Prompting Strategies Best Practices

Abstract AI techniques designed to be applied across diverse domains. These strategies include data processing, ideation, problem-solving and strategic planning, offering adaptable frameworks.

This article presents 33 AI-driven techniques categorized to help businesses enhance their processes, from data summarization to planning and prioritization. It delves into each method’s specific function, providing detailed insights on how AI can optimize tasks like gathering information, generating ideas, solving problems, and refining strategies. The goal is to offer readers practical ways to implement these methods, improving efficiency, decision-making, and innovation in their organizations by leveraging AI to streamline complex challenges and maximize output.

 

1. Data Gathering & Summarization

  • Expand List and Group: Expands a topic and organizes it into meaningful categories, ideal for idea generation.

  • Research and Summarize: Gathers external sources, providing a concise synthesis for informed conclusions.

  • Upload and Digest: Processes large datasets or documents, summarizing complex information efficiently.

  • Summarize and Expand: Offers a high-level summary before diving deeper into key points.

  • Summarize and Elaborate: Condenses content, then expands on important sections for deeper insight.

2. Problem Solving & Analysis

  • Build and Digest: Iterative questioning and reflection, ideal for gradually uncovering layered insights.

  • Breakdown and Continue: Dissects elements and continuously builds understanding by breaking down connected parts.

  • Solve and Assess: A loop between problem-solving and evaluating solutions for accuracy and improvement.

  • Query and Refine: Begins broad and refines information through a process of focused questioning.

  • Analyze and Forecast: Uses current or historical data to predict future trends, critical for strategic planning.

3. Creative Thinking & Ideation

  • Pose and Brainstorm: Prompts free-flowing idea generation, encouraging divergent thinking.

  • Expand and Detail: Takes a high-level concept and adds specific details and examples for actionable insights.

  • Combine and Innovate: Merges ideas from different sources to generate creative, innovative solutions.

  • Imagine and Reverse: Imagines a future scenario and works backward to outline the steps required to reach that state.

4. Comparison & Evaluation

  • Contrast and Compare: Evaluates similarities and differences between concepts, revealing deeper understanding.

  • Contrast and Merge: Merges multiple viewpoints or findings into a cohesive synthesis.

  • Hypothesize and Disprove: Forms hypotheses and tests them by actively seeking disproof, refining conclusions.

5. Categorization & Transformation

  • Classify and Transform: Organizes data into categories and restructures it for different purposes, like turning lists into action plans.

  • Filter and Detail: Extracts key information from a large dataset and zooms in on critical points.

  • Segment and Personalize: Breaks down large datasets into segments and tailors approaches to each group.

6. Communication & Presentation

  • Synthesize and Communicate: Combines complex data into clear, actionable insights, tailored to different stakeholders.

  • Extract and Rephrase: Extracts key information and rephrases it for specific audiences or purposes.

  • Interpret and Visualize: Converts data or reports into visual formats, making trends and insights more accessible.

7. Planning & Prioritization

  • Outline and Expand: Creates high-level outlines and systematically expands each section into actionable frameworks.

  • Prioritize and Justify: Ranks tasks or decisions by importance, providing logical justification for each priority.

  • Scenario Plan and Pivot: Develops contingency plans for multiple future scenarios and pivots strategies as needed.

8. Contextualization & Improvement

  • Define and Contextualize: Defines key terms or concepts and links them to specific business contexts for clarity and action.

  • Clarify and Elaborate: Breaks down vague or unclear inputs, then expands on them with concrete details.

  • Audit and Improve: Reviews processes to identify inefficiencies and develops action plans for optimization.

  • Layer and Deconstruct: Breaks down complex systems layer by layer to understand their interdependencies and improve performance.

 

Prompting Strategies Breakdown

1. Data Gathering & Summarization

This group focuses on gathering information from various sources and summarizing it into digestible insights. It helps in processing large amounts of data quickly while offering concise takeaways. Ideal for market research, report synthesis, and data-driven decision-making.


 

1. Expand List and Group

  • Purpose: To generate a broad spectrum of ideas, points, or categories and then sift through them, organizing them into coherent subgroups. It encourages divergent thinking first, then converges it into structured outputs.

  • Processing New Data6/10. This strategy is fairly moderate at processing new information, as it draws on a variety of existing knowledge without diving too deeply into entirely novel areas. The initial expansion is relatively creative but typically less fact-heavy.

  • Output Depth7/10. The depth stems from the grouping process, where more thought is put into organizing and conceptualizing how the generated data relates.

Example Context: Generating ideas for a new product.

  • Prompt 1: “List 10 innovative product ideas that could reshape the home automation industry.”

  • Output: AI generates ideas like “smart fridge with AI meal planning,” “automated laundry folding system,” etc.

  • Prompt 2: “Group these ideas into categories based on functionality.”

  • Output: AI organizes them into categories such as Kitchen AutomationCleaning Solutions, and Energy Efficiency.

Steps:

  1. Prompt Broadly: Ask for multiple ideas, perspectives, or examples.

  2. Generate Data: Gather a wide range of responses.

  3. Group Ideas: Synthesize and categorize the data, either through thematic, logical, or structural connections.

  4. Refine and Iterate: Identify gaps or connections within the groups and refine.

Use Cases:

  • Idea Generation for brainstorming sessions.

  • Framework Building when needing to understand complex systems.

  • Survey Analysis, where collected data needs to be categorized.


2. Research and Summarize

  • Purpose: To gather external sources, process their insights, and create a distilled synthesis that highlights key findings or trends. It is about knowledge aggregation for informed conclusions.

  • Processing New Data9/10. This strategy excels in dealing with a high volume of external information, requiring robust data synthesis capabilities.

  • Output Depth7/10. The summarization process can sometimes limit the depth as it condenses data into key takeaways, but the quality depends on the comprehensiveness of the research stage.

Example Context: Creating a report on climate change effects.

  • Prompt 1: “Find recent sources that discuss the impact of climate change on coastal cities.”

  • Output: AI provides a list of articles and studies.

  • Prompt 2: “Summarize the key findings from those sources.”

  • Output: AI summarizes insights like rising sea levels, increased flooding risks, and economic consequences for cities like Miami and New Orleans.

Steps:

  1. Request Sources: Ask for relevant materials, references, or data points.

  2. Summarize Information: Condense the gathered material into concise, digestible parts.

  3. Analyze and Interpret: Highlight patterns, trends, or important takeaways.

  4. Form a Conclusion: Synthesize these takeaways into actionable insights or comprehensive overviews.

Use Cases:

  • Market Research where external data must be combined to form strategic conclusions.

  • Literature Reviews in academic contexts.

  • Competitive Analysis where summarizing key industry moves is critical.


3. Upload and Digest

  • Purpose: To input large pre-existing datasets, documents, or files and extract insights, summaries, or conclusions from them. This method emphasizes understanding existing material deeply.

  • Processing New Data10/10. By ingesting extensive datasets or documents, this strategy maximizes its processing of new information. It’s all about taking large amounts of unknown data and turning it into digestible knowledge.

  • Output Depth6/10. The quality of the output relies heavily on the interpretation or filtering of data. It tends to produce broad insights or summaries rather than detailed, specific conclusions.

Example Context: Analyzing a long report on cybersecurity.

  • Prompt 1: (Upload a 50-page cybersecurity report).

  • Prompt 2: “Summarize the key threats highlighted in this report.”

  • Output: AI digests the content and highlights major threats such as phishing, ransomware, and zero-day attacks.

  • Prompt 3: “Now, focus specifically on emerging threats.”

  • Output: AI hones in on newer trends like AI-driven attacks and vulnerabilities in IoT devices.

Steps:

  1. Upload Information: Input the dataset, document, or any existing material.

  2. Prompt for Insights: Ask for key patterns, summaries, or highlights.

  3. Focus: Once general insights are provided, dig deeper into specific areas or anomalies.

  4. Digest: Absorb and refine the summarized material for actionable understanding.

Use Cases:

  • Legal Document Analysis where large contracts or case files need summarizing.

  • Data Reporting where complex datasets are distilled into visual or textual insights.

  • Content Summarization where vast articles or books need condensing.


4. Summarize and Elaborate

  • Purpose: This strategy takes complex or lengthy textual information, simplifies it into a concise summary, and then prompts for an elaboration on key points. The process moves from abstract (summary) to concrete (elaboration), translating text back and forth.

  • Processing New Data7/10. It processes existing information but focuses more on summarizing and distilling key points than deep analysis.

  • Output Depth7/10. The initial summary condenses information, but the elaboration step enriches the depth again.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Summarize this 10-page marketing report in 3 sentences.”

  • AI Output: “The report outlines a 15% growth in social media engagement, driven by influencer partnerships and paid ad strategies. The content team is recommended to expand video marketing efforts. There’s also a concern over budget constraints for Q4.”

  • Prompt: “Elaborate on the concerns regarding Q4 budget constraints.”

  • AI Output: “The marketing team has projected a 20% increase in ad spend, which conflicts with the finance department’s allocated budget for the quarter. To address this, the report suggests reallocating funds from underperforming campaigns.”

Steps:

  1. Input Lengthy Text: Feed a large document, email, or report into the prompt.

  2. Summarize: Ask the AI to summarize the key points or highlights in 2-3 sentences.

  3. Elaborate: After the summary, select a point for elaboration, asking for more detailed exploration.

  4. Iterate: Repeat the summary-elaboration cycle for other sections as needed.

Use Cases:

  • Business Reports: Summarize a financial report, then elaborate on specific figures or trends.

  • Email Communication: Condense long email threads, then dive into important decisions made.

  • Project Briefs: Summarize project briefs and expand on timelines, risks, or resource requirements.


 

2. Problem Solving & Analysis

Centered on breaking down complex problems and analyzing components, these strategies are iterative in nature, promoting deeper understanding and optimized solutions. They’re perfect for strategic planning, research, and fine-tuning systems or processes.


1. Build and Digest

  • Purpose: This strategy uses an iterative process where multiple questions are posed, gradually funneling the responses toward specific conclusions. The essence is curiosity followed by reflection, perfect for complex problem-solving.

  • Processing New Data8/10. The constant probing introduces a significant amount of new information that must be processed and analyzed. Every question unlocks a new layer.

  • Output Depth9/10. The output is often highly specific and layered because it has evolved through multiple steps of questioning, ensuring comprehensive and nuanced insights.

Example Context: Deep exploration of a philosophical concept like “free will.”

  • Prompt 1: “What is free will?”

  • Output: AI gives a basic definition of free will as the ability to make choices unimpeded by external forces.

  • Prompt 2: “How does free will interact with determinism?”

  • Output: AI explains different schools of thought, like compatibilism and incompatibilism.

  • Prompt 3: “How do quantum mechanics affect the debate on determinism and free will?”

  • Output: AI introduces the role of randomness and uncertainty at the quantum level, and how it may introduce an element of unpredictability.

Steps:

  1. Pose Initial Questions: Start with broad or exploratory questions.

  2. Dig Deeper: Ask follow-up questions based on the answers received.

  3. Synthesize: Extract key points, insights, or patterns from the back-and-forth process.

  4. Reflect: Digest the material, considering both surface-level and deeper implications.

Use Cases:

  • Exploratory Research where the problem space is ambiguous.

  • Debates where counter-questions need to build on the previous responses.

  • Philosophical Analysis, where constant inquiry shapes the final insight.


2. Breakdown and Continue

  • Purpose: To start by dissecting an element, followed by a recursive breakdown of similar or related elements. It’s an exponential deepening of understanding through consistent analysis of interconnected parts.

  • Processing New Data7/10. While it delves into the intricacies of specific elements, it’s more focused on the elaboration of known systems rather than pure novelty.

  • Output Depth8/10. The layered breakdowns build complexity, resulting in rich, multi-dimensional outputs.

Example Context: Breaking down the success of a company like Apple.

  • Prompt 1: “Break down the factors that led to Apple’s success in the smartphone industry.”

  • Output: AI lists design, innovation, brand loyalty, and marketing.

  • Prompt 2: “Now break down Apple’s approach to design.”

  • Output: AI explains Apple’s focus on minimalism, user experience, and attention to detail.

  • Prompt 3: “Continue breaking down their marketing strategy.”

  • Output: AI details how Apple markets its products as lifestyle choices rather than just technology.

Steps:

  1. Breakdown Initial Element: Focus on one specific item or component and deconstruct it.

  2. Seek Parallels: Once broken down, look for similar elements that can undergo the same process.

  3. Continue Breakdown: Repeat the process with the new elements.

  4. Synthesize Findings: Merge insights to uncover overarching principles or patterns.

Use Cases:

  • System Design where each component needs careful analysis.

  • Process Optimization where breaking down individual steps can lead to significant improvements.

  • Taxonomy Development, especially in knowledge classification.


3. Solve and Assess

  • Purpose: To solve a problem or question and then immediately assess the solution, checking for correctness, efficiency, or potential improvements. This process loops between solving and critiquing.

  • Processing New Data7/10. While solving the problem engages existing knowledge, the assessment phase processes new insights by evaluating the solution critically.

  • Output Depth9/10. The dual action of solving and then assessing results in highly refined outputs, as each iteration fine-tunes the solution.

Example Context: Solving a math problem.

  • Prompt 1: “Solve this: If a train travels 300 miles in 5 hours, what’s its average speed?”

  • Output: AI solves the problem, providing the speed (60 mph).

  • Prompt 2: “Assess the reasoning behind your solution.”

  • Output: AI breaks down the formula used (distance ÷ time), ensuring the correct application of arithmetic.

  • Prompt 3: “What if the time was incorrectly reported as 6 hours? How does that change the outcome?”

  • Output: AI adjusts the solution, showing the new average speed as 50 mph.

Steps:

  1. Pose the Problem: Present a complex question or challenge.

  2. Solve: Generate an answer or solution to the problem.

  3. Assess: Critique the solution based on set criteria (e.g., efficiency, accuracy).

  4. Iterate: Refine the solution based on the assessment and repeat the process.

Use Cases:

  • Mathematics and Logic Problems: Solving equations or logical challenges, then refining based on feedback.

  • Programming: Writing code and then debugging or optimizing it.

  • Strategic Planning: Creating a plan and evaluating its feasibility or risks.


4. Query and Refine

  • Purpose: This strategy involves asking a broad question to gather insights, and then refining the responses by asking for more specific details or narrowing the focus. It’s particularly useful in business for iterative problem-solving and decision-making.

  • Processing New Data8/10. The initial query pulls in a wide range of information, which is then refined into more specific, actionable insights.

  • Output Depth9/10. The refinement stage ensures that the output is both precise and comprehensive, making it ideal for complex decisions.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “What are the current trends in the tech industry that could impact our business?”

  • AI Output: “Key trends include the rise of AI in automation, increased focus on cybersecurity, and growing demand for cloud-based solutions.”

  • Prompt: “Refine the focus to AI-related trends and their impact on mid-sized companies.”

  • AI Output: “AI is particularly being used by mid-sized companies for automating routine tasks, predictive analytics in marketing, and enhancing customer service via chatbots. However, there are challenges related to data privacy and the high initial investment cost.”

Steps:

  1. Pose a Broad Question: Start with an open-ended prompt to gather a wide range of responses.

  2. Review Initial Insights: Assess the initial responses to identify key themes or ideas.

  3. Refine the Question: Narrow the focus by asking follow-up questions that hone in on specific areas of interest.

  4. Summarize Refined Insights: Synthesize the refined insights into a clear, actionable conclusion.

Use Cases:

  • Strategic Planning: Query broad market trends and refine the focus to specific industry shifts.

  • Problem-Solving: Start with a broad assessment of a problem, then refine the insights to pinpoint the root cause.

  • Decision-Making: Ask for general recommendations on a topic, then refine by narrowing the scope to the most viable options.


5. Analyze and Forecast

  • Purpose: To analyze current or historical data, trends, or text, and then use that analysis to generate forecasts or predictions for future scenarios. This is useful for planning and anticipating potential business outcomes.

  • Processing New Data9/10. Processes existing data deeply to generate forward-looking predictions.

  • Output Depth8/10. The forecasted output is highly valuable but contingent on the quality of the data.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Analyze our sales performance for the past 6 months.”

  • AI Output: “Sales have increased by 12%, with the highest growth in the online retail sector. However, physical store sales have declined by 5%.”

  • Prompt: “Based on this, forecast our sales for the next quarter.”

  • AI Output: “If the current growth trajectory continues, we can expect a 10% increase in online sales next quarter, while physical store sales may see a slight decline of 3%.”

Steps:

  1. Input Data for Analysis: Provide relevant data (e.g., sales figures, market trends).

  2. Analyze Current Trends: Ask the AI to identify patterns or trends from the data.

  3. Generate Forecasts: Based on the analysis, prompt the AI to predict future outcomes or trends.

  4. Review Forecast: Adjust or validate the forecast based on additional data or expert input.

Use Cases:

  • Sales Forecasting: Analyzing current sales trends to predict future revenue.

  • Market Projections: Analyzing market trends to forecast industry changes.

  • Budget Planning: Using spending data to forecast budget needs for the next quarter or year.


6. Answer and Digest

  • Purpose: To provide a direct answer to a question or problem and then immediately process or reflect upon that answer to draw further insights. It’s about producing a response and then considering its broader implications.

  • Processing New Data6/10. There’s moderate intake of new data during the answering phase, but the real processing occurs during the digestion, where deeper meaning and understanding are extracted.

  • Output Depth8/10. The initial answer might be straightforward, but the digestion phase often yields more layered insights, making the final output richer.

Example Context: Exploring historical events.

  • Prompt 1: “Why did the Roman Empire collapse?”

  • Output: AI explains several factors, including economic troubles, military overstretch, and internal corruption.

  • Prompt 2: “Reflect on these reasons: which do you think was the most critical factor and why?”

  • Output: AI provides a reflection, possibly arguing that economic instability had the most cascading effects.

  • Prompt 3: “How did this factor lead to the fall of other empires?”

  • Output: AI digests the broader implications, linking economic decay to the fall of other empires, such as the British Empire.

Steps:

  1. Pose a Direct Question: Ask a clear, specific question or problem.

  2. Answer: Provide a straightforward response.

  3. Digest: Reflect on the answer, examining its implications, potential limitations, or areas for further exploration.

  4. Refine: Based on the digestion, refine the original answer or expand it with new insights.

Use Cases:

  • Q&A Sessions: Offering concise answers, then expanding with more thoughtful reflection.

  • Philosophical Inquiry: Answering existential or abstract questions, followed by deeper contemplation.

  • Customer Support: Offering immediate solutions and then reflecting on broader user experience implications.


 

3. Creative Thinking & Ideation

These methods encourage divergent thinking, enabling the generation of new ideas, concepts, and solutions. Ideal for innovation and brainstorming, they push the boundaries of conventional approaches to foster creativity and fresh insights.


1. Pose and Brainstorm

  • Purpose: To pose an open-ended question or prompt, encouraging a free-flowing generation of ideas. This strategy thrives on creativity and expansiveness, allowing for multiple solutions or ideas without judgment or immediate refinement.

  • Processing New Data9/10. A significant amount of new data is generated as multiple ideas are thrown into the mix. The process thrives on unpredictability and novelty.

  • Output Depth6/10. While many ideas are generated, they’re often shallow or incomplete in this initial phase. The strength lies in breadth, not depth.

Example Context: Generating ideas for a marketing campaign.

  • Prompt 1: “What are some creative ways to market a new electric bike?”

  • Output: AI generates a brainstorm list: influencer partnerships, eco-friendly packaging, urban adventure social media campaigns, and electric bike test-drive events.

  • Prompt 2: “Can you expand on each idea with more specifics?”

  • Output: AI elaborates on each idea with potential execution strategies, e.g., organizing urban races for influencers or integrating an augmented reality app to visualize routes.

Steps:

  1. Pose an Open-Ended Question: Present a prompt that encourages creativity and ideation.

  2. Brainstorm: Generate as many ideas, concepts, or solutions as possible without filtering.

  3. Expand: If needed, push for even more ideas, encouraging divergent thinking.

  4. Review: Once the brainstorm session concludes, review and select promising ideas for further development.

Use Cases:

  • Innovation and Product Development: Generating a wide array of potential features or products.

  • Creative Writing: Brainstorming plot ideas, character arcs, or themes.

  • Problem-Solving: Generating multiple solutions to complex problems in fields like engineering or marketing.


2. Expand and Detail

  • Purpose: To take a high-level concept or brief point and expand on it by adding relevant details, context, or examples. This helps flesh out ideas into more comprehensive and actionable insights.

  • Processing New Data6/10. Focuses on enriching existing points rather than generating new information.

  • Output Depth8/10. The output becomes more useful as the initial points are fleshed out with greater context and detail.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Expand on the idea of increasing our social media presence.”

  • AI Output: “To increase social media presence, focus on creating engaging content like polls, Q&A sessions, and live streams. Collaborate with influencers in our industry, use targeted ads to reach new audiences, and post consistently with a clear content calendar.”

  • Prompt: “Add more details about how influencer collaborations could help us.”

  • AI Output: “Influencers can increase brand visibility and trust. Look for micro-influencers in the tech sector, offering them free products for reviews or paid promotions. They can create authentic content that resonates with their followers, who match our target demographic.”

Steps:

  1. Input a Brief Point: Provide a high-level summary, idea, or insight.

  2. Expand with Detail: Ask the AI to elaborate, adding specifics, examples, or clarifications.

  3. Add Context: Further enrich the detailed response by asking for context or relevance to the situation.

  4. Summarize for Action: Compile the detailed insights into an actionable plan.

Use Cases:

  • Strategic Planning: Expand on a high-level strategy to include specific tactics and steps.

  • Sales Proposals: Take brief proposal ideas and expand them into a full presentation.

  • Content Creation: Expand on key blog ideas to build more detailed articles.


3. Combine and Innovate

  • Purpose: To take ideas or insights from multiple sources, combine them, and use that synthesis to innovate or generate new, creative solutions. This strategy is particularly useful for brainstorming or creating novel approaches from existing knowledge.

  • Processing New Data8/10. Combines multiple sources to generate new ideas.

  • Output Depth9/10. The innovative solutions generated can be highly valuable, depending on the quality of the sources.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Combine insights from our customer feedback report and competitor analysis to generate new product ideas.”

  • AI Output: “Customers appreciate ease of use but want more customization options. Competitors are focusing on offering more user-friendly interfaces. A potential new product feature could be customizable templates that maintain ease of use while offering more flexibility.”

  • Prompt: “Innovate an additional feature based on these insights.”

  • AI Output: “Incorporating AI-driven personalization could allow users to tailor their experience automatically based on preferences, offering both convenience and customization.”

Steps:

  1. Input Multiple Sources: Provide ideas, insights, or data from multiple documents or discussions.

  2. Combine Information: Ask the AI to find connections or common themes across these sources.

  3. Innovate Solutions: Use the combined insights to generate new ideas or creative approaches.

  4. Validate: Review and refine the innovative ideas for feasibility.

Use Cases:

  • Product Development: Combining customer feedback and competitor analysis to create new product features.

  • Strategic Planning: Merging insights from multiple departments to develop a new company strategy.

  • Marketing Campaigns: Combining trends from social media and customer insights to create an innovative campaign.


4. Imagine and Reverse

  • Purpose: To create a hypothetical scenario and then work backward to understand the steps that would lead to it. This reverse-engineering of imagination enables a deep exploration of cause-and-effect relationships.

  • Processing New Data7/10. The strategy operates on speculative or imaginative scenarios but can generate new insights as you reverse-engineer how such a scenario could arise.

  • Output Depth8/10. The output is specific and detailed as it requires constructing a logical pathway from an end-state back to the starting conditions.

Example Context: Designing future cities.

  • Prompt 1: “Imagine a future city where cars are completely banned. Describe this city.”

  • Output: AI describes a walkable, eco-friendly city with extensive public transportation and green spaces.

  • Prompt 2: “Now reverse-engineer how such a city could come to exist, starting from today’s reality.”

  • Output: AI identifies steps such as expanding public transit, incentivizing bike use, and implementing car-free zones, working backward to suggest policy changes.

Steps:

  1. Imagine the End State: Formulate a hypothetical outcome or situation.

  2. Work Backwards: Identify the steps or events that could logically lead to this outcome.

  3. Identify Key Triggers: Pinpoint the critical moments or decisions that would drive the transition from start to finish.

  4. Refine the Scenario: Adjust the hypothetical based on the feasibility of the reverse-engineered steps.

Use Cases:

  • Strategic Foresight: Imagining a future business landscape and working backwards to develop current strategy.

  • Creative Writing: Constructing a plot by imagining the ending and working backwards to craft the story.

  • Innovation: Envisioning future technologies and determining the developmental milestones needed to achieve them.


5. Examplify and Imitate

  • Purpose: To create concrete examples, then use those examples as models to imitate or expand upon. This strategy focuses on showing rather than telling and learning through analogy or replication.

  • Processing New Data5/10. The strategy primarily builds on known patterns, generating examples from existing knowledge rather than discovering new data.

  • Output Depth8/10. The examples created are often quite detailed, providing clear, specific outputs. The imitations are precise reflections or variations of these examples.

Example Context: Learning about persuasive writing.

  • Prompt 1: “Give me an example of a highly persuasive argument in favor of renewable energy.”

  • Output: AI produces a well-structured, compelling argument emphasizing the environmental, economic, and social benefits of renewable energy.

  • Prompt 2: “Now, imitate that style but argue against nuclear energy.”

  • Output: AI replicates the structure, using similar rhetorical strategies to argue against the use of nuclear power, emphasizing risks like accidents and waste management.

Steps:

  1. Generate Examples: Ask for specific examples related to a concept or situation.

  2. Analyze the Example: Break down its components to understand why it works.

  3. Imitate or Replicate: Request new versions of the original example with slight variations or in different contexts.

  4. Refine: Continue refining and tweaking the imitated versions to better suit new needs.

Use Cases:

  • Learning by Example: Teaching complex concepts by providing relatable examples.

  • Creative Writing: Generating styles based on previous examples (e.g., writing in the style of a particular author).

  • Design and Prototyping: Creating mock-ups or models based on given examples.


 

4. Comparison & Evaluation

Designed to compare and contrast ideas or systems, these strategies highlight similarities, differences, and areas for improvement. Perfect for decision-making, product evaluations, and philosophical debates, they refine understanding through juxtaposition.


1. Contrast and Compare

  • Purpose: To lay two or more ideas, concepts, or solutions side-by-side and evaluate their similarities and differences. This strategy sharpens understanding through comparison, revealing underlying principles by examining contrasts.

  • Processing New Data7/10. While this method often operates on existing knowledge, it encourages new insights as patterns emerge from juxtaposition.

  • Output Depth8/10. The quality of output is high because the comparison process forces a deeper examination of both concepts, leading to nuanced conclusions.

Example Context: Evaluating two political systems.

  • Prompt 1: “Compare and contrast democracy and autocracy in terms of decision-making speed.”

  • Output: AI explains how democracy tends to have slower decision-making due to consensus-building, while autocracies can make quick decisions but may lack checks and balances.

  • Prompt 2: “Which system handles crises better?”

  • Output: AI compares crisis management, showing that autocracies may act swiftly in emergencies but democracies tend to provide more sustainable long-term solutions.

Steps:

  1. Select Items for Comparison: Identify two or more elements to contrast.

  2. List Differences and Similarities: Analyze each element’s features or behaviors, noting where they align or diverge.

  3. Synthesize Insights: Identify patterns or principles based on the comparison.

  4. Apply Findings: Use the comparison to enhance understanding or decision-making.

Use Cases:

  • Decision Making: Choosing between two strategies, products, or solutions.

  • Philosophical Inquiry: Comparing different schools of thought or ideologies.

  • Design Evaluation: Weighing different design approaches or user interfaces.


2. Contrast and Merge

  • Purpose: To compare two or more pieces of text, identifying the differences and similarities, and then merge the most relevant information into a cohesive synthesis. This is ideal for resolving conflicts in reports, aligning different departments’ updates, or merging similar ideas.

  • Processing New Data7/10. It involves the analysis of multiple texts but focuses on aligning known information rather than exploring entirely new data.

  • Output Depth8/10. The output is often a refined synthesis that unites disparate viewpoints or details, creating a unified narrative or plan.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Compare the key points from these two sales reports, one from the UK team and one from the US team.”

  • AI Output: “The UK team focuses on the increase in online sales (25%) and customer retention (15%), while the US team highlights growth in physical retail (30%) and expansion into new regions. Both teams report challenges in stock management.”

  • Prompt: “Merge the key insights into one sales summary.”

  • AI Output: “Sales have shown significant growth across both online (25% in the UK) and physical retail channels (30% in the US), with each team focusing on regional strengths. Both teams highlight stock management as a key area for improvement.”

Steps:

  1. Present Two or More Texts: Feed two reports, summaries, or emails into the AI.

  2. Ask for a Comparison: Prompt the AI to compare and contrast the key points, identifying where they align and where they diverge.

  3. Merge Relevant Information: Synthesize the most important aspects from both texts into a single, cohesive document or summary.

  4. Refine: Refine the merged text to ensure consistency and clarity.

Use Cases:

  • Cross-Departmental Reports: Merging updates from different departments into a unified company-wide report.

  • Conflict Resolution: Comparing and merging two differing viewpoints on a project strategy.

  • Proposal Writing: Combining two competing proposals into a stronger, unified plan.


3. Hypothesize and Disprove

  • Purpose: To form a hypothesis and then actively try to disprove it, rather than confirming it. This follows the scientific principle of falsifiability, sharpening conclusions by eliminating errors or misassumptions.

  • Processing New Data9/10. This strategy processes a high volume of new data as it continuously tests the hypothesis against potential counterexamples.

  • Output Depth9/10. The depth is significant because disproving hypotheses ensures that only the most robust conclusions remain, leaving no room for weak or flawed ideas.

Example Context: Exploring scientific concepts.

  • Prompt 1: “Hypothesize why certain species of fish glow in the dark.”

  • Output: AI suggests potential hypotheses such as camouflage, attracting mates, or luring prey.

  • Prompt 2: “Now attempt to disprove the camouflage hypothesis.”

  • Output: AI examines cases where glowing might attract predators, thus questioning the validity of the camouflage theory.

Steps:

  1. Formulate Hypothesis: Start with an assumption or theory.

  2. Seek Disproof: Actively search for counterexamples, anomalies, or evidence that contradicts the hypothesis.

  3. Analyze Failures: Examine where the hypothesis fails and why.

  4. Refine Hypothesis: Modify the hypothesis based on the evidence and repeat the process.

Use Cases:

  • Scientific Research: Testing theories by actively seeking falsification.

  • Strategic Planning: Challenging business strategies to find weaknesses before implementation.

  • Philosophical Argument: Exploring the limits and contradictions of abstract theories.


4. Define and Abstract

  • Purpose: To take a specific example or concept and abstract it into a broader principle or generalization. It operates on the principle of induction, moving from concrete to conceptual.

  • Processing New Data6/10. This method relies on already known data points but attempts to extract new overarching principles.

  • Output Depth7/10. The quality of the output is determined by how well the abstraction captures the essence of multiple examples or cases.

Example Context: Creating a teaching framework.

  • Prompt 1: “Define a specific teaching method that uses games to teach math.”

  • Output: AI defines a method where students play number-based games to improve their arithmetic skills.

  • Prompt 2: “Abstract this method into a general teaching principle that can apply to other subjects.”

  • Output: AI abstracts the principle into “learning through play,” suggesting the same framework could apply to teaching history or science through interactive, game-like activities.

Steps:

  1. Define the Specific Case: Start with a well-defined, concrete example.

  2. Identify Core Attributes: Break down the key elements that make the example function.

  3. Abstract the Principle: Generalize these elements into a broader theory or framework.

  4. Test Abstraction: Apply the abstract principle to other examples to verify its usefulness.

Use Cases:

  • Philosophy and Logic: Abstracting specific arguments into general theories.

  • Education: Developing teaching frameworks by abstracting principles from individual case studies.

  • Engineering and Design: Abstracting design principles from individual products to create broader design guidelines.


 

5. Categorization & Transformation

This group specializes in organizing large datasets or tasks into structured categories and transforming them into more actionable formats. These strategies are crucial for project management, task prioritization, and effective communication.


1. Classify and Transform

  • Purpose: This strategy classifies information into categories and then transforms it into another format or structure. It’s particularly effective when dealing with large datasets or complex documents that need to be reorganized for different purposes (e.g., turning a list into an action plan).

  • Processing New Data7/10. Classifies existing information and reorders it for better understanding, but doesn’t process entirely new data.

  • Output Depth7/10. The transformation stage enhances the depth by restructuring the information into a more usable format.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Classify the tasks from this project into high, medium, and low priority categories.”

  • AI Output: “High Priority: Finalize vendor contracts. Medium Priority: Conduct team training. Low Priority: Update website content.”

  • Prompt: “Now transform this into a project timeline with deadlines.”

  • AI Output: “Week 1: Finalize vendor contracts. Week 2: Conduct team training. Week 3: Update website content.”

Steps:

  1. Input Data or Text: Feed the AI a dataset, report, or list of tasks.

  2. Classify the Information: Ask the AI to group the information into categories (e.g., by priority, type, or department).

  3. Transform the Categories: Request that the AI reformulates the classified information into a different structure (e.g., an action plan, summary, or report).

  4. Review and Adjust: Review the transformed output and refine it if necessary.

Use Cases:

  • Project Management: Classifying tasks by priority or department and transforming them into a project timeline.

  • Content Creation: Categorizing blog topics and transforming them into a content calendar.

  • Data Analysis: Classifying raw customer feedback and transforming it into actionable insights.


2. Filter and Detail

  • Purpose: To filter through a large body of text, identifying the most relevant or important information, and then focusing in on the critical points for action or decision-making.

  • Processing New Data8/10. Filters through vast amounts of information to identify what matters most.

  • Output Depth7/10. The output is concise and targeted, focusing on the most critical aspects for quick decision-making.

Example Context (Conversation):

  • Prompt: “Filter the key points from this 50-page market research report.”

  • AI Output: “Key points: 1. Growth in the eco-friendly product market is projected at 20% per year. 2. Gen Z consumers prefer brands with strong social responsibility. 3. Competition is increasing in the organic skincare sector.”

  • Prompt: “Provide more detail on the most critical point for our Q4 strategy.”

  • AI Output: “The eco-friendly product market growth aligns with your Q4 strategy of launching a sustainable packaging initiative. Focusing on this trend could give your brand an edge in a competitive landscape.”

Steps:

  1. Input Large Data Set: Provide a large document, report, or dataset.

  2. Filter Key Information: Ask the AI to extract only the most relevant points based on specific criteria (e.g., urgency, impact).

  3. Focus on Critical Points: Once filtered, zoom in on the most critical information that requires attention or action.

  4. Summarize for Action: Turn the focused points into a concise summary or action plan.

Use Cases:

  • Email Overload: Filter through long email threads to find actionable items.

  • Market Research: Filter out key trends from an extensive market research report.

  • Legal Contracts: Filter through contracts to identify the most important clauses or risks.


3. Segment and Personalize

  • Purpose: To segment large datasets (e.g., customer profiles, market data) into smaller, meaningful groups and then personalize responses, strategies, or communications for each group. This helps tailor approaches to specific audiences or needs.

  • Processing New Data7/10. Involves filtering and categorizing data, which may surface new insights.

  • Output Depth8/10. The personalized output is highly specific and can be very impactful when targeted correctly.

Example Context (Conversation):

  • Prompt: “Segment our customer data into relevant groups based on purchasing behavior.”

  • AI Output: “Group 1: Frequent buyers (20% of customers, 50% of revenue). Group 2: Occasional buyers (50% of customers, 40% of revenue). Group 3: One-time buyers (30% of customers, 10% of revenue).”

  • Prompt: “Personalize a marketing message for frequent buyers.”

  • AI Output: “As a valued frequent buyer, you’re invited to join our exclusive rewards program, where you can earn points for every purchase and gain early access to new products.”

Steps:

  1. Input Dataset: Provide a large dataset, such as customer profiles or market research.

  2. Segment into Groups: Ask the AI to identify patterns and segment the dataset into meaningful groups.

  3. Personalize Responses: Create tailored responses, strategies, or marketing approaches for each group.

  4. Review and Adjust: Ensure that the personalization aligns with business objectives and resonates with each segment.

Use Cases:

  • Marketing Campaigns: Segmenting customers based on demographics and personalizing marketing messages.

  • Sales Strategies: Personalizing sales pitches based on customer segment profiles.

  • Customer Support: Segmenting customer queries by type and personalizing responses.


 

6. Communication & Presentation

Focused on distilling complex ideas into clear and accessible formats, these strategies help convey information to varied audiences. Ideal for report writing, executive communication, and client presentations, they ensure clarity and impact.


1. Synthesize and Communicate

  • Purpose: To take complex information from multiple sources, synthesize it into clear, actionable insights, and communicate these findings effectively to different stakeholders (e.g., C-suite, teams, clients).

  • Processing New Data8/10. The synthesis process requires filtering and combining data from various reports, meetings, or analyses.

  • Output Depth7/10. The goal is clarity over depth, ensuring that complex insights are easily understood and actionable.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Synthesize the key findings from the sales, marketing, and operations reports into one summary.”

  • AI Output: “Sales have seen a 15% increase, largely driven by the marketing team’s new influencer strategy. Operations report a 5% delay in supply chain efficiency, mostly due to international shipping issues.”

  • Prompt: “Now communicate these findings to the executive team in an email.”

  • AI Output: “Subject: Q3 Performance Summary. Dear Team, We have seen a 15% increase in sales this quarter, thanks to the marketing team’s successful influencer campaigns. However, operations report a 5% delay in supply chain efficiency due to international shipping disruptions. We are working on improving this area to avoid any negative impact on Q4 targets.”

Steps:

  1. Gather Data: Pull data from multiple sources (e.g., financial reports, market research, performance metrics).

  2. Synthesize Findings: Filter and distill the data into key takeaways that are relevant to the business’s needs or questions.

  3. Tailor the Communication: Adjust the communication style and depth based on the audience (e.g., detailed for a technical team, high-level for executives).

  4. Present Actionable Insights: Clearly communicate the synthesized insights along with recommendations for action.

Use Case:

  • Executive Reports: Creating clear and actionable reports for leadership based on complex data.

  • Client Presentations: Synthesizing market research into insights clients can easily understand and use.

  • Team Meetings: Sharing key takeaways from multiple projects, ensuring everyone is aligned.


2. Extract and Rephrase

  • Purpose: This strategy focuses on extracting specific information from a large body of text and rephrasing it for different audiences. It’s useful for adapting messages to suit different stakeholders or purposes while keeping the core content intact.

  • Processing New Data6/10. Primarily uses existing information, but the extraction step can help highlight new insights.

  • Output Depth8/10. The rephrasing allows for different levels of complexity or tone, tailoring the depth for specific recipients.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Extract the key data from this employee performance review report.”

  • AI Output: “The report highlights that employee satisfaction has increased by 12%, productivity metrics have risen by 8%, and the onboarding time for new hires has reduced by 15%.”

  • Prompt: “Now rephrase that for a board meeting presentation.”

  • AI Output: “Our workforce is showing a 12% boost in overall satisfaction, and we’ve seen an 8% improvement in productivity. Additionally, we’ve optimized onboarding, cutting the time required by 15%, enhancing our operational efficiency.”

Steps:

  1. Extract Key Points: Ask the AI to extract specific data or points from a body of text.

  2. Rephrase for Different Audiences: Rephrase the extracted points based on the target audience (e.g., executives, customers, teams).

  3. Tailor Tone and Style: Adjust the tone (e.g., formal, conversational, technical) based on the needs of the recipient.

  4. Iterate: Rephrase multiple points for multiple audiences as necessary.

Use Cases:

  • Client Communication: Extract key project updates from an internal report and rephrase them for client emails.

  • Team Meetings: Extract high-level insights from a strategy document and rephrase them for a quick team briefing.

  • Investor Reports: Rephrase operational details into a high-level summary for investors.


3. Interpret and Visualize

  • Purpose: To interpret textual information, such as data, reports, or summaries, and translate it into a visual format that makes trends, patterns, or insights more accessible. This bridges the gap between text-heavy analysis and actionable visuals.

  • Processing New Data7/10. It interprets and organizes information into visual formats but relies on existing data.

  • Output Depth6/10. The visualization makes complex data clearer but may lack depth in textual explanation.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Interpret and visualize the quarterly sales performance data.”

  • AI Output: “Sales have increased by 10% in Q2, with the largest growth in the Asia-Pacific region. Here’s a bar chart showing growth per region.”

  • Prompt: “Can you add a comparison with last year’s Q2 performance?”

  • AI Output: “Here’s a comparison: Sales grew 10% this quarter, compared to a 5% increase in Q2 last year. The largest growth year-over-year is in the Asia-Pacific region, which jumped by 15%.”

Steps:

  1. Input Textual Data: Provide textual information, such as performance metrics or market trends.

  2. Interpret and Identify Key Insights: Ask the AI to interpret the data and identify important insights or patterns.

  3. Visualize the Data: Request visual representations (e.g., graphs, charts, tables) to illustrate these insights.

  4. Review and Adjust: Refine the visualizations to ensure clarity and relevance to the business context.

Use Cases:

  • Sales Reports: Visualizing sales performance data into charts for executive review.

  • Market Trends: Turning raw market research data into trend graphs for easier presentation.

  • Employee Performance: Visualizing productivity or satisfaction scores across departments.


 

7. Planning & Prioritization

These methods help in creating structured plans and prioritizing tasks based on strategic objectives, timelines, and impact. They are essential for project management, resource allocation, and future-proofing strategies.


1. Outline and Expand

  • Purpose: To create a high-level outline of a topic or plan, and then systematically expand on each part to create a detailed framework or document.

  • Processing New Data7/10. New data emerges from expanding on each outlined point.

  • Output Depth8/10. The output grows in depth as each point is elaborated into actionable steps or insights.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Outline a strategy to increase customer retention over the next quarter.”

  • AI Output: “1. Improve customer support. 2. Launch loyalty programs. 3. Implement feedback loops. 4. Offer personalized marketing.”

  • Prompt: “Expand on improving customer support.”

  • AI Output: “Enhance customer support by integrating live chat support, reducing response time to under 2 minutes, and introducing a 24/7 chatbot for off-hours queries.”

Steps:

  1. Create an Outline: Start by outlining the main points or sections of a topic or plan.

  2. Expand on Each Section: For each point in the outline, ask the AI to expand with details, examples, and subpoints.

  3. Refine: Adjust the expanded points to ensure clarity and alignment with the overall goal.

  4. Compile the Full Framework: Combine the expanded sections into a cohesive, detailed plan.

Use Cases:

  • Business Plans: Outlining a new business idea and expanding it into a full business plan.

  • Marketing Strategies: Outlining marketing tactics and expanding each into actionable steps.

  • Training Programs: Creating an outline of a training course and expanding it with detailed modules.


2. Prioritize and Justify

  • Purpose: To identify, rank, and prioritize tasks, projects, or ideas based on their impact, urgency, or alignment with business goals. The justification step ensures that each priority is backed by logical reasoning.

  • Processing New Data7/10. It involves processing ongoing project statuses, deadlines, and impact metrics.

  • Output Depth8/10. The outcome is refined because each prioritized item is evaluated against business objectives, creating a detailed hierarchy of tasks.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Here are three tasks: launch a marketing campaign, resolve customer support issues, and finalize Q4 budgets. Prioritize these.”

  • AI Output: “1. Finalize Q4 budgets—this directly impacts overall business strategy and resource allocation. 2. Resolve customer support issues—critical to maintaining customer satisfaction and retention. 3. Launch a marketing campaign—important for growth, but dependent on finalized budgets and customer support stability.”

  • Prompt: “Justify why finalizing the budget should be first.”

  • AI Output: “The Q4 budget influences how much we can invest in the marketing campaign and whether we can hire more staff to handle customer support. Without a finalized budget, key decisions in other areas could be delayed.”

Steps:

  1. List Tasks/Projects: Compile the ongoing tasks, initiatives, or decisions.

  2. Rank by Criteria: Use criteria such as urgency, ROI, or alignment with strategic goals to rank them.

  3. Justify Each Priority: For each item, provide a reason why it deserves that ranking, incorporating data such as timelines, cost, or resource requirements.

  4. Revise Periodically: As new data arrives, update priorities accordingly.

Use Case:

  • Project Management: Prioritizing which projects to focus on during quarterly planning.

  • Daily Operations: Deciding which tasks a manager or team should tackle first to ensure productivity.

  • Executive Decision-Making: Determining which business strategies should be implemented first based on long-term impact.


3. Scenario Plan and Pivot

  • Purpose: To plan for multiple possible future scenarios (e.g., economic changes, shifts in market demand) and create contingency strategies for each. Pivot when one of these scenarios becomes reality.

  • Processing New Data9/10. Significant data processing is required to predict future outcomes and shifts.

  • Output Depth9/10. The result is a deep and thorough set of strategies that cover multiple future possibilities.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Create two scenario plans for our product launch: one for strong economic growth and one for a market downturn.”

  • AI Output: “Scenario 1 (Strong Growth): Increase ad spend by 25% to capture demand, expand distribution channels to new regions, and partner with influencers to accelerate brand visibility. Scenario 2 (Market Downturn): Focus on essential product features that highlight value for money, reduce marketing spend by focusing on organic growth, and strengthen customer loyalty programs to retain existing buyers.”

  • Prompt: “If market conditions worsen next month, how should we pivot?”

  • AI Output: “Immediately shift to Scenario 2, scaling back on non-essential marketing and highlighting your product’s affordability. You should also begin negotiating with suppliers for cost reductions to maintain margins in a lower-revenue environment.”

Steps:

  1. Identify Key Variables: Understand the critical factors (e.g., market trends, regulatory changes) that could affect future business outcomes.

  2. Create Different Scenarios: Develop best-case, worst-case, and most-likely-case scenarios based on those variables.

  3. Plan for Each Scenario: Develop strategies and action plans for each scenario, including resources needed, timelines, and fallback options.

  4. Monitor and Pivot: Continuously monitor the key variables and pivot to the appropriate strategy as trends unfold.

Use Case:

  • Strategic Planning: Preparing for potential economic downturns or market booms and ensuring the business is ready to adapt.

  • Risk Management: Developing disaster recovery or supply chain continuity plans based on possible disruptions.

  • Sales and Marketing: Adapting product launch strategies based on changing consumer preferences or market conditions.


 

8. Contextualization & Improvement

Centered on refining processes through contextual understanding and continuous improvement, these strategies aim to enhance efficiency. They’re best suited for process audits, performance improvements, and strategic alignment within an organization.


1. Define and Contextualize

  • Purpose: This strategy involves defining key terms or concepts from a document, report, or conversation and then contextualizing them within a specific business environment. It helps translate abstract ideas into concrete, actionable steps relevant to the organization.

  • Processing New Data6/10. The strategy relies on predefined terms or concepts but processes them in a new context.

  • Output Depth8/10. The contextualization deepens understanding by linking definitions to real-world scenarios.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Define ‘lean management’ in the context of our company.”

  • AI Output: “Lean management refers to optimizing workflows by minimizing waste and focusing on value-added activities. In the context of your company, this could mean streamlining production processes to reduce downtime and eliminate redundant approvals.”

  • Prompt: “How could we implement lean management in our logistics department?”

  • AI Output: “In logistics, you could reduce waste by implementing just-in-time delivery, optimizing warehouse layout for efficiency, and automating repetitive manual tasks.”

Steps:

  1. Define Terms: Ask the AI to define key terms or concepts from a document or discussion.

  2. Contextualize for the Business: Prompt the AI to relate these terms to specific business scenarios or departments.

  3. Refine Definitions: If necessary, ask for more detail or examples specific to your business needs.

  4. Summarize for Action: Use the contextualized definitions to inform decision-making or next steps.

Use Cases:

  • Strategic Alignment: Defining abstract business strategies and contextualizing them within the company’s specific goals.

  • New Technology Integration: Defining new tech concepts and explaining how they apply to current operations.

  • Policy Implementation: Defining compliance terms and contextualizing them in day-to-day processes.


2. Clarify and Elaborate

  • Purpose: This strategy clarifies a vague idea, instruction, or question by breaking it down into simpler terms and then requesting further elaboration. It’s ideal for when initial input is unclear or incomplete.

  • Processing New Data6/10. Clarifying requires an understanding of the initial vague prompt but doesn’t involve deep novelty.

  • Output Depth7/10. The output adds depth by turning ambiguity into concrete, detailed explanations.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Clarify what is meant by ‘optimize our sales funnel’ in the latest strategy meeting.”

  • AI Output: “Optimizing the sales funnel means improving how leads move through each stage—from awareness to purchase—by making the process more efficient and reducing drop-offs.”

  • Prompt: “Can you elaborate on the steps we could take to optimize our sales funnel?”

  • AI Output: “We could begin by improving the lead qualification process, ensuring that marketing is targeting high-quality leads. Additionally, we should streamline the checkout process to minimize cart abandonment, introduce more personalized follow-up emails, and implement analytics to track customer behavior at every stage.”

Steps:

  1. Prompt for Clarification: Ask for a simple, clarified version of a complex or vague statement.

    • Example: “Can you clarify the objectives for this marketing campaign?”

  2. Elaborate on Clarified Response: Once the objective is clarified, prompt for deeper insights or details.

    • Example: “Now, elaborate on how we plan to achieve these marketing objectives in the first quarter.”

Use Case:

  • Task Briefing: Clarifying unclear project descriptions before diving into specific deliverables.

  • Strategy Development: Asking for a clarification of high-level goals, then elaborating on the details of the implementation.


3. Audit and Improve

  • Purpose: To periodically audit processes, tasks, or departments to identify inefficiencies or areas of improvement, followed by action plans to optimize them.

  • Processing New Data8/10. It involves processing detailed data from reports, interviews, or operational outcomes.

  • Output Depth9/10. The output is highly actionable and detailed since it pinpoints specific areas for improvement.

Example Context:

  • Prompt: “Audit our current customer service workflow and suggest improvements.”

  • AI Output: “Currently, the ticket resolution process averages 72 hours, with frequent delays in escalations and a lack of proactive follow-up. Additionally, there’s a duplication of effort between teams handling similar issues.”

  • Prompt: “What improvements can we implement?”

  • AI Output: “Implement an automated ticket routing system that directs inquiries to the correct team immediately, reducing response times. Additionally, create a knowledge base for common customer issues, enabling self-service and reducing the number of repeat inquiries. Finally, set up a proactive customer follow-up system to ensure satisfaction post-resolution.”

Steps:

  1. Audit Current Processes: Examine the way current workflows, systems, or projects are functioning, identifying bottlenecks, redundancies, or gaps.

  2. Collect Feedback: Gather data from stakeholders, employees, or customers about areas for potential improvement.

  3. Identify Key Improvement Areas: Focus on the highest-impact areas for optimization.

  4. Develop an Improvement Plan: Create actionable steps for process improvement, including timelines and responsibilities.

  5. Monitor Post-Improvement: After changes are implemented, continuously review performance to ensure the improvements are effective.

Use Case:

  • Operations Management: Auditing manufacturing workflows for inefficiencies.

  • Customer Service: Identifying weak spots in customer satisfaction processes and improving them.

  • Financial Audits: Spotting budget misallocations and reallocating resources more efficiently.


4. Layer and Deconstruct

  • Purpose: To examine a multi-layered concept or system by peeling back its layers one by one, deconstructing each part to understand the whole. This strategy digs deeper into complexity by isolating each part of the system.

  • Processing New Data8/10. This strategy involves understanding complex, layered structures, often revealing insights about how each part interacts with the whole.

  • Output Depth9/10. The depth is significant, as each layer reveals new dimensions of understanding, ultimately creating a detailed analysis of the entire structure.

Example Context: Understanding a complex piece of literature.

  • Prompt 1: “Deconstruct the layers of symbolism in Moby Dick.”

  • Output: AI starts with surface-level interpretations like the whale symbolizing the unattainable, and Captain Ahab representing obsession.

  • Prompt 2: “Deconstruct the theme of obsession on a psychological layer.”

  • Output: AI delves deeper into Ahab’s psychological deterioration, discussing the philosophical exploration of fate and free will within the narrative.

Steps:

  1. Identify Layers: Break the concept into its constituent layers or parts.

  2. Analyze Each Layer: Examine each layer independently, understanding its role and function.

  3. Understand Interactions: Explore how each layer influences the others.

  4. Synthesize the Whole: Reconstruct the layers with a fuller understanding of how they operate together.

 

Use Cases:

  • System Analysis: Deconstructing a business, technical, or biological system.

  • Literary Analysis: Analyzing themes, characters, and symbolism in complex texts.

  • Architecture and Engineering: Understanding how layers of design, structure, and function interrelate.

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