'Summarise this' gives you a summary, but not necessarily the one you need. Three details in the prompt make it fit.
A summary for a busy manager differs from one for a colleague who must act on it. Say who will read it and what they will do with it. The same text can need three different summaries.
Give a number: three bullet points, 100 words, one paragraph. Say whether the result is for an email, a slide or notes. That keeps the result predictable.
Name the things that must stay: decisions, dates, names, open questions. Say what may go: background, side topics.
A summary can leave out or change something. For anything important, compare it with the original text. Numbers and names deserve a second look.
Our free page 'How to prompt better' has a copyable template for the four questions: goal, background, limits and done when. Open How to prompt better
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
#AI #Prompting #ChatGPT #Claude #Productivity
This page gives general information and is not legal, financial or medical advice. [email protected]