[With Examples] How to Master Chat-GPT 09: Decoding [26 Principles of Prompt Input] Part 8: Requesting the 'Opening' of the Response
Published by a group of researchers at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the "26 Principles" for optimizing interaction with Large Language Models (LLMs).
This time, we are looking at principle #20 as a supplementary explanation.
20. Use output primers: End the prompt with the beginning of the expected output -> Yes. It can even save you from needing prompt techniques.
This is a prompt used when you want to say, "I want you to answer in this way."
When you ask Chat-GPT a question, you might sometimes get a response that makes you think, "Wait, that's not what I meant." For example, it might suddenly start answering with something difficult and long-winded...
The reason this happens is often because the prompt (question) itself is not appropriate, but it's also a waste of time to sit and think, "So, what would be a better way to ask?"
In such cases, it might be faster to reach the desired answer by simply saying, "Answer like this," and creating the opening of the response you hope for yourself.
Actually, this can sometimes save you the trouble of using the prompt techniques I've been explaining so far, haha.
As for how to do it, you can specify, "Please start your answer with this," or you can even specify the actual beginning of the response itself.
[Example] An example of "Please start your answer with this"
Me: "First, please start your answer with the important background or basic knowledge I need to know to understand the response."
This is useful when asking questions where Chat-GPT
tends to give difficult answers right away. Instead of jumping straight to the core explanation, you ask it to start by explaining the basics or the background of the answer.
By doing this, it will answer in a step-by-step manner.
Input prompt example
Me: "Please tell me about the company called NVIDIA, which has been getting a lot of attention recently. First, please start your answer with the important background or basic knowledge I need to know to understand the response.."
Like this, if you have a specific procedure for the answer, something you specifically want to know, or want to narrow the focus, asking it to "explain from XX" is a good method.
As for other examples,
An opening that requests direct factual information:
"First, please explain XX by listing only the facts."
This is also useful for preventing hallucinations (a phenomenon where AI generates information not based on facts).
An opening that specifies the level of the answer:
"First, please explain XX so that even a beginner can understand."
I also use "First, so that even an elementary school student can understand," haha.
Opening for requesting an explanation using metaphors or analogies:
"Please explain XX, starting with a simple metaphor or analogy."
When asking difficult questions, it is easier to understand if you have it explained using analogies.
Directly specifying the opening of a response
Another method is to directly specify the opening of the response.
A common use case is when writing a blog post or a poem, where you write the opening yourself and have Chat-GPT write the rest. Sometimes this surprisingly results in a well-written piece.
For example, when writing a blog post about the recent rise in Japanese stocks,
Me
"#Japanese stock prices are showing signs of rising again. Many investors are paying attention to this fluctuation, but why are stock prices rising so much when the economy as a whole is not in a very good situation?# Write a blog post of about 200 characters about the recent rise in Japanese stocks, starting with this."
GPT
"Japanese stock prices are showing signs of rising again. Many investors are paying attention to this fluctuation, but why are stock prices rising so much when the economy as a whole is not in a very good situation? To answer this question, it is necessary to understand that current stock prices reflect short-term market sentiment and expectations, and do not necessarily match the actual economic state. In particular, monetary easing policies by the central bank and post-COVID recovery expectations are driving investor optimism. However, it is important to carefully assess whether this stock price rise is sustainable or if future adjustments will be necessary. A divergence often occurs between the economic foundation and stock price movements, but by delving into the reasons for this, more informed investment decisions become possible.
It's decent, but you could use this as a starting point and revise it to write your article. If it's not good enough, you can just instruct it to "write 10 more articles." Chat-GPT will create endless drafts without complaining.
[Example] Comparison of "specifying" vs. "not specifying" the opening
Now, let's try to see how much of a difference it makes to specify the opening of a response.
Me
"How can I improve my English listening skills?"
GPT
"To improve your English listening skills, it may be helpful to try the following methods:
Listen to English audio frequently: Make it a habit to listen to English audio from various sources, such as English podcasts, audiobooks, radio, and news or movies with audio.
Engage in listening practice activities: To enhance listening comprehension, perform activities such as listening to short audio or videos and summarizing the content, solving listening problems, or transcribing the audio.
Listen to English conversations: By listening to real English conversations, such as those between native speakers or in English conversation lessons, you can acquire natural pronunciation and phrasing.
Understand accents: There are various accents in English. It is important to get used to different accents by listening to English spoken by native speakers from various regions."
Utilize subtitles: At first, listening while using subtitles makes it easier to understand. Gradually practicing listening without subtitles will improve your listening skills.
Let's combine these methods to gradually improve your English listening skills.
Hmm. These all seem like good methods, but I can't do them all, and I'm not sure what I should actually do. With this, I can't create a concrete action plan.
Then, let's try changing how we ask the question.
Me
"What should I do to improve my English listening skills? Please provide an answer that starts with "The most effective way to improve listening skills is"" GPT "The
most effective way is to develop a habit of listening to English daily. By frequently listening to
real audio such as English conversations, news, and podcasts in everyday situations, your ears will get used to the rhythm and pronunciation of English. Also, reviewing parts you couldn't catch and listening to difficult expressions repeatedly
is effective. Furthermore, listening to English with different accents and speeds
is important." I see. So, making a habit of listening to English daily is the best thing to do. Plus, it gave me a concise, easy-to-execute, and concrete answer.
'Keep it short' is one technique
The paid version of Chat-GPT4 has a habit of giving long-winded answers when you ask it something. Moreover, the response is slow, so it takes time to wait.
Therefore, if you have it start its answer with 'The most effective way,' it won't ramble on about this and that. It's a surprisingly useful technique that I use frequently. When talking with Chat-GPT4, it really
talks too much, haha.
Especially when talking to the paid version of Chat-GPT for a long time, there is a limit on the number of tokens per hour, so you can't have long conversations. Therefore, keeping the conversation as short as possible is actually one of the important techniques.
To be continued.
The '26 Principles' for Optimizing Interactions with Large Language Models (LLMs)
① Omit politeness: Polite terms like 'please' are unnecessary ② Specify the target audience: Specify who the response is for, such as 'for experts' ③ Break down complex tasks: Divide complex tasks into simple prompts ④ Use affirmative instructions: Use positive language rather than negative words ⑤ Instructions for clarification: Use phrases like 'in simple terms' or 'so a middle school student can understand' ⑥ Offer rewards: Indicate that 'a reward will be given for a good answer' ⑦ Provide examples: Use existing examples ⑧ Prompt format: Start with '###Instruction###' and include '###Example###' or '###Question###' as appropriate. ⑨ Clear task instructions: Instruct with 'Your task is'. ⑩ State penalties: Communicate that 'there is a penalty'. ⑪ Instruct to answer in natural language: Instruct with 'Answer in natural language'. ⑫ Use leading words: Instruct with 'Think step by step'.
⑬ Eliminate bias: Instruct to 'be unbiased and not rely on stereotypes'. ⑭ Promote dialogue with the user: Have the model ask questions until the problem is solved.
⑮ Instruction including tests: Have the model give you a test to check your understanding. ⑯ Assign roles to the model: Assign a specific role to the model. ⑰ Use delimiters: Use specific delimiters.
⑱ Use repetition: Use specific words or phrases multiple times. ⑲ Chain of thought: Generate intermediate steps and combine examples.
⑳ Use output primers: End the prompt with the beginning of the expected output.
㉑ Instructions for detailed text creation: Instruct with 'Write in detail'. ㉒ Prevent style changes: Instruct to 'not change the style'. ㉓ Coding prompts for multiple files: To streamline coding tasks across multiple files, suggest creating a script that automatically creates new files and inserts the generated code into the appropriate files. ㉔ Continue with specific words: Instruct to 'complete with the given words'. ㉕ Specify model requirements: Clearly state the requirements the model must follow to produce content in the form of keywords, regulations, hints, instructions, etc. ㉖ Text creation based on samples: Instruct to write in the same language as the sample.