Brainbox: Tips for Crafting Helpful Prompts

Brainbox is your intelligent, always-on digital assistant – ready to brainstorm ideas, analyze documents, write with flair, automate tasks, or clarify tricky concepts. The secret to unlocking Brainbox’s full potential is all about how you communicate your goals.

Here’s some tips on how to get the most productive, accurate, and creative results from Brainbox.

1. Give Generous Context

Brainbox blossoms with detail. When you pose a question or task, include as much relevant background as you can. This might mean:

• Describing the scenario (e.g., “I’m writing a job posting for a remote developer role at a fintech startup.”)
• Clarifying constraints (e.g., “Keep the summary under 150 words,” or “Based on 2022 data only.”)
• Stating your goal (e.g., “I need clear, layman-friendly instructions,” or “I want a persuasive summary for executives.”)

Tip: For complex tasks, consider uploading or pasting documents, datasets, or links. Brainbox can digest and reference them to enhance its responses.

2. Foster a Back-and-Forth

Think of Brainbox as a collaborative teammate. Don’t hesitate to:

• Ask follow-up questions: If an answer doesn’t quite hit the mark, probe further.
• Request clarifications or examples: (e.g., “Can you explain that concept in simpler terms?”)
• Reiterate or adjust your needs as the conversation progresses.

Dialogue helps Brainbox adapt to your expectations and learn your preferences over time.

3. Be Specific About Output

Vague prompts yield vague results. Be direct about what you want:

• Specify the format (e.g., bullet list, essay, Python code, table)
• Point out your audience (e.g., “Make this accessible to GCSE students,” or “Summarise for a board meeting.”)
• Highlight priorities (e.g., “Focus on environmental impact over cost factors.”)

Pro tip: If you need Brainbox to mimic a style or tone (like “friendly and casual,” or “formal and concise”), say so!

4. Refine, Iterate, and Experiment

Prompting is a creative process! Brainbox supports iterative workflows:

• Tweak your instructions: If you’re not satisfied, try reframing or adding context.
• Break large problems into smaller chunks: Work step by step, asking Brainbox to tackle sub-tasks in sequence.
• Solicit suggestions: Brainbox is happy to recommend ways to improve your prompt or propose alternative approaches.

Sometimes a small change – like clarifying your intended audience or specifying a document type – can radically improve the output.

• 👍 TIP! Once you have finished your chat, ask Brainbox to use all the points in your chat to re-write the best prompt for you.

6. Keep Improving

The best prompt writers are experimenters. Reflect on what worked (and what didn’t), adjust your approach, and save effective prompt formulations for future use. Over time, you’ll develop a toolbox of strategies tailored to your unique goals and workflows.

Example: Turning a Basic Prompt into a Great One

Basic: “Summarise this document.”

Better:
“Summarise this attached research paper in three concise bullet points, highlighting key findings relevant to non-specialists, and list any apparent limitations in the study’s methodology.”

Over to you!

Here's how to add your prompt as a new Brainbox skill:

1) Write the Prompt. When on this page, pop-out the Brainbox panel and click the 'include page' option. Then instruct Brainbox to use all the tips mentioned in this article to write the initial prompt.

2) Add as a New Skill - When you're happy with your Prompt, copy it, and go to Settings > My Wavebox > Brainbox > Manage Skills > New Skill. Then paste your prompt into the text field.

3) Use the Skill - If the skill type is 'selection' the prompt is now available in the right-click menu, if the type is 'page' the prompt is available in the Skills dropdown at the bottom of the Brainbox panel.

Ready to begin?

Start chatting with Brainbox, share your context, and watch how quickly and creatively you get results! As your AI teammate, Brainbox is always learning how best to help you achieve your goals.