Being Clear and Direct
Eliminate confusion and get exactly what you need by using direct, imperative language in your prompts.
Clarity is Kindness
The clearer your instructions, the better your results. Learn to eliminate confusion and get exactly what you need from Omnifact.
The Core Principle
Use direct action words and avoid assumptions about what Omnifact already knows.
Replace vague requests with direct action words:
- Instead of “Help with” → Use “Summarize”, “Create”, “Analyze”
- Instead of “Think about” → Use “List”, “Compare”, “Explain”
- Instead of “Look at” → Use “Review”, “Evaluate”, “Examine”
See the Difference
❌ Vague and Confusing:
“What do you think about this report? Can you help me with some ideas for the presentation?”
✅ Clear and Direct:
“Summarize the main conclusions from this quarterly sales report and create 5 key talking points for my executive presentation.”
❌ Assumes Too Much:
“Update the client on the delay we discussed.”
✅ Provides Context:
“Draft an email to our software client explaining that the project will be delayed by 2 weeks due to integration issues. Use a professional, solution-focused tone.”
Simple Structure for Clear Prompts
Use this structure for maximum clarity:
Examples:
- “Create a social media calendar for LinkedIn posts promoting our new CRM to small businesses in weekly format for next month.”
- “Analyze this employee survey data and identify top 3 improvement areas with specific recommendations for each.”
- “Compare our Q3 expenses against budget and highlight variances over 10% in bullet point format.”
Common Clarity Mistakes
Don't Assume Context
Don't Assume Context
Omnifact doesn’t know what you’re working on or what happened before.
Instead of: “Make the changes we discussed” Try: “Revise this job posting to emphasize remote work and reduce required experience from 5 to 3 years”
Don't Use Vague Descriptors
Don't Use Vague Descriptors
Replace unclear terms with specific instructions.
Instead of: “Make it more professional” Try: “Use formal business language suitable for executive review”
Don't Skip Important Details
Don't Skip Important Details
Include all the context Omnifact needs to give you the right answer.
Instead of: “Fix this email” Try: “Rewrite this customer service email to be more professional and include our 24-hour response commitment”
Quick Reference: Vague vs. Specific
| Instead of… | Be specific… |
|---|---|
| ”The usual format" | "In bullet points with brief explanations" |
| "Make it professional" | "Use formal business language, no jargon" |
| "The document we’re working on" | "The employee handbook section on remote work" |
| "Fix the tone" | "Change from casual to professional” |
Why Isn’t It Working?
Omnifact asks for more information
Omnifact asks for more information
Add missing context:
- Background information Omnifact needs
- Specific details about your situation
- Clear parameters for what you want
Example: Instead of “Help with this budget” Try: “Review this Q3 marketing budget and identify any line items that exceed 15% of the total allocation”
Response is too general
Response is too general
Use more specific commands:
- Replace “help with” → “create/analyze/summarize”
- Replace “look at” → “review/evaluate/examine”
- Add specific constraints like format, length, audience
Example: Instead of “Think about our hiring process” Try: “Analyze our current interview process and recommend 3 specific improvements to reduce time-to-hire”
Wrong focus or emphasis
Wrong focus or emphasis
Be explicit about priorities:
- “Focus on [specific aspect]”
- “Prioritize [particular area]”
- “Emphasize [key point]”
Example: “Analyze this customer feedback focusing on usability issues, not feature requests”
Can someone else read your prompt and know exactly what you want? If not, add more details!
Other Beginner Guides
- Review Basic Prompt Structure to reinforce the fundamentals
- Explore Assigning Roles to transform Omnifact into domain experts
- Master Controlling Output Format to get responses in exactly the format you need