Using GenAI effectively

Using GenAI

Writing effective prompts, personalising GenAI to specific use-cases, assigning roles and selecting the right tools can help you use GenAI in a way that enhances your skills without losing sight of your personal contribution.

Note: Before you use GenAI for assessment-related work you must check to ensure that your Subject Coordinator has not prohibited that use. To ensure safe and responsible use, see GenAI at Melbourne resource.

Prompting

Prompting is when you give a set of instructions to GenAI to generate the output you need.

Writing effective prompts provides outputs tailored to your unique objectives while clarifying your own thinking. Since use-cases vary, there is no single formula for the perfect prompt, but there are some general principles you can apply.

Think of prompt writing as engaging with an assistant who is incredibly patient and attentive, yet forgets all prior interactions as soon as a new conversation starts. For this reason, the goal here is not perfection, but clarity, iteration, and experimentation.

Be precise

State precisely what you want, especially when starting a new chat with GenAI.

Here are some ways you can improve precision, with example prompts:

• Specifying a desired format, tone, or depth of the response
  • Prompt: “Provide your response in [dot points / paragraphs / as a list], maintain a [formal / casual / academic tone] and keep your responses [concise / exhaustive].”
• Establishing limitations
  • Prompt: “Critique this paragraph, but do not address content or structure. Focus only on grammar.”
• Narrowing the focus with GenAI
  • Prompt: “I would like to learn more about [topic]. What information do you need from me before we start?”

Iterate and refine

Identify areas for improvement in outputs and adjust your original prompt to provide clearer guidance or enter it again to provide improved outputs.

Here are some ways to refine generated outputs, plus example prompts:

• Asking for variations and using them to further your thinking
  • Prompt: “Explain [topic] in three different styles: formal, conversational and creative.”
• Narrowing the focus
  • Prompt: “Rewrite your response to focus more on [specific focus].”
• Resetting the chat and trying again or using another AI tool. GenAI outputs are probabilistic, so resetting the chat or slightly changing the prompt can refresh the context and generate more relevant responses.

Experiment

Be creative and try new or unusual ways to prompt these tools to get unexpected and novel outputs. Documenting the prompts used and the results produced, helps you identify patterns and refine your approach over time.

Here are some ways you can experiment and introduce variability into your results, plus example prompts:

• Combining uncommon genres
  • Prompt: “Explain [concept] from the perspective of a stand-up comedian.”
• Asking for analogies or metaphors
  • Prompt: “Describe [concept] as if it were a building, focusing on its foundation, structure, and design.”
• Asking for novel perspectives
  • Prompt: “Imagine [concept] was discovered by someone in the 17th century. How would they describe it in their journal?”

Assigning roles

Exploring new topics from multiple perspectives is a path to deeper and more nuanced understanding. By assigning roles, you can simulate scenarios, organise workflows, and explore complex topics creatively.

Here are roles that you can assign to GenAI, with example prompts:

• Sequential roles within a workflow
  • Prompt: “First act as an expert in [topic] and explain [concept]. Next, act as an [outside consultant] and critique the explanation.”
• Multiple roles within a single interaction
  • Prompt: “Simulate a panel discussion about [topic]. Role one is a [specialist in topic], Role two is a [specialist in related field] and Role three is a [specialist in different field].”
• Storytelling roles
  • Prompt: “Act as an expert in narrative worldbuilding and [subject], craft an interactive story to teach me [concept]. Highlight the teaching moments in bold. Pause for my input before proceeding with the narrative.”
• Roles that help you refine your understanding
  • Prompt: “Act as a high school student struggling with [topic] and ask me questions to test my understanding. Ask me to explain the concepts clearly.”