The 3-Part Prompt Framework

The Core Problem

Most people approach AI the way they'd approach a Google search—type a few words, hit enter, hope for the best. But AI isn't a search engine. It's more like a new team member who's incredibly capable but knows nothing about your situation, your preferences, or your goals.

When you type "write me an email," the AI has to guess:

• Who are you?
• Who's the recipient?
• What's the tone?
• What's the goal?
• How long should it be?
• What context matters?

No wonder the output feels generic. You gave generic input.

The Framework

The 3-Part Prompt Framework gives AI the context it needs to deliver relevant, useful output. Every effective prompt contains three elements:

1. Role

What it is: Who should the AI become to help you best?

Why it matters: Roles activate different "modes" of thinking. A marketing strategist approaches problems differently than a data analyst. A friendly colleague writes differently than a formal executive.

Examples:

• "Act as a senior product manager at a B2B SaaS company..."
• "You are an experienced copywriter who specializes in email marketing..."
• "Respond as a skeptical investor evaluating this pitch..."

2. Task

What it is: The specific output you need, stated clearly.

Why it matters: Vague tasks produce vague outputs. "Help me with marketing" could mean a hundred things. "Write 5 subject lines for our product launch email" is actionable.

The Specificity Spectrum:

3. Context

What it is: The constraints, background, and details that shape the output.

Why it matters: Context is where personalization happens. Two people might need "an email to a client," but the context makes each email unique.

Context categories to consider:

• Audience: Who will read/use this? What do they care about?
• Tone: Formal? Casual? Urgent? Friendly?
• Constraints: Word count, format, things to avoid
• Background: What happened before? What's the situation?
• Goal: What should the reader do/feel/understand after?

The Formula in Action

Before (Weak Prompt)

Write me an email to my team about the project delay.

What AI has to guess: Who's on the team? How bad is the delay? What's the culture? Should this be apologetic? Informative? What action is needed?

After (Strong Prompt)

Role: Act as a team lead who values transparency and maintains team morale.

Task: Write a 200-word email to my engineering team announcing a 2-week delay on our product launch.

Context:
- The delay is due to a critical bug found in testing (not anyone's fault)
- Team has been working hard and morale is important to protect
- We need them to stay focused for the next sprint
- Tone should be honest but optimistic
- End with clear next steps for Monday's standup

Result: A tailored email that addresses the specific situation, maintains the right tone, and includes actionable next steps.

Exercise 1: Diagnose Weak Prompts

Below are real prompts people use. Identify what's missing (Role, Task, or Context) and rewrite them.

Prompt A

"Help me prepare for my interview"

What's missing:

• Role (who should AI be?)
• Task (what specific output?)
• Context (what job? what company? what stage?)

Your rewrite:

Role: Act as a senior hiring manager at a tech company.

Task: Generate 10 likely interview questions and strong answer frameworks for each.

Context: I'm interviewing for a Product Manager role at Stripe. It's a second-round interview focused on product sense and analytical thinking. I have 5 years of PM experience at smaller startups.

Prompt B

"Write social media posts for my business"

What's missing:

• Role (what kind of marketer?)
• Task (how many posts? what platform?)
• Context (what business? what audience? what voice?)

Your rewrite:

Role: Act as a social media strategist for small professional services firms.

Task: Write 5 LinkedIn posts promoting our accounting firm's tax preparation services.

Context: 
- Target audience: Small business owners with 10-50 employees
- Tone: Professional but approachable, avoid jargon
- Each post should be under 150 words
- Include a soft call-to-action (no hard sales)
- It's late January, so tax season urgency is relevant

Exercise 2: Build Your Own

Practice writing 3-part prompts for these scenarios. There's no single right answer—the goal is to be specific.

Scenario 1: You need to decline a meeting invitation professionally

Your prompt:

Role: 

Task: 

Context:

Scenario 2: You're preparing a presentation for leadership on your team's progress

Your prompt:

Role: 

Task: 

Context:

Scenario 3: You want feedback on a project proposal

Your prompt:

Role: 

Task: 

Context:

Exercise 3: The Iteration Game

One of the most powerful skills is improving a prompt based on the output you get. Try this workflow:

1. Start with a basic prompt and get a response
2. Identify what's wrong with the output
3. Add specificity to fix that issue
4. Repeat until the output matches your needs

Example Iteration:

Round 1:

"Write a bio for my LinkedIn profile"

Output is generic, too long, sounds like everyone else

Round 2:

"Write a 100-word LinkedIn bio for a marketing director. Make it conversational, not formal."

Better length and tone, but doesn't highlight what makes me unique

Round 3:

"Write a 100-word LinkedIn bio for a marketing director who specializes in B2B SaaS. Highlight my focus on product-led growth and my background transitioning from engineering to marketing. Tone should be warm and confident, not boastful. End with something memorable, not a generic CTA."

Now we're getting somewhere.

[!tip] The Iteration Mindset
Your first prompt is a starting point, not the finish line. Treat prompt-writing as a conversation, not a one-shot request.

Quick Reference Card

Copy this template and fill in the blanks:

Role: Act as a [job title/expert type] who [key characteristic or specialty].

Task: [Specific action verb] [specific deliverable] [quantity if applicable].

Context:
- Audience: [Who will use this?]
- Tone: [How should it sound?]
- Constraints: [Length, format, things to include/avoid]
- Background: [Relevant situation details]
- Goal: [What should happen after?]

Common Role Starters

Key Takeaways

1. Generic prompts produce generic outputs. The AI isn't psychic—it needs context.
2. Role, Task, Context. Every strong prompt has all three, even if they're woven together naturally.
3. Specificity is a skill. The more precisely you can articulate what you need, the better your results.
4. Iteration beats perfection. Start somewhere, then refine based on what you get back.
5. Save your best prompts. When something works well, keep it in a prompt library for reuse.

Next Steps

• [ ] Rewrite 3 prompts you've used recently with the 3-part framework
• [ ] Create a "prompt template" document for tasks you do repeatedly
• [ ] Practice the iteration game on a real work task this week