I have been extensively working with prompt engineering techniques lately, and the methods I have learnt have fundamentally changed how I interact with large language models.
Here is what has been particularly effective:
- Recursive Expansion for Comprehensive Coverage - I embed instructions within my prompts that direct the model to expand topics recursively. This ensures the AI automatically explores subjects in depth without requiring multiple follow-up queries.
- Maximising Token Window Utilisation (99.99% Usage) - I strategically utilise nearly the full context window to circumvent rate limiting and avoid truncation issues. This results in more comprehensive outputs without mid-response cutoffs.
- Applying the DRY Principle (Don't Repeat Yourself) - I structure prompts to eliminate redundancy. This keeps responses focused and allocates tokens more efficiently towards meaningful content.
- Internal Monologue for Enhanced Transparency - I request AI to articulate its reasoning process before providing final outputs. This transparency enables early identification of potential errors.
- 360-Degree Thinking for Holistic Analysis - I instruct the model to dynamically identify and analyze all relevant perspectives based on the topic. This ensures comprehensive coverage across all applicable dimensions.
- Visual Aids Through ASCII Mindmaps and ASCII Decision Charts - Incorporating ASCII-based diagrams has significantly improved information accessibility without requiring external visualisation tools.
- Ultra-Verbosity for In-Depth Understanding - For scenarios requiring thorough explanations, I request ultra-verbose responses with extensive context and examples. This proves particularly valuable when surface-level answers are insufficient.
- Persona-Based Emulation - I incorporate personas of established authors or thought leaders into prompts. This significantly alters the writing style and makes technical content more engaging.
- Fact-Checking to Avoid Hallucinations - I explicitly instruct models to verify their claims and cite sources wherever possible. Grounding responses in verifiable data ensures reliability.
- Generating Follow-Up Questions for Rabbit Hole Learning - I instruct the model to provide 10 relevant follow-up questions at the end of each response. This creates a rabbit hole-style learning experience for deeper exploration.
Impact on Workflow:
These techniques represent a fundamental shift in how I approach problem-solving with AI. The result is higher quality outputs, fewer iterations, and substantially greater control.
What prompt engineering methods have proved effective in your experience? Feel free to share your thoughts.