“AI is powerful, but it’s not a mind reader. The quality of what you get depends on the clarity of what you ask.”

1. Why Prompting Matters

   • Picture this:

     It’s Friday afternoon in Austin.
     Lunch rush just ended. The kitchen looks like a battlefield—flour on the floor, tickets everywhere, someone yelling “WHO TOOK MY TONGS?”—and the restaurant owner, let’s call him Carlos, finally sits down with his phone.

     Carlos knows he should post something on social media. Weekend is coming. People need to know about the new tacos, the live music, the happy hour… all the good stuff.

     But Carlos is tired.

     So he opens ChatGPT and types:

     “Write a post for my restaurant.”

     He hits enter.
     Boom. AI responds instantly.

     “Come visit our restaurant for delicious food and great service. We offer a variety of dishes that you will love. Join us today!”

     Carlos reads it… pauses… squints…

     “¿Qué es esto?”

     He looks around his restaurant:

     • His abuela’s salsa recipe is literally on the menu
     • There’s a guy playing Norteño music in the corner
     • His regular customers call him “compa”
     • And this thing just said… “delicious food and great service”

     He mutters:

     “This sounds like a hotel lobby in Nebraska.”

2. The C.O.R.E. Framework Introduction

   • 🎯 This is the moment to land the point:

     Carlos didn’t get a bad result because AI is bad.

     He got a bad result because he gave it… nothing to work with.

     Think about it:

     • The AI doesn’t know he runs a Mexican restaurant
     • It doesn’t know he’s in Austin
     • It doesn’t know his vibe is loud, friendly, and full of personality
     • It doesn’t know his customers come for the experience, not just the food

     So what does AI do?

     It plays it safe.
     Generic. Neutral. Boring.

     ---

     Now flip the situation

     Same Carlos. Same restaurant. Same Friday.

     But this time, someone told him:

     “Hey—don’t just ask. Give it context.”

     So instead, he types:

     “We are a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Austin known for our homemade salsa and friendly, loud atmosphere. Write a fun Facebook post inviting locals to our weekend with live music and taco specials. Keep it casual and neighborly.”

     Now the AI responds:

     “Hey Austin! 🌮 This weekend we’ve got fresh tacos, homemade salsa straight from abuela’s recipe, and live music to keep the vibes going. Bring your friends, your appetite, and maybe your dancing shoes—see you here!”

     Carlos reads it…

     Now he smiles.

     “Okay… this sounds like us.”

     Bring it home for your audience:

     This is the shift you want them to understand:

     “AI doesn’t know your business.
     It only knows what you tell it.”

     And more importantly:

     “AI doesn’t fail—you just didn’t give it enough to work with.”

     ---

     Add a light closing punchline:

     “If you give AI one sentence, it gives you a guess.
     If you give it your story, it gives you something that actually sounds like your business.”

     ---

     This kind of storytelling lands because:

     • It’s relatable
     • It’s funny
     • It mirrors their real frustration
     • And it naturally leads into the need for structure (C.O.R.E.)
3. Break Down Each Component

   • C.O.R.E. Through Carlos the Restaurant Owner 🍽️

     1. C – Context (Who you are, your community)

     Carlos is feeling confident now. He says:

     “Alright AI, let’s try again… Write a post for my restaurant.”

     But this time he pauses.

     He remembers: “Give context…”

     So he starts typing… slowly:

     “We are a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Austin…”

     Then he stops and thinks:

     “Wait… if I don’t say it, how would this thing know?”

     So he keeps going:

     “…we’re known for homemade salsa, loud music, and treating customers like family. Most of our customers are locals who come on weekends with friends and kids.”

     Now imagine the AI on the other side like:

     “OH! Finally… now I know who I’m talking about.”

     ---

     🎯 Teaching punchline:

     Without context, AI is guessing.
     With context, AI starts understanding.

     ---

     😂 Quick joke to land it:

     “If you don’t give context, AI thinks your taco place is a Michelin star restaurant with white gloves and violin music.”

     ---

     2. O – Objective (What you need)

     Now Carlos gets excited and types:

     “Write a Facebook post, an email, a flyer, and also make it funny, and professional, and short, and long…”

     AI freezes (internally like 😵‍💫).

     It responds with something weird:

     • Half formal
     • Half casual
     • Not really useful

     Carlos:

     “Why is this confused?”

     Because he is confused.

     ---

     So he tries again, this time focused:

     “Write a Facebook post promoting our weekend taco special.”

     Clean. Clear. One job.

     Now the AI is like:

     “Ahh… I have ONE mission. I can do this.”

     ---

     🎯 Teaching punchline:

     “AI is powerful—but it’s not great at multitasking chaos.”

     ---

     😂 Joke:

     “If your prompt sounds like 5 employees talking at once, your AI will respond like an intern on their first day.”

     ---

     3. R – Requirements (Tone, format, details)

     Carlos reads the result.

     It’s… okay. But still not him.

     It sounds like:

     “Dear valued customers, we invite you…”

     Carlos almost drops his phone.

     “Who says ‘valued customers’? My customers say ‘compa!’”

     ---

     So now he adds requirements:

     “Use a warm, friendly, neighborly tone. Keep it short (3–4 sentences). Make it feel like we’re talking to friends. Mention it’s for the weekend.”

     Now the AI responds:

     “Hey friends! 🌮 This weekend we’ve got fresh tacos…”

     Carlos nods.

     “That’s more like it.”

     ---

     🎯 Teaching punchline:

     “Requirements are how you turn AI from corporate… into your brand.”

     ---

     😂 Joke:

     “Without requirements, AI sounds like it’s applying for a bank loan. With requirements, it sounds like your best employee.”

     ---

     4. E – Example (Show, don’t just tell)

     Carlos is almost there.

     But he wants it to sound exactly like his style.

     So he remembers:

     “Show, don’t just tell…”

     He pastes one of his old posts:

     “Hey neighbors! 🌶️ Come hang out this weekend—good food, good vibes, and maybe a little dancing…”

     Then he writes:

     “Write it in a similar style to this.”

     Now the AI goes:

     “Ohhh… THIS is the vibe.”

     And the output suddenly feels:

     • Personal
     • Local
     • Authentic

     Carlos reads it and says:

     “Did I write this… or did the robot write this?”

     ---

     🎯 Teaching punchline:

     “Examples are like giving AI your voice.”

     ---

     😂 Joke:

     “Without an example, AI is guessing your personality. With an example, it’s basically copying your homework—in a good way.”

   •  
4. Demonstrate the Difference (Before vs After)

   • Before (Carlos at the beginning):

     “Write a post for my restaurant.”

     Result:

     • Generic
     • Robotic
     • Useless

     ---

     After (Using C.O.R.E.):

     • Context → who he is
     • Objective → what he needs
     • Requirements → how it should sound
     • Example → how he usually speaks

     Result:

     • Feels local
     • Sounds human
     • Actually usable

     ---

     🎤 Final line to close the story:

     “Carlos didn’t upgrade the AI.
     He upgraded how he talks to it.”

     ---

     💡 Bonus closer (memorable):

     “C.O.R.E. is simple:
     Don’t just ask AI to write.
     Teach it how to sound like you.”

   •  
5. Live Demo (Restaurant Example)
6. Key Teaching Moment: Prompting is a Conversation