Google’s NEW Prompting Guide is Incredible!

Jeff Su
14 May 202409:10

TLDRGoogle's new Prompting Guide offers five top tips for crafting better prompts. Firstly, the 'Power of Three' suggests asking for three variations of a response to inspire new ideas. Secondly, 'Chain of Thought' involves breaking down tasks into smaller sequential prompts for better results. Thirdly, 'Template Timesavers' encourages brainstorming and generating templates based on roles and responsibilities. Fourthly, 'Top-Down Competitive Analysis' advises starting with broad concepts and narrowing down to uncover actionable insights. Lastly, for Google users, 'Supercharge Your PDFs' allows leveraging Google Docs to enhance PDF content. These strategies aim to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of prompts, leading to more engaging and targeted outcomes.

Takeaways

  • 📝 **Power of Three**: Requesting three variations in the initial prompt can inspire new ideas and directions.
  • 🔗 **Multi-Step Workflows**: Breaking down a large task into smaller sequential prompts can reduce errors and improve results.
  • 📈 **Template Timesavers**: Brainstorming and generating templates based on roles and responsibilities can save time and overcome mental blocks.
  • 🔎 **Top-Down Competitive Analysis**: Starting with broad concepts and narrowing down to specific insights helps uncover actionable information.
  • ✍️ **Google Docs Integration**: Using Google Docs to enhance PDFs with prompts can streamline the writing process for Google users.
  • 🚀 **Initial Prompts Matter**: The length and effort put into the initial prompt can significantly affect the quality of the response.
  • 🤖 **Regenerate Function**: Utilizing the regenerate function to see different options can lead to better and more inspired outcomes.
  • 📉 **Chain of Thought Prompting**: Structuring prompts in a step-by-step manner can make complex tasks more manageable and precise.
  • 💡 **Inspiration from Variations**: Seeing different options through variations can help identify aspects that may have been overlooked.
  • 📋 **Customization of Templates**: Customizing existing templates with additional details can improve their effectiveness.
  • 📊 **Visual Data Presentation**: Using visual formats like charts and graphs can make financial data more understandable and impactful.

Q & A

  • What is the average length of the most successful prompts according to Google's analysis?

    -The most successful prompts are 21 words long on average.

  • What is the 'Power of Three' technique mentioned in the video?

    -The 'Power of Three' technique involves asking for three variations in the initial prompt to inspire new ideas and directions that may not have been initially considered.

  • How does the 'Chain of Thought' prompting technique work?

    -The 'Chain of Thought' prompting technique involves breaking down a large task into smaller sequential prompts, which can reduce potential errors and yield better results.

  • Why is it beneficial to use multi-step workflows?

    -Multi-step workflows help to tackle complex issues by breaking them down into mini milestones, making it easier to manage and less prone to errors.

  • What is the purpose of using templates in prompts?

    -Using templates in prompts can save time and overcome mental blocks by suggesting a variety of ideas that the user might not have thought of themselves.

  • How does the 'top-down competitive analysis' approach work?

    -The 'top-down competitive analysis' starts with broad concepts to understand the overall landscape and then uses narrower prompts to uncover actionable insights as it moves down the funnel.

  • What is the advantage of using Google Docs to supercharge PDFs?

    -Google Docs allows users to open PDFs and use Google Gemini within Google Docs to generate content based on the document, which can then be further refined into presentations or other formats.

  • Why is it recommended to ask for three variations in the initial prompt?

    -Asking for three variations can provide different perspectives and options, potentially revealing aspects that were not initially considered, thus increasing the chance of engaging the client or audience more effectively.

  • How can generating different options for a task, such as creating an offer letter, benefit the user?

    -Generating different options allows the user to compare and choose the most suitable approach, and also to understand various aspects that might be prioritized by different stakeholders, such as cost, ease of use, or security.

  • What is the significance of breaking down a complex task into smaller sequential prompts?

    -Breaking down a complex task helps in managing the complexity by focusing on one part at a time, which can lead to more accurate and higher quality output as each part can be given due attention.

  • How can using template timesavers help in the brainstorming process?

    -Template timesavers can provide a structured starting point for generating ideas, which can help overcome mental blocks and lead to more efficient and creative solutions.

  • What is the benefit of starting with broader prompts when conducting research?

    -Starting with broader prompts helps in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the topic at hand, which then allows for more targeted and specific follow-up questions that can uncover deeper insights.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Enhancing Prompt Effectiveness with Google's Tips

The video begins by discussing the optimal length for prompts based on Google's analysis, suggesting that while 21 words is the average length for successful prompts, most people use fewer than nine words. The presenter then shares the top five tips from Google's guide to writing better prompts. The first tip emphasizes the use of the regenerate function in chatbots to inspire new ideas by asking for three variations of a response. The second tip is about using multi-step workflows or 'Chain of Thought' prompting, which involves breaking down a complex task into smaller, sequential prompts to reduce errors and improve results. The third tip focuses on creating templates to save time and overcome mental blocks by brainstorming template ideas based on specific roles and responsibilities.

05:02

🔍 Conducting Competitive Analysis and Leveraging Google Docs

The fourth tip presented is about conducting top-down competitive analysis, which involves starting with broad concepts to understand the overall landscape and then using more specific prompts to uncover actionable insights. This process is likened to an upside-down triangle, narrowing down from general industry overviews to specific company strategies and weaknesses. The final tip is specific to Google users, highlighting the use of Google Docs to supercharge PDFs by uploading them to Google Drive and opening them with Google Docs. This allows users to utilize Google's AI, Gemini, within Google Docs for tasks such as summarizing reports and creating presentation outlines. The presenter also mentions that this feature is available only to users on the Google One AI Premium plan and those with the ability to upload PDFs to chatbots.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Prompting Guide

A Prompting Guide is a set of instructions or best practices designed to help users generate more effective and successful prompts when interacting with AI systems or chatbots. In the context of the video, Google's new Prompting Guide is highlighted for its ability to improve the quality of inputs to AI, leading to better outcomes.

💡Chatbot

A chatbot is an artificial intelligence software designed to simulate conversation with human users. In the script, the chatbot is referenced as a tool that can be influenced by the type and quality of the prompts given to it, affecting the responses and outputs it generates.

💡Regenerate Function

The Regenerate Function is a feature in AI systems that allows users to generate multiple responses or drafts to a given prompt. The video emphasizes the importance of using this feature to inspire new ideas and directions, as it can lead to more innovative and diverse outcomes.

💡Chain of Thought Prompting

Chain of Thought Prompting is a technique where a complex task is broken down into smaller, sequential steps or prompts. This method is shown in the video to reduce potential errors and improve the quality of the final output by addressing each part of the task individually.

💡Template

A template in the context of the video refers to a pre-designed format or structure that can be used to streamline and standardize certain tasks or content creation. Templates are highlighted as time-saving tools that can be customized to various roles and responsibilities, enhancing efficiency.

💡Top-Down Competitive Analysis

Top-Down Competitive Analysis is a research approach that starts with broad concepts to understand the overall landscape and then narrows down to specific details to uncover actionable insights. The video demonstrates how this method can be applied in prompts to guide the AI towards providing detailed and strategic information.

💡Google Docs

Google Docs is a web-based document editing platform that allows users to create, edit, and collaborate on documents online. In the video, it is mentioned as a tool that can be used in conjunction with AI systems like Google Gemini to enhance PDFs and create more dynamic and interactive content.

💡Google Gemini

Google Gemini is an AI system referenced in the video that can be used to analyze and summarize web pages, providing key insights and contextual information. It is praised for its ability to draw from multiple sources to create balanced summaries, which can be particularly useful in research and analysis tasks.

💡AI Premium Plan

The AI Premium Plan is a subscription service mentioned in the video that offers advanced features and capabilities for AI tools. It is noted that certain features, such as uploading PDFs to Google Drive and using advanced prompts with Google Gemini, are available only to users subscribed to this plan.

💡Presentation Outline

A Presentation Outline is a structured plan for a presentation, typically including headlines and supporting points. The video discusses how AI can be used to create a presentation outline with specific instructions, showcasing the system's ability to generate organized and focused content.

💡AB Test

AB Testing is a method of comparing two versions of something (like web pages or advertising copy) to see which one performs better. In the script, it is used as an example of how a chatbot can generate different variations of content to be tested against each other for effectiveness.

💡Value Proposition

A Value Proposition is a promise of value to be delivered through a product or service. It is mentioned in the context of creating email templates for Google ads, where different value propositions such as cost, ease of use, and security are used as the main topics to engage the customer.

Highlights

Google discovered that successful prompts are on average 21 words long, while most people use fewer than nine words.

The power of three: Google recommends asking for three variations in the initial prompt to inspire new ideas.

Chain of Thought prompting involves breaking down a large task into smaller sequential prompts for better results.

Google suggests using templates to streamline workflows and overcome mental blocks.

Top-down competitive analysis starts with broad concepts and narrows down to uncover actionable insights.

Google Docs can be used with Gemini to supercharge PDFs and generate content based on documents.

Google recommends generating three options for a new slogan emphasizing different values.

AB testing new messaging with three different variations of ad copy can lead to better marketing strategies.

Creating three email templates based on different value propositions can help engage clients more effectively.

Breaking down a task like writing a cover letter into smaller steps can reduce errors and improve the final product.

Using mini-milestones and corresponding prompts can help tackle complex issues more effectively.

Generating communication templates for different teams can save time and improve project management.

Mentoring and onboarding new hires can be streamlined with the help of brainstormed templates.

Conducting research in an upside-down triangle fashion helps understand the landscape before diving into specifics.

Google Gemini is better at summarizing web pages than Chat GPT when conducting research.

The 'help me write' feature in Google Docs with Gemini is available only for Google One AI Premium plan users.

Using prompts effectively can transform the way we interact with AI, leading to more efficient and creative outcomes.