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Module 3 — Get Better Results Than 90% of Users

You don't need to become a "prompt engineer". But there are a few simple habits that will make Claude dramatically more useful. This page covers all of them.

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Page 8 of 14 · Module 3 — Get Better Results Than 90% of Users

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The Four Things Claude Needs

Every good prompt has some combination of four things:

flowchart TD
    P["Great Prompt"] --> A["🧩 Context<br>Background info"]
    P --> B["⚡ Action<br>What to do"]
    P --> C["📐 Format<br>How to present it"]
    P --> D["🚧 Constraints<br>What to avoid"]

You don't need all four every time. But when something isn't quite right, one of these is usually missing.

Bad Prompt vs Good Prompt

❌ Bad Prompt

"Write me an email"

✅ Good Prompt

*"I had a discovery call with a potential client yesterday. They run a small architecture firm and are interested in our branding package. They seemed hesitant on price.

Draft a follow-up email:

• Warm, confident tone
• Acknowledge the call, reaffirm the value
• Invite them to a second call to go through options
• Keep it short — under 150 words
• Don't mention price or negotiation"*

Same task. Completely different output. The second one you can send as-is.

Plan Mode — Ask Before Acting

Permission Modes — How Much Autonomy to Give

A Few More Habits That Help

• Be specific about format: "Return this as a bullet list" / "Give me a table" / "Write this as a Notion page"
• Give examples: "Something like: [example]" is one of the most powerful phrases you can use