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Course Library · Lesson 2 of 6
Digital · Guided lesson

Write strong instructions

About 28 minutes · 5 reading + 23 practice and checks
Work at your own pace. Optional videos take extra time.
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Before you begin

The idea in everyday life

Write instructions like a compact work order: objective, audience, source context, boundaries, output form, and acceptance criteria. Examples help when style or categorization is hard to describe. Ask the model to expose uncertainty rather than invent missing facts.

The idea

A prompt is the instruction you give an AI tool. Include the goal, background, source material, limits, an example, and how you will check the result.

Try it

One step at a time.

Use the sample or information you have permission to use. Keep your work as you go. You can pause between steps.

  1. 1

    State the task and real audience in the first lines instead of assigning a vague expert persona.

  2. 2

    Provide only the source material and background required, clearly separating instructions from reference text.

  3. 3

    Specify must-include facts, prohibited assumptions, desired structure, length, and tone.

  4. 4

    Ask for missing information, uncertainty flags, and a final self-check against explicit criteria.

Example

See how it works.

The manager provides a transcript and says: produce decisions, action items with owner and due date only when explicitly stated, unresolved questions, and a 100-word recap. Quote the timestamp for each action, write 'not specified' for missing owners, and do not infer commitments.

Check your work

Did you cover these?

  • Required facts and supplied facts are clearly separated.
  • The output format makes omissions and review easy to detect.
  • Instructions state what to do when information is missing or conflicting.
Your work

What to finish

A reusable prompt template and one completed brief for a real task.

Common mistake

Watch for this

Adding adjectives such as ‘world-class’ while omitting data, constraints, and a definition of done.

How can I tell I understand it?

Another person could evaluate the output without asking what ‘good’ means.

Try 3 questions

Quick knowledge check

Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.

Not yet passed

You’ll get an explanation for each answer. Signed in? Your results save to your account.

1Your source notes say “Mina will send the draft”; they give no deadline. You need an action table with owner and due date. Which instruction makes the missing information safe to handle?
2A brief requires at most 80 words, exactly three action rows, and a source reference for every row. A draft has 74 words, three rows, and only two source references. How should it be scored against these stated checks?
3You ask for a neutral comparison of two training options using only the supplied fee and schedule tables. The draft invents job-placement rates. Which change addresses the instruction gap?
0 of 3 answeredApply the lesson to a short question, then review the explanation.
2
Finish this lesson

Pass the check. We’ll save the progress.

Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.

Go to the knowledge check
Optional course overview video · same video as Lesson 1
Google CloudAI and Machine Learning with Google CloudYouTube
Optional course overview

AI and Machine Learning with Google Cloud

From Google Cloud. Watch here or open it on YouTube .

Pause when the instructors add context, delimit input, or specify output. Label those parts in your own reusable instruction block.
Tools, templates, and lesson sources

Tools and templates

Tools open in a new tab so you can keep your place here.

Sources and further reading

Explore the references behind this lesson.

NIST — AI Risk Management Framework
OpenAI — Prompt engineering guide
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