Being Clear and Direct

The "New Employee" Mental Model

Think of Claude as a brilliant new hire on their first day. They're smart and capable, but they don't know your norms, preferences, or unspoken expectations. The more precisely you explain what you want, the better the result.

Golden Rule

Show your prompt to a colleague with minimal context. If they'd be confused about what to do, Claude will be too.

Be Specific About Output

Instead of "tell me about basketball," try "Name one basketball player. Output only the player's full name with no other text."

Tell Claude What TO Do

Positive instructions ("Output only the name") work better than negative ones ("Don't add any explanation"). Claude follows directives more reliably than prohibitions.

Key Takeaways

• Ambiguity is the enemy of good prompting. Remove every possible source of misinterpretation.
• Constrain the output format explicitly when you need a specific shape.
• Positive instructions > negative instructions.