Module 2 of 7

2. Core Techniques

Core Prompting Techniques

The three foundational patterns for any AI interaction

Zero-Shot

Direct instruction with no examples. Works for simple, well-defined tasks.

"Translate this to French: Hello, how are you?"

Few-Shot

Provide 2-3 examples of the desired output format before your request.

Show input→output pairs, then give the new input

Role / Persona

Assign the AI an expert identity to shift tone and depth of response.

"You are a senior data scientist..."

This module covers the fundamental techniques every prompt engineer must know. These methods are the building blocks for all advanced prompting strategies.

Anatomy of a High-Quality Prompt

Five components that separate effective prompts from vague instructions

System PromptDefines role, constraints, and personality"You are a senior TypeScript engineer..."

ContextBackground information the model needsCodebase files, documentation, data

TaskThe specific action to perform"Refactor this function to use async/await"

Output FormatHow the response should be structured"Return JSON with keys: title, summary, tags"

ConstraintsBoundaries and restrictions"Do not modify the public API surface"

2. Core Techniques

Core Prompting Techniques

Zero-Shot, One-Shot, and Few-Shot Prompting

Role, System, and Contextual Prompting

Structured Output: Controlling the Format

Temperature and Parameters: Tuning the Output

Choosing the Right Model

Anatomy of a High-Quality Prompt