A Tool Is Only Smart If It Knows What You Want

(The Simple Trick to Getting Better Results From Any AI Tool)

Author

William Tygart
May 26, 2025

Why this matters:
Most AI tools don’t fail because they’re bad — they fail because the instructions they get are vague. If you’ve ever thought “this output sucks,” chances are the tool didn’t know what you really wanted. One small shift changes everything: start with the outcome, not the input.

The Mistake: Starting Mid-Thought

Here’s what most prompts sound like:

“Write a response to this customer”
“Summarize these notes”
“Fix this wording”

They’re short. They make sense in your head.
But to the AI? They’re missing context.

It’s like asking someone to “grab that thing” — without pointing.

The Fix: Tell It the End Goal First

Start every prompt with:

  • Who it’s for

  • What it’s meant to do

  • How it should feel or sound

Before:

“Summarize these job notes”

After:

“Write a short, professional job summary a homeowner and insurance adjuster will both understand.
Make it clear, calm, and factual — based on the notes below.”

Now the tool knows what you know.
And the result gets way better — even if the tool stays the same.

This Is Prompt Framing — And It Changes Everything

You don’t need fancier AI.
You just need clearer goals.

Next time you write a prompt, try this:

“Here’s what I want. Here’s who it’s for. Here’s how it should feel.”

That one move takes you from guessing to leading — and the tool will follow.