S.C.O.P.E. Your Prompts!

Specify, Context, Output, Persona, Examples - S.C.O.P.E.

S.C.O.P.E. is a system to get quality Generative AI results. Simply put, it’s a way to approach writing prompts to get higher-quality results with less effort.

Basic Anatomy of a Prompt

When interacting with AI Models, there are three general rules to follow to get the desired results.

Task refers to the specific request or question from the user that the AI needs to address. Understanding the task correctly is crucial for generating a relevant and helpful response.

Guidance includes the instructions and rules that guide the behavior. It helps ensure the AI’s responses are safe, appropriate, and aligned with its designed persona.

Conversation is the record of the previous exchanges in the conversation. It gives the AI the context necessary to generate coherent and contextually appropriate responses.

With this in mind, we can:

• Ask AI to analyze an email and extract relevant action items.
• Generate bullet points for an executive summary report.
• Write our SMART goals based on our real-world accomplishments.
• Eliminate writer’s block.
• Anything you can imagine.

We suggest trying the S.C.O.P.E. to maximize your AI results.

Applying S.C.O.P.E.

Specify

• Clearly define your subject and the (t)ask (asking and tasking) provided to the AI Model
• Provide direct, unambiguous instructions.
• Sequence your instructions in a way that is both natural and logical.
• Articulate what success looks like.

Context

• Define your audience; if you don’t know the needs of your audience, ask!
• Provide background information to help the Model understand your (t)ask.
• Attach meaning to the prompt; what is the underlying purpose?
• What data sources, documents, or websites should the AI Model access?
• Does the conversation history itself contain relevant information? Most chatbots automatically use the last couple of messages to contextualize the most recent message.

Output

• What output do you need: email, bulleted list, or report?
• Is there a structure we can provide on which these deliverables can be built?
• How should the response be laid out? What formatting techniques should be used?
• What language style and tone are relevant?

Persona

• Who is the AI Model? Do they possess unique skills?
• What perspectives do they represent?
• What insights might they have?
• Clearly define the role that the AI is playing in your task.

Examples

• Show, don’t tell.
• Detail past examples.

Try It! Tell me about marketing.

As you follow this example, keep the following S.C.O.P.E. method questions in mind. The bold text will highlight content to add to help you S.C.O.P.E. your prompt and get the results you want.

We will start with the prompt, “Tell me about marketing.”

Specificity

Tell me about digital marketing strategies.
Adding "digital" and "strategies" adds specificity to the prompt.

Context

As a small business owner of a brick-and-mortar retail store with a small online presence, I want to expand my e-commerce sales by driving traffic to the website. Can you tell me about effective digital marketing strategies?

Adding details about who you are and your business adds context.

Output

As a small business owner of a brick-and-mortar retail store with a small online presence, I want to expand my e-commerce sales by driving traffic to the website. Create a detailed guide about effective digital marketing strategies.

"Create a detailed guide" specifies the desired output.

Persona

You are a Marketing Consultant with an extensive background in successful digital marketing strategies. Create a detailed guide about relevant and practical digital strategies for a brick-and-mortar retail store with a small online presence looking to expand its e-commerce sales by driving traffic to the website. The guide should cover effective digital marketing strategies.

“You are a Marketing Consultant with an extensive background in successful digital marketing strategies” and “The guide should cover effective digital marketing strategies” create an identity.

Examples

You are a Marketing Consultant with an extensive background in successful digital marketing strategies. Create a detailed guide about relevant and practical digital strategies for a brick-and-mortar retail store with a small online presence looking to expand its e-commerce sales by driving traffic to the website. The guide should cover effective digital marketing strategies. For instance, you could review SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, and email marketing and how to measure the success of these strategies.

Finally, providing expectations for your results will help with your results.

This guide was adapted from a workshop led by Matthew Miller from CMU's Business Innovation Office.