The Art of Prompting - A Deep Dive into Prompt Engineering

Created in July 27, 2025

2025   ·   AI   prompt-engineering   teaching   education   machine-learning   ·   education

Introduction

On July 24th, 2025, I had the privilege of teaching a comprehensive workshop on Prompt Engineering - one of the most crucial skills in the age of AI. This post reflects on the teaching experience, the curriculum covered, and the insights gained from helping others master the art of effective AI communication.

Event Overview

What Was the Workshop?

A hands-on workshop focused on prompt engineering techniques for large language models, designed to help participants become more effective at communicating with AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and other LLMs.

Why Prompt Engineering Matters

In today’s AI-driven world, the ability to craft effective prompts is becoming as important as traditional programming skills. It’s the bridge between human intent and AI capability. By adding context, LLMs are able to tailor responses towards specific domains to provide optimal results

Key Statistics

  • Participants: 80+
  • Attendee backgrounds: Private Equity, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurs, PhD Students, Operators

Curriculum Breakdown

Core Topics Covered

Main Presentation: Prompt Engineering Fundamentals

1. Chain-of-Thought Prompting

  • Breaking down complex problems into logical steps
  • Guiding AI through reasoning processes
  • When and how to use step-by-step thinking

2. Importance of Clear, Contextual Prompts

  • Crafting specific, unambiguous instructions
  • The role of context in getting accurate responses

3. Persona and Role Definition

  • Providing context about what persona the AI should take. Example : “You are a world class expert in robotics with 20 years of experience working at Boston Dynamics”
  • Explicity stating the LLM is an expert in specific domains
  • Tailoring responses through role-based prompting

4. Situational Context and Background

  • Give more context about your situation and steps that have been taken so far
  • Building comprehensive background for better AI understanding
  • Incremental information sharing for complex scenarios
  • Feeding LLM design guidelines, instructions, Scope of Work, and other criteria which are crucial to tailor best response

5. Interactive Prompting Techniques

  • Ask the LLM to ask you clarifying questions before providing an answer
  • Iterative refinement through dialogue

Breakout Room Sessions

After the main presentation, participants split into 4 specialized breakout rooms for hands-on practice and curated discussions:

Room 1: GTM (Go-to-Market) Strategy

  • Craft prompts to assist in market analysis and competitive intelligence
  • Customer segmentation and persona development prompts
  • Market research and opportunity identification techniques
  • Competitive positioning and differentiation strategies

Room 2: Employee Onboarding

  • Develop prompts to generate onboarding documents tailored to different employee roles and levels
  • Creating role-specific training materials and checklists
  • Personalized welcome sequences and resource guides
  • Performance expectation and goal-setting frameworks

Room 3: Organizational/File Structure

  • Design prompts to help organizations establish clear file-naming conventions
  • Directory structures and information architecture
  • Documentation standards and knowledge management
  • Process optimization and workflow design

Room 4: Technical Prompts

  • Create technical-focused prompts suitable for engineers in both software and hardware domains
  • Code generation and debugging assistance
  • Technical documentation and specification writing
  • System architecture and design decision support

Teaching Materials

Presentation Slides

View Online (PDF Viewer):

Interactive Exercises

The workshop included several hands-on exercises:

  • Prompt optimization challenges
  • Real-world scenario problem-solving
  • Collaborative prompt writing sessions

Key Learning Outcomes

What Attendees Mastered

  • Prompt Structure: How to organize prompts for maximum effectiveness
  • Context Management: Providing the right amount of background information
  • Output Control: Directing AI responses in specific formats and styles

Resources and Further Learning

  • Prompt engineering is both an art and science
  • The field evolves rapidly - new models, tools, and techniques are being deployed frequently
  • Check out the website Theresanaiforthat.com which curates a database of AI tools
  • ChatGPT: OpenAI’s flagship model
  • Claude: Anthropic’s conversational AI
  • Sora: OpenAI’s image and video specific model
  • Cursor: IDE for vibe coding and integrating prompts directly into software development workflow

Conclusion

Effective prompt engineering is a transformative skill. As AI becomes more integrated into our daily workflows, the ability to communicate effectively with these systems will be a defining competency for the next generation of professionals.

The enthusiasm and rapid progress of the attendees reinforced my belief that prompt engineering education should be a priority in both academic and professional development programs.

Acknowledgments

The Changemakers Convening collaborated with C10 labs, Innospark Ventures, and MGMT Boston to host this great event which included Fireside chat with prominant AI leaders. Read more about the full event here.

Interested in learning more about prompt engineering, attending future workshops, or looking to implement AI solutions in your organization? Feel free to reach out at jadal@cloudwalkenterprises.com