The Law: One good example is worth a thousand explanations. AI learns patterns from examples faster than from instructions.
The Science of Examples
AI excels at pattern recognition. When you provide examples, you're giving it a template to follow. This is why showing often beats telling.
Types of Examples
1. Direct Examples Show exactly what you want: "Write product descriptions like this one: 'This isn't just a notebook—it's tomorrow's ideas taking shape today. Swiss-bound pages that lie perfectly flat, paper that loves every pen, and a cover that develops character with every adventure.'"
2. Contrastive Examples Show what to do AND what to avoid: "GOOD: 'Our software reduces invoice processing from hours to minutes.' BAD: 'Our cutting-edge, innovative solution leverages synergistic methodologies.' Now write five benefit statements following the GOOD pattern."
3. Progressive Examples Show the evolution: "Basic: The app tracks expenses Better: The app automatically categorizes your expenses Best: The app learns your spending patterns and alerts you before you exceed budget categories Now create a 'basic/better/best' progression for our project management tool."
The Example Multiplier Effect
Number of examples provided vs. Output quality: - 0 examples: Generic output - 1 example: Directional improvement - 2-3 examples: Pattern recognition kicks in - 4-5 examples: Consistent excellence - 6+ examples: Diminishing returns
Example Integration Strategies
Strategy 1: The Style Mirror "Write in this style: 'Listen. I'm going to tell you something about prompts that nobody else will. They're not about AI—they're about you. Your clarity. Your vision. Your ability to communicate what's in your head.'"
Strategy 2: The Format Template "Structure each tip like this: THE MISTAKE: Starting emails with 'I hope this finds you well' WHY IT FAILS: Generic, adds no value, wastes precious attention THE FIX: Start with value: 'Here's how we can save 10 hours next week' Now create 5 email tips following this structure."
Strategy 3: The Quality Bar "Here's the level of detail I need: 'Don't just say the meeting was productive. Say: We identified three bottlenecks in the shipping process, assigned owners to each, and set Friday 3 PM as our first progress check.' Apply this level of specificity to all your responses."
The Example Bank Method
Build a collection of excellent examples: 1. Save outputs that exceed expectations 2. Collect examples from admired sources 3. Create before/after transformations 4. Document what made them effective 5. Reuse for similar tasks