Prompt better · Checklist

Fix a weak AI answer without starting again

Beginner · Published 2026-10-18 · Reviewed 2026-10-05

Tools: Multi-tool
Audience: People getting started with AI
Topic: Prompt better

Hands typing on a laptop at a light desk

You’ll finish with: a revised answer with the actual weakness addressed.

When an answer misses the mark, change the instruction that caused the miss. “Try harder” gives the model very little to work with. A precise correction gives you something you can test.

Set up

Use 10 minutes, the draft below and any AI chat. Keep the original answer so you can compare revisions instead of trusting the newest one automatically.

Download this guide’s practice sheet ↓

Try this example

FICTIONAL PRACTICE MATERIAL
Brief: write a 60-word factual update. Draft: Our exciting rollout is complete and everyone loves it. Evidence: pilot started Monday; 4 of 6 users tried it; two reported login problems; feedback review Friday.

Do the task

Identify the main fault: unsupported facts, unsuitable tone, wrong length or missing structure.
Request one correction using the evidence, then check whether new errors appeared.
Stop after two unhelpful revisions and rewrite the brief or change the task.

Your reusable prompt

Repair this draft using the supplied evidence. Remove claims of completion and universal approval. Keep it under 60 words and include the login issue and Friday review.

PRACTICE INPUT
Brief: write a 60-word factual update. Draft: Our exciting rollout is complete and everyone loves it. Evidence: pilot started Monday; 4 of 6 users tried it; two reported login problems; feedback review Friday.

Refine your result

Make it calm and direct without hiding the problem. Count the words, then show any remaining uncertain claim separately.

Check the result

The revision should report a pilot in progress and two login reports. Four trial users does not mean four satisfied users. Repeatedly incorrect facts are a reason to stop and inspect the input.

Save and reuse

Keep the corrected draft plus a note of the instruction that fixed it. Reuse the correction when the same problem appears.

Sources and notes

Writing clear prompts Checked 2026-10-05

The practice input and teaching prompt are original 5HO material. Examples are fictional; they are not screenshots or claims of a completed real-world task.
Official documentation supports the relevant product concepts. Setup availability depends on your account; where a guide offers a fallback, it does not prove the connected capability worked.