Your first steps with AI & prompting

01 · UNDERSTAND

Start with a conversation.

Generative AI can produce a draft from your instructions: a message, a plan, a summary, or an idea. A prompt is the request you give it. Prompting is the process of shaping that request and improving it after seeing the result.

You don’t need to code to begin. You do need to decide what a useful answer looks like. Think of the chat box as a place to give a brief, then review a draft.

02 · GIVE DIRECTION

A useful prompt is a useful brief.

Imagine asking a colleague to reply to a delivery enquiry. “Write a reply” leaves them guessing. The same request becomes easier when you add three things:

Add a boundary where it matters: “Use only our policy. Ask about anything missing.” If you have a sample reply you like, include it as a style example and make clear that its facts should not be reused.

A role such as “customer support assistant” can set the tone. It cannot supply a delivery policy you haven’t provided or guarantee a correct answer.

03 · IMPROVE THE DRAFT

Read it. Check it. Try one change.

For our delivery example, compare the reply with the brief. Does it ask for the customer’s area? Has it added a delivery date we never confirmed? Would the wording feel natural to the recipient?

• Too long? “Keep the same facts, but reduce this to two sentences.”
• Too formal? “Make this warm and conversational without adding promises.”
• Missing the point? “The next step is to confirm the delivery area. Make that question clear.”

Change one instruction at a time so you can see what helps. For Swahili output, ask for an English back-translation as an extra check, then have a fluent speaker review any important customer message.

04 · YOUR TURN

Build something you can use.

Pick a practice task. Edit the three parts, choose a language, and copy your prompt. Try it in your preferred AI tool, then ask yourself what you would change in the next draft.

Task: Draft a friendly reply to a customer asking whether we deliver.

Context: Fictional shop in Dar es Salaam. We deliver to Kariakoo and Upanga, Monday to Friday. Delivery costs TZS 5,000. The customer has not shared their area.

Output: A WhatsApp message under 60 words. Ask for the customer's delivery area.

Language: English.

Use only the supplied facts. If a detail is missing, flag it or ask a question. Do not invent prices, dates, or promises.

05 · PAUSE & REFLECT

What will you take with you?

Three quick questions to put the lesson into practice. You can try again as often as you like.