Google’s NEW Prompting Guide is Incredible!

Jeff Su
14 May 202409:10

TLDRThe video script discusses Google's new prompting guide for creating more effective prompts with AI chatbots. It emphasizes the importance of using longer prompts, averaging 21 words, and the power of asking for three variations in the initial prompt to inspire new ideas. The guide also suggests using multi-step workflows to break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable prompts. It highlights the use of templates to save time and overcome mental blocks, and the strategy of top-down competitive analysis to understand the landscape and uncover actionable insights. Lastly, it mentions the use of Google Docs to enhance PDFs with AI assistance, available to Google One AI Premium plan users.

Takeaways

  • 📝 The most successful prompts are on average 21 words long, yet most people use fewer than nine words.
  • 🔄 Utilize the regenerate function to ask for three variations of a response to inspire new ideas.
  • 💡 Break down complex tasks into smaller sequential prompts to reduce errors and improve results.
  • 📈 Start with broad concepts and progressively use more specific prompts for a top-down competitive analysis.
  • 📚 Use Google Docs to enhance your PDFs by integrating Gemini for summarization and content creation.
  • 🔑 The 'Power of Three' can be applied to generate multiple options for tasks like creating slogans or drafting emails.
  • 📝 Chain of Thought prompting involves breaking down a task into smaller, more manageable steps.
  • 🚀 Templates can be brainstormed and generated to save time and overcome mental blocks.
  • 🧐 Conducting research starts with a broad overview and narrows down to uncover actionable insights.
  • 📈 Google Gemini is adept at summarizing web pages and can provide balanced insights when given multiple sources.
  • 📊 For Google users, the 'help me write' feature in Google Docs can refine and create presentation outlines with structured content.
  • 📌 Multi-step workflows are beneficial for complex tasks, as they allow for a more detailed and less error-prone approach.

Q & A

  • What is the average length of the most successful prompts according to Google's analysis?

    -The most successful prompts are 21 words long on average.

  • What is the 'power of three' concept mentioned in the video?

    -The 'power of three' concept involves asking for three variations in the initial prompt to inspire new ideas and directions that might not have been initially considered.

  • How does the 'Chain of Thought' prompting technique work?

    -The 'Chain of Thought' prompting technique involves breaking down a large task into smaller sequential prompts to get better results by reducing potential errors.

  • What is the benefit of using multi-step workflows?

    -Multi-step workflows help to tackle complex issues by breaking them down into mini milestones, which can each be addressed by a separate prompt, thus making the process more manageable and reducing errors.

  • Why is it suggested to use templates in prompts?

    -Using templates in prompts can save time and overcome mental blocks by suggesting a variety of ideas that the user might not have thought of themselves.

  • How does the 'top-down competitive analysis' work?

    -The 'top-down competitive analysis' starts with broad concepts to understand the overall landscape and then uses narrower prompts to uncover actionable insights as it moves down the funnel.

  • What is the advantage of using Google Docs to supercharge PDFs?

    -With Google Docs, you can upload a PDF, open it with Google Docs, and then use Google Gemini within Google Docs to generate content based on the PDF, such as summaries or presentation outlines.

  • What is the significance of asking for three variations of a prompt?

    -Asking for three variations allows the user to explore different options and find the most effective approach, potentially uncovering insights that a single option might miss.

  • How can the regenerate function in chatbots be beneficial?

    -The regenerate function can inspire new ideas by showing different options, which can lead to more innovative and effective solutions.

  • What is the purpose of breaking down a complex task into smaller sequential prompts?

    -Breaking down a complex task helps to simplify the process, making it easier to manage and less prone to errors, and allows for a more focused approach to each part of the task.

  • Why is it helpful to brainstorm template ideas based on one's role and responsibilities?

    -Brainstorming template ideas tailored to one's role and responsibilities can lead to more efficient workflows and the creation of documents that are more aligned with specific needs and goals.

  • What is the recommended approach when conducting research using prompts?

    -When conducting research, it's recommended to start with broad prompts to get a comprehensive overview and then use more specific prompts to drill down into actionable insights.

Outlines

00:00

💡 Enhancing Prompts with Google's AI: Strategies and Tips

The video discusses how Google's analysis of numerous inputs has led to the discovery that effective prompts are typically 21 words long, yet most users input less than nine. It emphasizes the importance of effort over length in crafting prompts. The presenter shares five key tips from Google's latest guide on writing better prompts. The first tip focuses on the power of three, encouraging users to request multiple variations in their initial prompts to inspire new ideas. The second tip is about multi-step workflows, which involves breaking down a large task into smaller, sequential prompts to reduce errors and improve results. The third tip involves using templates to save time and overcome mental blocks, suggesting that asking for template ideas based on one's role can be highly beneficial. The fourth tip is about conducting top-down competitive analysis, which involves starting with broad concepts and narrowing down to uncover actionable insights. Lastly, for Google users, the fifth tip is about using Google Docs to enhance PDFs, allowing for the summarization and analysis of documents within the platform.

05:02

🚀 Streamlining Workflows and Competitive Analysis with AI Tools

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of using AI tools to streamline workflows and conduct competitive analysis. It highlights the Chain of Thought prompting technique, which involves breaking down tasks into smaller sequential steps for better results. The presenter also discusses the use of templates to generate ideas and documents, emphasizing the ease with which AI can draft specific documents once an idea is selected. The paragraph further explains the top-down approach to competitive analysis, starting with a broad overview and progressively focusing on more specific details to extract actionable insights. It concludes with a pro tip about using Google Gemini for summarizing web pages and the unique advantage of using Google Docs with Gemini for document analysis and presentation creation, noting that these features are available to users on specific premium plans.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Prompting Guide

A set of instructions or best practices provided by Google to help users create more effective prompts for AI chatbots. In the video, it is mentioned as a source of the tips shared, emphasizing the importance of crafting prompts that can yield better responses from AI systems.

💡Google Gemini

Google Gemini is referenced as an AI tool that can be used to generate responses to prompts. It is compared with chat GPT, another AI system, in the context of generating different drafts and variations of responses to improve the quality of output.

💡Regenerate Function

This is a feature in AI chatbots that allows users to request multiple variations of a response to a given prompt. The video suggests using this feature to inspire new ideas and directions, as it can provide three different options for tasks like creating slogans or drafting emails.

💡Chain of Thought Prompting

A technique where a complex task is broken down into smaller, sequential steps or prompts. This method is said to yield better results by reducing potential errors. The video provides an example of creating a cover letter by first generating a hook, then the body paragraph, and so on.

💡Template Timesavers

This concept involves using AI to brainstorm and generate templates for various tasks based on a user's role and responsibilities. The video illustrates how this can save time and overcome mental blocks by providing specific examples, such as creating communication templates for a project manager.

💡Top-Down Competitive Analysis

A research approach that starts with broad concepts to understand the overall landscape and then narrows down to more specific prompts to uncover actionable insights. The video describes a process where one begins with an industry overview and progressively drills down to competitor analysis and strategic recommendations.

💡Google Docs Integration

The video mentions the capability to use Google Docs with Google Gemini to enhance PDF functionality. By uploading a PDF to Google Drive and opening it with Google Docs, users can utilize the 'help me write' feature to generate content within the document, such as summaries or presentation outlines.

💡Multi-Step Workflows

This refers to breaking down a task into multiple steps and addressing each step with a separate prompt. The video emphasizes the effectiveness of this approach in generating more accurate and less error-prone responses from AI systems, especially for complex tasks.

💡Value Proposition

A marketing concept that describes the unique benefits and advantages a product or service offers to customers. In the context of the video, it is used as one of the main topics for email variations when engaging with a client who has started to spend on Google ads.

💡AB Test

A method of comparing two versions of a product or message to determine which one performs better. The video discusses using AI to generate different variations of ad copy for a marketing manager at Spotify to conduct an AB test.

💡Text Expander App

A software tool that allows users to save frequently used phrases or templates for quick insertion into other applications. The video suggests using such an app to store three variations of prompts for future use, which can be a game-changer for efficiency.

💡Actionable Insights

Specific and practical recommendations that can be used to improve a situation or achieve a goal. The video describes how a top-down competitive analysis can lead to actionable insights, such as innovative marketing campaigns that leverage a company's strengths and target competitors' weaknesses.

Highlights

Google discovered that successful prompts are on average 21 words long.

Most people input fewer than nine words in prompts.

The power of three: Google recommends asking for three variations in the initial prompt.

Using the regenerate function and showing other drafts can inspire new ideas.

Chain of Thought prompting involves breaking down a large task into smaller sequential prompts.

Multi-step workflows reduce potential errors and improve results.

Google suggests outlining mini-milestones for complex tasks.

Template timesavers can help overcome mental blocks and streamline processes.

Top-down competitive analysis starts with broad concepts and narrows down to actionable insights.

Starting with broader prompts helps understand the topic at a high level before getting specific.

Google Docs can be used to supercharge PDFs with Gemini for summarization and analysis.

Google Gemini is better at summarizing web pages than chatbots for research purposes.

Using 'at' and 'help me write' in Google Docs allows for direct integration with Gemini.

The 'help me write' feature in Google Docs is only available for Google One AI Premium plan users.

Including URLs in prompts can provide a balanced summary from various sources.

Gemini can create presentation outlines with specific instructions within Google Docs.

The ability to upload PDFs directly to chatbots is limited, but can be done through Google Drive.

The video provides a link to Google's prompting guide and a free workspace toolkit for Google Workspace users.

The presenter used to rely on one-shot prompting but now prefers breaking down tasks into smaller pieces.