Before you start
A chat assistant, a short sample text and a notebook or spreadsheet.
Why this lesson exists
The training-floor posts make a useful point: repeated practice only teaches when you notice what changed. Use a small experiment instead of collecting unrelated outputs.
Do the exercise
Choose a measurable skill
Use “summarize a 300-word note in 60 words without losing the deadline.” Write the success criteria before generating anything.
Save attempt one
Use a plain request and record the result. Score deadline preservation, factual accuracy and length with pass/fail marks.
Change one instruction
For attempts two through five, alter one variable: audience, format, explicit deadline preservation or a worked example. Keep the source text unchanged.
Compare and explain
Choose the best attempt using the original criteria. Write which instruction helped and one case where it might not work. Save that prompt as a reusable starting point.
A prompt to adapt
Replace the bracketed parts with your own practice details.
I am practicing [skill]. My fixed input is [input]. Success means [three observable criteria]. Help me run five attempts, changing one instruction at a time. After each attempt, score it against the criteria and explain one difference. Do not change the source facts.
What this looks like
“Make it better” changes an undefined number of things. “Keep the Friday deadline in the first sentence” produces a change you can actually evaluate.
Check your result
Use evidence from your output. A confident explanation from the AI is not enough.
- The input stays the same for five runs.
- Only one instruction changes between runs.
- Your preferred output wins on the written criteria.
If it isn’t working
If all five attempts are similar, choose a harder input with an ambiguity or exception. If the rubric is subjective, rewrite it as something you can observe.
Optional. Progress stays in this browser.
Where this came from
Adapted from the archived LinkedIn theme “The Floor Has an Aggressive Onboarding Process.” See the post coverage and editorial method.
Prepared September 2026. Tools and interfaces change; use current official setup instructions. Session lengths are estimates.