Technique Reference
| Technique |
Definition |
When to Use |
| Zero-shot |
Clear, direct instructions with no examples |
Simple, well-defined tasks where the model has strong baseline knowledge |
| Few-shot |
Examples included in the prompt to guide format, tone, or style |
Tasks requiring specific formatting or evaluation criteria not obvious from instructions alone |
| Chain-of-Thought (CoT) |
Model articulates its reasoning step-by-step along a single path |
Math problems, logical reasoning, multi-step analysis, debugging |
| Tree-of-Thought (ToT) |
Model explores multiple reasoning paths in parallel, evaluates each, and can backtrack from dead ends |
Planning problems, creative tasks with competing constraints, comparing alternatives |
| Persona-based |
Assigns a role to shape vocabulary, depth, and assumed audience knowledge |
Domain expertise, audience-specific explanations |
| Task decomposition |
Breaks a complex task into smaller, ordered subtasks |
Any task difficult to accomplish well in a single prompt |
| Self-consistency |
Samples multiple outputs or reasoning paths and selects the most common answer |
High-stakes decisions, complex reasoning where a single response might be wrong |
| Prompt scaffolding |
Wraps user input in a structured template with explicit constraints |
Defending against adversarial or off-topic input |
Task Type to Technique
| Task Type |
Recommended Technique |
| Simple, well-defined |
Zero-shot with clear instructions |
| Specific format or style |
Few-shot with examples |
| Complex reasoning |
Chain-of-thought |
| Multiple valid approaches |
Tree-of-thought |
| Domain expertise |
Persona-based + RAG |
| Multi-step workflow |
Task decomposition |
| High-stakes decisions |
Self-consistency |
Common Pitfalls
| Pitfall |
Solution |
| Vague instructions |
Be explicit about what you want |
| Too many constraints |
Prioritize the most important requirements |
| No examples for complex formats |
Add 2-3 diverse examples |
| Assuming model knowledge |
Provide necessary context |
| Single-shot for complex tasks |
Break into steps or use chain-of-thought |
