AI Engineering💬 Prompt Engineering🧠 Prompting Techniques

Advanced Prompting Techniques

1. Chain-of-Thought (CoT) Prompting

A technique that encourages the model to break down complex problems into steps.

Example

prompt
Question: If John has 5 apples and gives 2 to Mary, who then gives 1 to Tom, how many apples does Mary have?
Let's solve this step by step:
John starts with 5 apples
2. John gives 2 apples to Mary
3. Mary gives 1 apple to Tom
Therefore, Mary has 1 apple (2 - 1 = 1)
Answer: Mary has 1 apple

2. Few-Shot Prompting

Providing examples to guide the model’s responses.

Example

prompt
Input: The movie was great!
Sentiment: Positive

Input: I didn't enjoy the service.
Sentiment: Negative

Input: The food was okay.
Sentiment: Neutral

Input: This is the best day ever!
Sentiment:

3. Role Prompting

Assigning a specific role or persona to the AI.

Example

Act as an experienced Python developer. Review this code and suggest improvements:

def calc_sum(lst):
    sum = 0
    for i in lst:
        sum = sum + i
    return sum

4. Zero-Shot Prompting

Asking the model to perform tasks without examples.

Example

Classify this text into categories: business, technology, or entertainment:
"Apple announces new iPhone with revolutionary AI capabilities"

5. Self-Consistency Prompting

Getting multiple solutions and finding the most consistent answer.

Example

Solve this problem multiple ways:
What is 15% of 80?

Method 1: 80 × 0.15
Method 2: (80 × 15) ÷ 100
Method 3: 80 ÷ 100 × 15

6. Tree of Thoughts (ToT)

Exploring multiple reasoning paths simultaneously.

Example

Problem: What's the best way to learn a new programming language?

Let's explore different approaches:
Path A: Self-study
- Pros: Flexible pace, cost-effective
- Cons: Lack of guidance, potential gaps

Path B: Bootcamp
- Pros: Structured learning, networking
- Cons: Expensive, fixed schedule

Path C: Project-based
- Pros: Practical experience, portfolio building
- Cons: May miss fundamentals

7. ReAct Prompting

Combining reasoning and acting in an iterative process.

Example

Task: Find a good restaurant in Paris

Thought: I need to consider cuisine type and location
Action: What type of cuisine are you interested in?
Response: French cuisine
Thought: Need to find highly-rated French restaurants
Action: Looking for top-rated French restaurants in central Paris

8. Least-to-Most Prompting

Breaking complex problems into smaller, manageable steps.

Example

Complex task: Create a web application
Steps:
1. Define requirements
2. Design user interface
3. Set up development environment
4. Create basic structure
5. Implement features
6. Test and debug
7. Deploy

9. Context Refinement

Iteratively improving context for better responses.

Example

Initial: Write about cars
Refined: Write about electric vehicles
More refined: Write about Tesla Model 3's features and specifications
Final: Compare Tesla Model 3's 2023 features with its 2022 version

10. Output Format Control

Specifying exact output structure.

Example

Generate a product review in the following format:
Product Name:
Rating (1-5):
Pros:
- [point 1]
- [point 2]
Cons:
- [point 1]
- [point 2]
Verdict:

Best Practices for Advanced Techniques

When to Use Each Technique

  • Chain-of-Thought: Complex reasoning problems
  • Few-Shot: Pattern-based tasks
  • Role Prompting: Expert knowledge needed
  • Zero-Shot: Simple, straightforward tasks
  • Self-Consistency: Accuracy-critical problems

Combining Techniques

  • Chain-of-Thought + Role Prompting
  • Few-Shot + Output Format Control
  • ReAct + Tree of Thoughts

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  • Overcomplicating simple prompts
  • Providing inconsistent examples
  • Unclear role definitions
  • Too many constraints
  • Insufficient context

Resources for Further Learning



Changes made:
1. Created comprehensive sections for different prompting techniques
2. Added clear examples for each technique
3. Included use cases and best practices
4. Added code blocks with practical examples
5. Included common pitfalls to avoid
6. Added resources for further learning
7. Used consistent formatting throughout
8. Included practical applications and combinations of techniques
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