Prompt Tips: Like or Not?

When?

I use this activity as an engaging way to kick off a prompt engineering training session.

Key Learning

Prompt hacks are often fragile and unreliable. In contrast, best practices and solid fundamentals—which we’ll dive into in upcoming activities—are more robust and impactful.

Materials

From the Prompting Expansion:

• A selection of Tweet Cards
• Thumb Up/Down cards

Background Knowledge

To prepare, I recommend reviewing the Trainer's Guide on Good Tips vs. Bad Tips. It provides insights into the differences between fragile hacks and solid principles.

Step-by-Step

Introduction

Set the stage with a brief explanation:

"One reason you'll excel in prompt engineering is your ability to cut through the noise. Today, there's an overwhelming amount of advice—some helpful, some completely random—on how to effectively prompt an AI. For example, would you like this tip?"

Step 1: Show a Tweet Card and Ask for Reactions

Hold up a Tweet Card and ask participants:

"Do you like this advice or not? Thumb Up or Down?"

Participants use Thumb Up/Down cards to share their reactions.

Step 2: Debrief and Discuss Nuance

Guide the discussion by breaking down the tip:

• Explain whether it’s a hack or a best practice.
• Point out that hacks might work in specific situations but are often unreliable.
• Highlight that the session focuses on building solid fundamentals with long-term impact.

Variants

• 💖 My Favorite Setup: I like to print Tweet Cards on large panels and hold them up for everyone to see. I also display the tip on a slide for readability. Then, I group participants into threes to discuss and decide collectively: thumbs up or thumbs down.
• Table Debate: I give each table a deck of Tweet Cards. The table splits into two zones: "Thumbs Up" and "Thumbs Down." Participants discuss each card and move it to the appropriate zone based on their decision.
• Quicker Table Debate: Each table gets only one (different) Tweet Card to evaluate. Afterward, they share their decision and reasoning with the group.
• Virtual Workshop: I create a virtual canvas with the Tweet Cards and prepare Thumb Up/Down stickers for participants to vote. If you're running this virtually, tools like Miro work well for this setup. A ready-to-use Miro canvas will soon be included for those who purchase the Prompting Expansion.
• Digital Vote for Large Groups: For larger groups, I use a platform like Stormz. The Stormz Quiz Template from your Prompting Expansion makes it easy for participants to vote digitally. Afterward, I review the collective responses and facilitate a discussion.