Prompting: Working with Language Models

The quality of LLM answers depends heavily on the prompt. These techniques improve results immediately.

1. Give Role and Context

Bad: "Explain Docker."
Good: "You are an experienced Linux admin. Explain Docker
       to a beginner in 5 sentences with an example."

2. Demand Structure

"Answer as a list with headings. For each point: name, explanation (2 sentences), example."

3. Few-Shot Examples

Show 1-3 example inputs with desired outputs — models copy the pattern reliably.

4. Iterate

Rarely perfect on the first try. Ask follow-ups, correct, refine. For company knowledge use RAG instead of longer prompts.