Including examples in your prompts is a powerful technique to steer AI models toward producing the outputs you desire. By providing a few well-chosen examples, you can significantly enhance the accuracy, consistency, and quality of the AI’s responses.

This method, often referred to as few-shot or multishot prompting, is especially effective for tasks that require the AI to follow specific formats or produce structured content.

Incorporate at least 3 diverse and relevant examples in your prompts to show the AI exactly what you expect.

Benefits of Using Examples

  • Clarifies Intent: Examples help the AI grasp the nuances of your request, reducing misunderstandings.
  • Ensures Consistency: By demonstrating the desired format or style, you encourage the AI to produce uniform outputs.
  • Enhances Performance: Examples can boost the AI’s ability to handle complex or specialized tasks effectively.

How to Write Examples

To get the most out of this approach, keep the following tips in mind:

  • Relevance is Key: Your examples should closely mirror the task you want the AI to perform. This ensures the AI understands the context and specifics of your request.
  • Include Variety: Providing diverse examples, including edge cases or challenging scenarios, helps the AI generalize and avoid overfitting to a narrow pattern.
  • Maintain Clarity: Clearly separate your examples from the rest of your prompt. You can use formatting tools like bullet points, numbering, or tags to organize your examples.

Example