Exercise 1: Rewrite a Vague Prompt

Objective

Practice identifying what is missing from a weak prompt and rewrite it into a request that gives AI enough to produce useful, specific output.

Background

Vague prompts produce vague output. The goal of this exercise is to train the habit of identifying what a request is missing — and filling in only what actually matters. Not padding, not over-explaining. Just the context, audience, goal, and constraints that would genuinely change the output.

Task

Below are five weak prompts. For each one:

Identify what is missing (audience, context, tone, goal, format, constraints)
Decide which missing elements would most improve the output
Rewrite the prompt to include those elements — without padding

The five weak prompts

Prompt 1

Write a blog post about time management.

Prompt 2

Create a training document for new employees.

Prompt 3

Write an email to the team about the upcoming changes.

Prompt 4

Summarize the feedback from our last customer survey.

Prompt 5

Write a product description for our new feature.

Example input

Weak: Write a blog post about time management.

Strong:

Write a 600-word blog post for mid-level managers who feel overwhelmed by meeting-heavy workweeks. The goal is to offer three practical time-blocking strategies they can implement without restructuring their whole schedule. Tone: direct and useful — no productivity-guru language. Avoid generic advice like "make a to-do list." Assume the reader has tried basic time management tips before.

Success criteria

Your rewritten prompts should:

Name a specific audience (who they are, what they know, what they care about)
State a clear goal or outcome for the output
Include at least one tone or style instruction
Include at least one constraint (length, format, exclusion, or scope)
Avoid padding — every word in the prompt should be earning its place

Optional reflection question

After running your rewritten prompts, compare the output to what you would have gotten from the original. What was the most significant change? What difference did adding audience context make?