All classes Claude from Zero to Expert Syllabus · Episode 10 of 100

Claude from Zero to Expert Class #10: The Most Common Prompt Mistakes and How to Fix Them

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The five most common prompt mistakes when using Claude and how to fix them: vague prompts, missing context, too many tasks at once, conflicting instructions, and accepting results without checking. It ends by polishing five personal go-to prompts and a checklist before sending a prompt. Episode 10 of 100, Session 2: Prompt Basics.

Software: Claude
Level: Beginner
Duration: ± 8 min
Series total: 15 h 1 min · 100 videos
Published: October 28, 2026

Episode 10 of 100 · view syllabus

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Transcript

The full narration of this video. The current sentence is highlighted while the video plays; click any sentence to jump there.

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Introduction

Hi, and welcome to the final episode of the Prompt Basics session. We've learned prompt structure, giving examples, iteration, and asking for tidy output. In this episode we break down the five most common prompt mistakes and how to fix them, then polish your five go-to prompts into one personal library.

Step 1: The five most common mistakes

Let's start with a map of the mistakes. Mistake one: the prompt is too vague. It's unclear who it's for, how long it should be, and what shape you want. Two: no context. We assume Claude already knows our business, when in fact it knows nothing about our customers, prices, or rules until we tell it. Three: too many tasks at once, for example six different requests crammed into one message. Four: instructions that contradict each other, such as asking for something short, but also complete and detailed. Five: accepting results without checking, then sending them straight to a customer or a manager. Almost every disappointing answer from Claude comes from one of these mistakes. The good news: they're all easy to fix. Let's go through them one by one with examples.

Step 2: Vague and without context

Mistakes one and two often come together. Nadia is in a hurry and writes just three words: write a caption. The result is a very generic caption. It could be used for any product, and that's exactly why it doesn't fit any product. The generic hashtags don't fit her local market either. Nadia fixes her prompt. She adds context: a home bakery in Bogor, buyers who are young moms, and pre-orders for pandan pull-apart bread. She also adds the format: one caption, casual, three sentences max. The result feels different right away. It has the product name, the price, a friendly nod to young moms, and an invitation to pre-order via DM. The fix takes only thirty seconds to write, yet it saves several rounds of revision and makes the result truly usable. There's a simple test to prevent both of these mistakes. Imagine giving your prompt to a new employee who knows nothing about your business. Could they do the task well? If they'd definitely ask who it's for, how long it should be, or which product, then that information needs to go into the prompt. Claude is in the same position as that new employee. This test works for Mr. Hendra and Dewi too. A substitute teacher or a new office staff member needs the same information as Claude: who the reader is, what the goal is, and what a good result looks like.

Step 3: Too many tasks at once

Mistake three: too many tasks at once. Dewi pastes June sales data, then asks for six things in one message: a summary, the best sellers, an analysis, a chart, an email, and a promo plan. Claude tries to answer everything, but every part ends up shallow. The analysis just says possibly seasonal factors, and the chart is missing altogether. The problem isn't that Claude isn't smart enough. A single message with six tasks splits its attention, just like an employee handed six jobs at once in one sentence. Dewi changes her approach. She starts again step by step: step one only, a table of the top five products compared with May. One task, one focus. With one task per message, Claude can give it full attention, and Dewi can check the result of each step before moving on. Here's how to break it down. Step one, the best-seller table. Dewi checks the numbers before moving on. Step two, analyze the causes, using that table. Because it's still the same chat, Claude remembers the result of the previous step. Step three, a summary for the director, using the analysis. Step four, the July promo plan, based on all the findings above. That's four messages instead of one. But every part is much better, and a mistake in one step doesn't spread to the next.

Step 4: Conflicting instructions and accepting without checking

Mistake four: conflicting instructions. The most common example: make it short, but complete and detailed. Claude is forced to decide on its own what matters more. The fix is to set limits and priorities: one hundred words max, prioritize prices and schedules. Another example: formal, but trendy and funny. It's clearer to write polite and friendly, one emoji allowed. Mistake five: accepting results without checking. For example, Claude adds a line saying the promo runs until the end of the month, but Laras never created that promo. A line like that must be deleted before sending. Another example is sending a broadcast straight to a hundred customers. It's safer to reread it, then send it to one person first, such as your own number, to see how it looks. If you suspect part of it was made up, ask directly: which sentences didn't come from my information? Claude will point them out. When you check, focus on four weak spots. First, numbers: prices, quantities, percentages, and totals. Recalculate the important ones. Second, dates and times: schedules, deadlines, and opening hours. Third, names: customer names, product names, and company names. One wrong letter can come across as rude. Fourth, promises. These are the most dangerous: discounts, guarantees, or free shipping you never offered. A promise that's already been sent is hard to take back. These four weak spots take just a minute to check. Make it a habit before you press send, and you'll avoid embarrassing mistakes in front of customers or managers.

Step 5: Polishing five go-to prompts

Time to organize what you built in this session. Laras pastes all her go-to prompts, then asks Claude to arrange them into one document with a summary table and the full text below. The result appears in the right panel. Number one, event promo ideas with the four-part structure. Number two, captions from examples. Number three, the prompt that has Claude critique its own draft. Number four, the layered summary. Number five is the checklist before sending a prompt, which we'll look at in a moment. This document can be downloaded and saved on your laptop or phone, ready to copy anytime. This library will keep growing. In every session ahead, from writing emails to analyzing data, you'll find new prompts worth saving here. Here's go-to prompt number five: a checklist before sending a prompt. First, it's clear who the result is for and what it's for. Second, your business or work context is included. Third, there's only one main task per message. Fourth, the shape and length of the result are set. Fifth, there are no instructions that contradict each other. Sixth, there are examples when the writing style matters. Seventh, there's no customer personal data or confidential information, as we covered in the first session. Eighth, you're ready to check numbers, dates, names, and promises before the result is used. For small tasks, this check takes five seconds in your head. For important tasks, go through it item by item. With these five go-to prompts, the Prompt Basics session is officially complete.

Done!

We've broken down five prompt mistakes: vague, no context, too many tasks, conflicting instructions, and accepting without checking, then organized five go-to prompts into one personal library. In the next episode we start the Writing and Communication session, beginning with writing professional emails in minutes. See you there!

Practice exercises

Try these on your own after watching to lock in what you learned.

Fix one old prompt that gave a disappointing result, using this episode's checklist
Break one big task into three or four prompts in sequence
Complete your library of five go-to prompts and test each one once

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Memuat

Claude from Zero to Expert Class #10: The Most Common Prompt Mistakes and How to Fix Them

1 views

Software

Claude

Level

Beginner

Duration

± 8 min

Series total

15 h 1 min · 100 videos

Published

October 28, 2026

Episode 10 of 100 · view syllabus

▶ Watch the video lesson0 plays

Transcript

The full narration of this video. The current sentence is highlighted while the video plays; click any sentence to jump there.

Show transcript

Introduction

Step 1: The five most common mistakes

Step 2: Vague and without context

Step 3: Too many tasks at once

Step 4: Conflicting instructions and accepting without checking

Step 5: Polishing five go-to prompts

Done!

Your instructor

Cerdas Inovasi Digital Team

Software developers, BIM & 3D engineers, and AI practitioners

53 video classes1,296 episodes

See our clients →

Recommended classes for you

Need more than a video?

Transcript

0:03Introduction

0:23Step 1: The five most common mistakes

1:15Step 2: Vague and without context

2:42Step 3: Too many tasks at once

4:10Step 4: Conflicting instructions and accepting without checking

5:55Step 5: Polishing five go-to prompts

7:37Done!

Practice exercises

Ask the class material

My notes

Questions & answers

Your instructor

Recommended classes for you

Need more than a video?

Transcript

0:03Introduction

0:23Step 1: The five most common mistakes

1:15Step 2: Vague and without context

2:42Step 3: Too many tasks at once

4:10Step 4: Conflicting instructions and accepting without checking

5:55Step 5: Polishing five go-to prompts

7:37Done!

Practice exercises

Ask the class material

My notes

Questions & answers

Your instructor

Introduction

Step 1: The five most common mistakes

Step 2: Vague and without context

Step 3: Too many tasks at once

Step 4: Conflicting instructions and accepting without checking

Step 5: Polishing five go-to prompts

Done!

Introduction

Step 1: The five most common mistakes

Step 2: Vague and without context

Step 3: Too many tasks at once

Step 4: Conflicting instructions and accepting without checking

Step 5: Polishing five go-to prompts

Done!