5 min reading · Practice at your pace
Give AI Useful Context: Facts, Audience and Constraints
Give AI the facts that change the answer: who it is for, what you know, the format and the constraints. Use a reusable brief and a practical lunch-planning exercise.
Give the details that change the answer
Start with a real task: who needs the answer, the relevant facts, the format and the constraints. The assistant does not automatically know your situation. Supplying more text is useful only when it helps the task.
A draft from supplied workshop notes
Give your draft the context it needs: source notes, timing, audience and details to preserve. Follow a workshop article through a focused revision.
Exploring the Cedar Workshop
When does the session begin?
The Cedar workshop takes place on Saturday at 10:30.
How many spots are open?
There are 12 adult places available for this introductory woodworking workshop.
What is the focus?
This workshop is for adults.
Missing details: No date, location, price, registration link, instructor, supplied tools, qualification, or learning outcome has been provided.A useful context checklist
Without your audience, facts and constraints, a model may fall back on a general answer. Explain who will read the result, what you know and what makes your situation different. Separate source facts from style preferences so the draft can be specific without inventing details.
What to include
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Task and reader | A short article for adults considering an introductory woodworking workshop. |
| Verified source facts | The original notes supplied Saturday, 09:15 and 12 adult places. The actual follow-up explicitly changed the time to 10:30. |
| Voice and format | Plain, welcoming and practical; title, three question-led sections and a separate missing-details line. |
| Unknowns | Date, location, price, registration link, instructor, tools, qualification and learning outcome were not supplied. |
| Exclusions | No invented testimonials, safety promises, certifications or contact details. |
A context brief to reuse
Copy this structure and fill in only the relevant details. Identify the source of factual claims, separate preferences and leave missing information explicit.
Task: [What should the assistant produce or help decide?]
Audience: [Who will use the answer, and what do they need?]
Facts: [Verified details or relevant source excerpts. Identify their source.]
Format: [Desired structure, tone and length.]
Constraints: [Requirements, available resources and what to exclude.]
Unknowns: [Missing facts. Say what to ask about or keep explicitly unknown.]Useful context still needs checking
The first draft added unsupported claims about the workshop’s environment and learning outcome. The revision removed those claims and preserved the unknowns. Context made review possible; it did not guarantee that the first answer used only the supplied facts.
Try the team-lunch exercise
Keep the existing practice small: lunch for eight people, 45 minutes, two vegetarian guests and no oven. Add only facts you actually know, then ask about other dietary needs before finalizing.
Improve the request
A starting point
Suggest a team lunch.
Starting request: group size, equipment and dietary needs are missing.
A more useful request
Suggest three lunch options for eight coworkers. Two guests are vegetarian. We have 45 minutes and a kitchen with a microwave and refrigerator, but no oven. For each option, list what we need to buy and what can be prepared ahead. Ask about any other dietary needs before finalizing the plan.
Practice brief: add the group size, equipment and dietary needs.
Context, files and web sources
Paste the relevant passage or attach a permitted file when the answer depends on it. Identify what the source supports and what remains unknown. Conversation history, selected files, tools, Memory and custom instructions have different roles; a link or filename alone is not proof the assistant read it.
Keep practice facts safe and current
Use material you are permitted to share. Relevant text, files and enabled context may reach the selected model/provider. Keep passwords and confidential customer records out of reusable examples, and update changing facts in the current request.
Revise a constraint and keep the rest
After checking the first lunch plan, exclude an ingredient and preserve the group size, dietary requirements, time and equipment. Update dependent shopping and preparation lists too.
Context questions
Choose the information the task needs and make its limits visible.
What context should I give an AI assistant?
Give the task, reader, relevant source facts, desired format and constraints. Identify missing facts and examples only when they help the request.
Should I paste everything into a prompt?
Select the passages and facts needed for the task. Long or conflicting material can obscure the brief; source limits, model context and usage still apply.
Does AI know my previous chats or files automatically?
Do not assume that. Current conversation context, attached files, enabled Memory and supported tools each have their own scope and controls. Supply or select the information the task needs.
Guides and resources
Find more detail and choose your next step.
Your turn
Plan a lunch with useful context.
Start with the complete lunch brief. Check the group size, vegetarian options, equipment and preparation time, then revise one ingredient constraint.
Write a draft and review the checklist.
Your draft saves in this browser. You can leave and come back.
Try the prompt in Chat
Copy the prompt, open Chat and paste it into the composer. Read the answer beside the supplied facts before requesting the revision below.
These buttons open the product and copy your draft. You choose the mode and send the request yourself.
Open ChatMake one change and check the whole result
Review the first answer, then send this follow-up in the same conversation.
Remove any option that needs an oven or mushrooms. Keep eight coworkers, two vegetarian guests, the 45-minute limit, microwave and refrigerator. Update the shopping and preparation lists to match. Keep other dietary needs unresolved until I answer your question.Check that the requested change happened and the correct facts, format and missing details survived. For a file, open the revised artifact and inspect nearby paragraphs or formulas too.