Foundations of Good Prompting
When you get the basics right, it becomes much easier to get the results you want from Omnifact.
The Golden Rule: Be Specific and Complete
Be specific and use complete sentences. Think of each prompt as giving directions to a capable colleague who doesn’t know your context. Provide context when it matters. Omnifact remembers your conversation as you chat, so you do not need to repeat background details in every follow-up message. When you start a new chat, switch to a very different topic, or need the AI to work from specific materials, include the necessary context in your prompt. Omnifact can also carry persistent context for you:- Personalization (Account Settings): Your role, working style, and response preferences apply in every conversation.
- Chat Instructions (in Spaces): Space administrators can set standing instructions that define the assistant’s expertise and tone for that Space.
What Makes a Good Prompt
Every effective prompt should include these three elements:What you want
The specific task or question you need help with
Context you have
Relevant background information
What you expect
Format, length, or style requirements
- Task: “Analyze this customer feedback”
- Context: “from our Q4 survey about our mobile app”
- Expectations: “and identify the top 3 improvement priorities”
- Complete Prompt: “Analyze this customer feedback from our Q4 survey about our mobile app and identify the top 3 improvement priorities.”
See the Difference
The more specific and descriptive you are, the better results you’ll get.- Marketing
- HR
- Finance
- Customer Service
- Sales
- Product Management
Vague: “Marketing ideas”
Specific: “Generate 5 social media post ideas for a B2B software company launching a new project management tool, targeting small business owners”
Specific: “Generate 5 social media post ideas for a B2B software company launching a new project management tool, targeting small business owners”
Common Problems and Quick Fixes
Problem: Responses are too generic
Problem: Responses are too generic
Solution: Add specific details and constraints
- Include your exact context (role, company size, industry)
- Specify format and length requirements
- Be clear about what to include or exclude
Problem: Omnifact seems confused
Problem: Omnifact seems confused
Solution: Check if you’re assuming context
- Are you in a new chat or on a new topic without enough background?
- Would this make sense to someone new to your situation?
- Add the missing context directly in your prompt, or set it once in Personalization or Space Chat Instructions
Problem: Wrong format or style
Problem: Wrong format or style
Solution: Be explicit about expectations
- “Format as [bullet points/table/email/report]”
- “Use [professional/casual/technical] tone”
- “Length should be [specific word count/number of items]”
Other Beginner Guides
- Learn Being Clear and Direct to eliminate confusion and get exactly what you need
- Explore Assigning Roles to transform Omnifact into domain experts
- Master Controlling Output Format to get responses in exactly the format you need