01
📝 Zero-Shot
Direct question, no examples. Start here for simple tasks.
"Explain quantum computing to a 10-year-old"
Basic
02
📚 Few-Shot
Provide 2-5 examples before your request. Pattern matching.
Example 1: X → Y
Example 2: A → B
Now do: Z → ?
Basic
03
🎭 Role Prompting
Assign identity to shape responses. "You are a..."
"You are a senior software architect with 20 years experience..."
Basic
04
📋 Structured Output
Define exact format (JSON, Markdown, table).
"Return as JSON with fields: name, category, priority"
Basic
05
🔗 Chain-of-Thought
"Think step by step" - force reasoning visibility.
"Solve this step by step, showing your reasoning..."
Advanced
06
🌳 Tree of Thought
Branch into multiple paths, evaluate each.
"Consider 3 approaches: A, B, C. Evaluate pros/cons of each..."
Advanced
07
🔄 Self-Consistency
Generate multiple answers, pick most common.
"Generate 5 different solutions, then pick the best one..."
Advanced
08
⚡ ReAct
Reason → Act → Observe loop for complex tasks.
Thought: I need to...
Action: Search for...
Observation: I found...
Advanced
09
🔗 Prompt Chaining
Output of prompt A becomes input of prompt B.
Step 1: Generate outline → Step 2: Expand sections → Step 3: Edit
Advanced
10
📄 RAG
Inject context docs before question. Knowledge grounding.
[Document text here]
Based on the above, answer: ...
Specialized
11
🏷️ XML Structured
Use XML tags for complex structure (Claude preferred).
<context>...</context>
<task>...</task>
Specialized
12
🔁 Iterative Refinement
Build up through multiple passes. Draft → Critique → Improve.
"Now critique this draft and improve it..."
Specialized
13
🤖 Multi-Agent
Simulate multiple personas debating/collaborating.
"Have an optimist and pessimist debate this decision..."
Specialized
14
🎯 Constraints
Explicit boundaries focus the output.
"In exactly 100 words, using only simple terms..."
Specialized
15
💡 Analogical Reasoning
Explain X in terms of Y. "This is like..."
"Explain blockchain like it's a library system..."
Specialized
16
🧠 Meta Prompting
AI creates its own prompt. "Design the ideal prompt for..."
"What's the best way to prompt you for creative writing?"
Meta
17
🎓 Socratic Method
Guide through questions rather than direct answers.
"Instead of answering, ask me questions to help me discover..."
Meta
18
🔬 Hypothesis Testing
Form hypothesis, test with evidence, conclude.
"Hypothesis: X is true. Evidence for/against: ... Conclusion: ..."
Meta
Power Phrases (Click to Copy)
"Think step by step"
"Before answering, consider..."
"You are an expert in..."
"Respond in JSON format"
"Give me 5 options, then recommend"
"Critique your own answer"
"What would [expert] say?"
"Explain like I'm a..."
"What are the risks of..."
"Compare and contrast..."
"In exactly X words..."
"Assume the opposite is true"