Reference guide — updated October 2026

A prompt is drawn, like a blueprint.

Every effective instruction follows a recognisable structure: a role, a context, a task, a format. This guide breaks the mechanism down, maps today’s models and gathers the techniques that really work in 2026 — from one-off prompts to reusable “skills”.

Break down a prompt →Compare models
6 techniques covered5 model families compared3 languages: FR · EN · DE
Fig. 01 — Anatomy of a prompt

You are a cybersecurity consultant for small businesses.ROLE Here is our current password policy: renewal every 90 days, 8 characters minimum, no password manager required.CONTEXT Identify the 3 most critical weaknesses of this policy and propose a fix for each.TASK Answer as a 3-column table: Weakness / Risk / Fix. If information is missing to judge a point, say so instead of assuming.FORMAT + CONSTRAINT

ROLECONTEXTTASKFORMAT + CONSTRAINT
Fig. 02 — Site map

Explore the guide

01BasicsA prompt is not a random question: it is a specification. The Role · Task · Context · Format structure remains the most reliable starting point, whatever the model.02TechniquesBeyond the basic structure, these six techniques improve reliability on long, ambiguous or high-stakes tasks.03AI artAn image prompt describes a scene: subject, style, composition, light, material. Here is the structure that gives repeatable results.04ModelsThere is no universal “number one” any more: each family has its own usage profile. The right reflex is to match the model to the task.05SkillsA prompt you retype every time is a liability. Turn the ones that work into versioned, documented, shareable skills.06ApplicationsFour areas where a well-designed prompt structure directly changes the quality of the result.07FAQShort answers to the most common questions for getting started with AI prompts.

Official resources to keep at hand