Prompt patterns
Episode 3 · 3 minutes 8 seconds · Free to learn · Words printed on screen · Watch above, then try the exercise below.
What you'll learn
- The three patterns — a role, context, and an example — and what each one does to an answer
- How to combine all three into one question that works every time
- When to use each pattern on its own: a role for tone, context for fit, an example for style
Key points
A pattern is a recipe for asking. Give AI a role and you set the tone before you've even asked. Add context — the little facts around your ask — and the answer stops being for anybody and starts being for somebody. Show it one short example of what you like, and it will copy the shape. You don't need all three every time: role, context, example — a recipe for better answers.
Try it
- Think of one small thing you'd like AI to write — a note, a short message, or a list.
- Ask twice: once as a plain ask, and once with a role and one line of context. If you have a short example of writing you like, add "write it like this" and paste it in.
- Compare the two answers. Notice which pattern changed the answer most — that's the one to reach for first next time.
The words in this video
Prefer to read, or want to follow along while you watch? Here is everything the narrator says in this lesson, word for word.
Welcome back to AI Camp! Last time, you had your first good conversation with AI. Today, we make good questions almost automatic — with three little patterns you'll use again and again. A pattern is just a recipe for asking. You don't invent dinner from scratch every night — you follow a recipe you trust. A prompt pattern is the same idea: a shape for your question that works every time. Start with a plain ask: "Write a birthday note." Nothing wrong with it — but AI has to guess everything. Who it's for, what tone, how long. And guessed answers tend to feel generic.
Pattern one: give it a role. Tell AI who to be while it answers — a helpful neighbor, a patient teacher, a careful editor. The role sets the tone, and what the answer pays attention to. So our note begins like this: "You are a warm, friendly neighbor who writes lovely short notes." Hear it? The job already sounds kinder — before we've even asked for anything. Same request — but now the answer comes back warm and personal, instead of stiff and formal. One short line did that. That's the power of a role.
Pattern two: add context — the little facts around your ask. Who it's for, what's true, what matters. Context is how an answer stops being for anybody, and starts being for somebody. For our note, the context sounds like this: "It's for my neighbor, Mary. She is turning eighty, and she loves her garden." Three small facts — and now AI knows exactly who it's writing to. Context does the aiming. Without it, AI writes to the whole wide world. With it, AI writes to Mary. Same tool — completely different letter.
Pattern three — the strongest of the three: show it an example. Instead of describing the style you want, hand AI one short example of it, and let it copy the shape. Here's the example we hand it — a note we already like: "Dear Mary, your garden makes our whole street smile. Happy birthday!" Short, warm, and specific. That's the shape we want more of. Now put all three together — role, context, and example — into one question. It took about twenty seconds to build, and it will work every single time.
And the answer that comes back? It sounds like it was written by someone who knows Mary — because this time, in a way, it was. You did, through the pattern. You don't need all three every time. Use a role when the tone matters. Context when the answer has to fit your life. An example when the style matters. Mix and match, like ingredients. So here's today's camp rule: role, context, example. Three ingredients, one recipe — and better answers stop being luck and start being a habit.
Your turn. Pick one small thing you want AI to write — a note, a list, a short message. Give it a role, add one line of context, and if you have one, a short example you already like. Then compare it with the plain ask. Next time at camp: AI for writing. We'll draft emails and letters together — faster, cleaner, and still in your own voice. Role, context, example — you've got the recipe now. Use it once, and you'll never ask a bare question again. See you next time, right here at AI Camp.