Basic Prompt Formatting Tips

Interacting with a local LLM involves asking questions and giving basic instructions. While simply typing what you want can often work, paying a little attention to how you format your prompts can significantly improve the clarity and consistency of the responses you get. Think of it like giving clearer directions; better directions usually lead to a better outcome.

Here are some straightforward tips to help you format your prompts effectively:

Be Clear and Direct

The most fundamental tip is to state what you want as clearly and directly as possible. LLMs don't understand hints or implications the way humans do. Avoid ambiguity.

• Less Clear: "Tell me about that French historical figure." (Which one? What aspects?)
• Clearer: "Provide a brief biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, focusing on his major military campaigns."

Use simple, common language. While LLMs are trained on extensive amounts of text, using overly complex vocabulary or niche jargon might not always yield the best results, especially with smaller local models.

Use Formatting to Structure Your Prompt

When your prompt involves multiple parts, like providing context and then asking a question, using simple formatting can help the LLM understand the structure of your request.

• Line Breaks: Separate distinct parts of your prompt with line breaks. This is often the easiest way to improve readability for both you and the model.

  Context: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
  Instruction: Rewrite the sentence above in the past tense.
  

• Simple Labels: Use clear labels like "Context:", "Instruction:", "Question:", or "Text:" to designate different sections.

• Bullet Points or Numbered Lists: If you are asking for multiple things or providing several pieces of information, lists can be very effective.

  Summarize the following points about running LLMs locally:
  *   Privacy benefits
  *   Potential cost savings
  *   Offline access capability
  *   Hardware requirements
  

Keep Related Information Together

Try to group related information within your prompt. If you're providing background information before asking a question, put the background first, followed directly by the question. This helps the model process the information logically.

Be Mindful of Length

Remember the concept of the context window, the model's short-term memory. While formatting helps organize prompts, extremely long or convoluted prompts can still challenge the model's ability to track all the information. Start simple and add complexity gradually. If a prompt becomes very long, consider breaking the task into smaller steps or interactions.

Experiment and Iterate

Different LLMs might respond slightly differently to the same formatting. What works perfectly for one model might be less effective for another. Don't be afraid to experiment!

• Try phrasing your request in a couple of different ways.
• Adjust the separators or labels you use.
• See if adding a concluding instruction like "Provide the summary below:" changes the output.

Formatting prompts isn't about complex rules. It's about clear communication. By using simple structures like line breaks, labels, and clear language, you can guide your local LLM more effectively and get more useful and predictable results. As you continue to interact with your model, you'll develop a better sense of what formatting works best for your specific needs and the models you use.