warm, formal, no banking jargon.FormatSubject line, then five sentences at most. Next steps as bullets.The email
Subject Next steps after Thursday’s meeting
Dear Mr. Miller,
Thank you for meeting me on Thursday about your overdraft limit.
Next steps:
- Send me your last three months of statements.
- Pay the invoice that’s 12 days late.
We’ll look at your overdraft request together next Tuesday.
Best wishes, Sarah
- Right facts ✓
- Plain words ✓
- Clear layout ✓
Each block fixed one thing: the facts, the words, the layout. Your prompt is the page you write in its notepad. Same model, same request: only the prompt changed.
Scene 3
Show, don’t tell
Sarah wants the next step of each meeting in her branch’s format. She doesn’t describe it: she only writes “in the branch’s format”. Slide from 0 to 3 examples, and watch the score.
Sarah’s prompt
GoalWrite the next step from this meeting note, in the branch’s format, on one line.What it writes for 8 meeting notes
0/8
0/8 in the branch’s format
- Mr. Miller sends us his last three months of statements by Monday, October 13.Mr. Miller submits last 3 months’ statements by 10/13/2026 → Review & reconcile with branch records by 10/17/2026. (not in the format)
- Call with Mrs. Chen. She signs the transfer form at the branch on Tuesday, October 14.Confirm Mrs. Chen’s availability for the Tuesday, October 14 branch visit to sign the transfer form (follow up if needed). (not in the format)
- Mr. Novak settles his overdue invoice; he commits to Wednesday, October 15.[Mr. Novak] to confirm payment receipt and provide invoice details to [Team/Finance] by October 12 for review and follow-up on October 14. (not in the format)
- Check-in with Mrs. Baker: I send her the loan offer on Thursday, October 16.Follow up with Mrs. Baker on Friday, October 17, to confirm receipt and discuss next actions. (not in the format)
- Mrs. Patel opens a savings account for her daughter; she brings the documents on Friday, October 17.Mrs. Patel brings required documents to the branch by [2026-10-17] for account opening. (not in the format)
- Mr. Garcia lost his card. I order a new card on Monday, October 20.Mr. Garcia to confirm receipt of new card by October 27, 2026. (not in the format)
- Mr. Reed tells us on Tuesday, October 21 whether he takes the insurance.Follow-up: Confirm with Mr. Reed’s office on 2026-10-21 regarding insurance coverage status; document decision and next actions in branch records. (not in the format)
- Mrs. Lewis calls back on Wednesday, October 22 to set the date of her overdraft review.Mrs. Lewis to confirm overdraft review date with branch team by [2026-10-21] (end of day). (not in the format)
Challenge
- Get 7/8 with 3 examples at most.
- Bonus: 7/8 with only 2 examples.
What it writes for 8 meeting notes
0/8
0/8 in the branch’s format
- Mr. Miller sends us his last three months of statements by Monday, October 13.Mr. Miller submits last 3 months’ statements by 10/13/2026 → Review & reconcile with branch records by 10/17/2026. (not in the format)
- Call with Mrs. Chen. She signs the transfer form at the branch on Tuesday, October 14.Confirm Mrs. Chen’s availability for the Tuesday, October 14 branch visit to sign the transfer form (follow up if needed). (not in the format)
- Mr. Novak settles his overdue invoice; he commits to Wednesday, October 15.[Mr. Novak] to confirm payment receipt and provide invoice details to [Team/Finance] by October 12 for review and follow-up on October 14. (not in the format)
- Check-in with Mrs. Baker: I send her the loan offer on Thursday, October 16.Follow up with Mrs. Baker on Friday, October 17, to confirm receipt and discuss next actions. (not in the format)
- Mrs. Patel opens a savings account for her daughter; she brings the documents on Friday, October 17.Mrs. Patel brings required documents to the branch by [2026-10-17] for account opening. (not in the format)
- Mr. Garcia lost his card. I order a new card on Monday, October 20.Mr. Garcia to confirm receipt of new card by October 27, 2026. (not in the format)
- Mr. Reed tells us on Tuesday, October 21 whether he takes the insurance.Follow-up: Confirm with Mr. Reed’s office on 2026-10-21 regarding insurance coverage status; document decision and next actions in branch records. (not in the format)
- Mrs. Lewis calls back on Wednesday, October 22 to set the date of her overdraft review.Mrs. Lewis to confirm overdraft review date with branch team by [2026-10-21] (end of day). (not in the format)
It can’t guess your format: show it. A few well-chosen examples beat a long paragraph, and they are what it copies.
Scene 4
Reply, don’t restart
The email is ready, but Sarah wants it a little different. No need to rewrite everything: she replies.
The email
Subject Next steps after Thursday’s meeting
Dear Mr. Miller,
Thank you for meeting me on Thursday about your overdraft limit.
Next steps:
- Send me your last three months of statements.
- Pay the invoice that’s 12 days late.
We’ll look at your overdraft request together next Tuesday.
Best wishes, Sarah
Sarah replies
The first answer is a draft. Say what to change: the app re-sends the whole conversation, and it touches only that.
Scene 5
Ask it to ask you
Not sure what to include? Sarah ends her prompt with one more line.
Sarah
Write a follow-up email to Mr. Miller. Before writing, ask me what you need to know.Assistant
- What were the next steps?
- When is the next meeting or review?
- Formal or friendly?
Most assistants answer straight away. Invite questions, and the prompt writes itself.
Hype vs reality
- What the hype says
“There are secret magic phrases.”
What actually happensNo incantation beats a clear prompt: goal, context, audience, format, example.
- What the hype says
“Prompt engineer is the job of the future.”
What actually happensPrompting is briefing, a skill you already have. Models keep getting better at guessing intent; being clear stays useful.
- What the hype says
“Start with ‘You are an expert’.”
What actually happensA role changes the tone, not what it knows. The facts come from you.
Under the hood
A prompt is just text.
prompt = f"""Goal: {goal}Context: {facts}Audience: {audience}Format: {format_rules}Example of what I like:{example}"""email = model(app_instructions + prompt) # same model, different prompt, different emailNo hidden setting: your prompt is text placed in the notepad, after the app’s instructions. Showing examples is sometimes called few-shot prompting.
In 3 sentences
- A prompt is a brief: the model knows only what you write.
- Give the goal, the context, the audience and the format, and show an example when you can.
- Relevant beats long: it uses everything you add, whether it helps or not.
Did this make sense?
0/9 concepts unmagicked
Go to the challenge- 01LLMAvailable · How can it write so well without understanding? · Available
- 02ContextAvailable · Why does it forget what I said earlier? · Available
- 03PromptAvailable · Why are my results mediocre? · Available
- 04HallucinationsAvailable · Why does it make things up? When can I trust it? · Available
- 05RAGAvailable · How do I make it use our internal documents? · Available
- 06ToolsAvailable · How can it act, not just talk? · Available
- 07AgentAvailable · What is an agent, concretely? · Available
- 08SkillsAvailable · How do we specialize it without retraining? · Available
- 09Limits & safetyAvailable · What must I never trust it with? · Available
Solve the sandbox challenge to unmagic this concept.
Next step
Why does it make things up? When can I trust it?
The student who answers everything confidently
Use this journey with your teamsRecorded with Ministral 3 (3B), Oct 5, 2026. Other scenes: scripted.