Master the Coffee-with-Your-Hero AI Prompt Technique
The pre‑game routine that turns AI into a better advisor. Generic fluff → Laser‑focused insight.
Imagine landing a 5‑minute coffee with your industry hero.
Would you wing it or jot a few killer questions first?
Most people wing it with AI…and get the same bland answers.
The fix is a 60‑second habit called pre‑prompting.
It’s simply thinking before you hit “Enter”:
Set the Goal. What do you really need? Is it speed, depth, breadth, creativity, or structure?
Make a Checklist. List 2–4 subtopics you can’t afford to miss.
Add a Cheat‑Phrase. Drop one line that primes the model.
Ask Better, Get Better
Stop Wing‑It Prompts
See the difference for a technical task:
Weak Prompt:
“Refactor this function.”
Strong Pre‑Prompt:
“You are a senior backend engineer. Refactor the Go function below for concurrency safety and lower memory allocations while keeping its unit tests green. Return: 1) the updated code (with inline comments on each change) and 2) a 3‑bullet rationale covering trade‑offs and performance gains.”
Result: quick cosmetic tweaks → production‑ready, performance-tuned refactor.
See the difference for a non-technical task:
Weak Prompt:
“Plan a summer trip to Lake Tahoe.”
Strong Pre‑Prompt:
“You are an experienced West‑Coast travel planner. Plan a 3‑day July itinerary for a family of four (kids 7 & 2) in South Lake Tahoe. Include:1) Morning/afternoon/evening activities (mix of beaches, beginner hikes, light adventure). 2) Budget‑friendly dining spots (< $20 pp). 3) Optional water‑sport rentals with prices. 4) Daily cost range and total estimate. Deliver as a bullet list per day followed by a cost summary table.”
Result: vague tourist tips → kid‑friendly, costed itinerary you can book tomorrow.
💡 Try it now: Pick a task, spend one minute on the Goal‑Checklist‑Cheat prompt above, and watch AI level up.
👇 Drop your best pre‑prompt in the comments or tag someone who needs this.