EXERCISE 3 OF 6

Tune Your Prompt

Exercise 3: Tune Your Prompt

Mr. DIY Thailand - Generative AI Workshop

Objective: Master tone, detail, and accuracy adjustments through conversational refinement

Tools Required:

  • ChatGPT (any version) OR Claude (free or paid)
  • Internet connection for AI tool access

Context & Scenario

About Mr. DIY Thailand

Mr. DIY is Thailand’s leading home improvement and lifestyle retailer with 1000+ stores nationwide. We serve budget-conscious homeowners and DIY enthusiasts with our “Always Low Prices” positioning. Our product range includes 15,000+ SKUs across hardware, household items, electrical supplies, and more.

Key Facts:

  • 1000+ stores across 77 provinces
  • THB 16.2 billion revenue (2024)
  • 15,000+ product lines
  • 98.5 million customer transactions annually
  • Competitors: HomePro, Global House, Thai Watsadu

Your Scenario

Your Task:

You are a Procurement Manager at Mr. DIY. You need to draft a professional email to a supplier about a delayed shipment.

You will start with a basic AI output, then tune it across 3 quality dimensions through conversation to create a professional, actionable business communication.

Context:

Situation:

  • Your role: Procurement Manager, Mr. DIY Thailand
  • Supplier: Thai Home Products Co., Ltd.
  • Order: Container shipment of household items
  • Products affected:
    • Kitchen organizers
    • Storage bins
    • Cleaning supplies

Timeline:

  • Original ETA: November 10, 2024
  • New ETA: November 24, 2024
  • Delay: 2 weeks

Business Impact:

  • 15 Mr. DIY stores may face stockouts
  • High-demand products during seasonal sales period
  • Customer satisfaction at risk

Business Objective:

What you’re trying to achieve with this email:

  1. Obtain accountability from the supplier for the delay
  2. Secure written commitment on the November 24 delivery date
  3. Request contingency plan in case of further delays
  4. Establish urgent communication channel with a specific contact person
  5. Maintain professional relationship while being firm about business needs

Success Metric:

Your email is successful when it includes ALL of these elements:

  • ✓ Formal Thai business tone (เรียน, ด้วยความเคารพ, ขอแสดงความนับถือ)
  • ✓ All specific details included (product names, original ETA Nov 10, new ETA Nov 24, 15 stores affected, seasonal sales context)
  • ✓ 4 verification requests present (written confirmation, delivery schedule, contingency plan, contact person)
  • ✓ Clear timeline for supplier’s response (e.g., “within 2 business days”)

Your Goal: Transform a generic AI-generated email into a professional, actionable business communication that meets all success criteria through conversational tuning.

Activity Structure

Work Format:

  • Work in pairs (find a partner!)
  • Tool choice: ChatGPT OR Claude
  • 30 minutes: Tuning activity (4 steps)
  • 10 minutes: Pair demonstrations and debrief

Time Breakdown:

  • Step 1 (Baseline): 5 minutes
  • Step 2 (Tone): 8 minutes
  • Step 3 (Detail): 8 minutes
  • Step 4 (Accuracy): 9 minutes

The 3 Quality Dimensions

Dimension 1: TONE Adjustment

Control the voice and style of the email.

For this exercise: Formal Thai business communication

  • Use appropriate Thai business language: เรียน, ด้วยความเคารพ, กรุณา
  • Respectful but firm tone
  • Professional hierarchy acknowledgment

Examples:

  • Casual → Professional
  • Generic → Brand-specific
  • Informal → Formal Thai business style

Dimension 2: DETAIL Level

Add specific information to make the email actionable.

What to include:

  • Specific product names and categories
  • Exact dates (original ETA, new ETA)
  • Business impact (number of stores affected)
  • Order value or importance
  • Specific consequences of delay

Examples:

  • Vague → Specific
  • Generic → Data-backed
  • Abstract → Concrete

Dimension 3: ACCURACY & Verification Requests

Ensure accountability and create clear next steps.

What to request:

  • Written confirmation of new delivery date
  • Detailed delivery schedule and logistics
  • Contingency plan if further delays occur
  • Contact person for urgent follow-up
  • Timeline for supplier’s response

Examples:

  • Assumptions → Verified facts
  • Vague → Confidence levels
  • Unclear → Accountable with clear next steps

Step-by-Step Tuning Process

🔄 STEP 1: Get Baseline Output

Time: 5 minutes

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Start a NEW conversation

Open a completely fresh chat window in ChatGPT or Claude.

Start with a basic prompt to get AI’s initial output. Don’t refine yet - just capture the baseline.

Basic prompt suggestion:

"Write an email to a supplier about a delayed shipment"

Instructions:

  1. One partner submits the basic prompt to AI
  2. Review the output together
  3. Copy/save the output as your BASELINE
  4. Discuss: What’s missing? What needs improvement?

⚠️ Important: Keep your conversation with AI open - you’ll refine through dialogue, not manual editing!

Guiding Questions After Baseline:

  • What tone does the AI use? Is it too casual or too formal?
  • What specific details are missing (dates, products, impact)?
  • Does it request any verification or accountability from the supplier?
  • How would you feel receiving this email if you were the supplier?

🔄 STEP 2: Tune Dimension 1 - Formal Thai Business Tone

Time: 8 minutes

⚠️ CONTINUE in the same conversation from Step 1

Do NOT start a new chat. Keep refining through dialogue.

Through conversation with AI, adjust the tone to be appropriately formal for Thai business communication.

Suggested tuning prompts:

  • “Make this more formal for Thai business communication”
  • “Use appropriate Thai business language including เรียน, ด้วยความเคารพ, กรุณา”
  • “Adjust the tone to be respectful but firm - we need accountability from the supplier”
  • “Make sure it sounds professional for a procurement manager writing to a supplier”

Continue conversation until the tone feels right.

Guiding Questions After Tone Tuning:

  • Does the email now sound appropriately formal for Thai business communication?
  • Can you identify specific Thai business language conventions (เรียน, ด้วยความเคารพ)?
  • Is the tone respectful yet firm enough to convey urgency?
  • Would this tone maintain a professional relationship while requesting accountability?

🔄 STEP 3: Tune Dimension 2 - Add Specific Details

Time: 8 minutes

⚠️ CONTINUE in the same conversation

Keep building on your previous tuning work.

Add specific business details to make the email concrete and actionable.

Suggested tuning prompts:

  • “Add specific details: products are kitchen organizers, storage bins, and cleaning supplies”
  • “Include exact dates: original ETA was November 10, new ETA is November 24”
  • “Mention that 15 stores will be affected by potential stockouts”
  • “Add context that these are high-demand products during our seasonal sales period”
  • “Make the business impact clear and specific”

Continue refining until all key details are included.

Guiding Questions After Adding Details:

  • Are all specific product names mentioned (kitchen organizers, storage bins, cleaning supplies)?
  • Are both dates included (original ETA Nov 10, new ETA Nov 24)?
  • Is the business impact clear (15 stores, seasonal sales period)?
  • Does the email convey the urgency and importance of this shipment?

🔄 STEP 4: Tune Dimension 3 - Add Verification Requests

Time: 9 minutes

⚠️ CONTINUE in the same conversation

Final tuning step - keep refining your output.

Add professional accountability requests and clear next steps.

Suggested tuning prompts:

  • “Add a request for written confirmation of the November 24 delivery date”
  • “Ask for a detailed delivery schedule including logistics timeline”
  • “Request a contingency plan in case of further delays”
  • “Include a request for a contact person for urgent follow-up”
  • “Add a timeline for when we need their response (e.g., within 2 business days)”
  • “Make the closing professional with clear next steps”

Refine until the email has full accountability and actionability.

Guiding Questions After Adding Verification:

  • Does the email request written confirmation of the new delivery date?
  • Is there a request for a detailed delivery schedule?
  • Does it ask for a contingency plan in case of further delays?
  • Is there a specific contact person requested for urgent follow-up?
  • Is there a clear timeline for when you need their response (e.g., 2 business days)?

Before & After Comparison

Compare your baseline output with your final tuned output.

Reflection Questions:

  • How many conversation turns did it take to achieve professional quality?
  • Which dimension (tone, detail, or accuracy) had the biggest impact on quality?
  • What’s the difference between your baseline and final output?
  • Could you have achieved this quality with a single “perfect prompt”? Why or why not?

Pair Demonstration Preparation

2 pairs will be selected to share their tuning process with the group (4 minutes each).

Prepare to show:

  1. Baseline output - What AI gave you initially
  2. Final tuned output - After all 3 dimensions
  3. Your tuning process - What questions you asked AI at each step
  4. Key improvements - Which dimension had the biggest impact and why

Be ready to load your outputs on screen if called upon.

Reflection Questions

1. Tuning Difficulty

What was hardest to tune: tone, detail, or accuracy? Why?

Think about which dimension required the most conversation turns and why certain aspects were challenging to get right.

2. Perfect Prompt Myth

Could you have written a “perfect prompt” to get this quality in one shot? Why or why not?

Consider: What did you learn during the tuning process that you couldn’t have known beforehand?

3. Application to Work

How will you apply this 3-dimension tuning approach to your work at Mr. DIY?

Think about specific scenarios: customer complaints, supplier negotiations, marketing content, internal reports, or training materials.

Key Takeaways

🎯 PRINCIPLE LEARNED:

Professional outputs require conversation and refinement

Why Tuning Matters

Tuning through dialogue is:

  • ✓ Faster than hunting for the perfect prompt
  • ✓ More effective than single-turn delegation
  • ✓ Essential for business-quality outputs

What You Just Practiced

  • ✅ Principle 1: Conversation (not single-turn) - through iterative tuning
  • ✅ Principle 2: Context (adding layers) - through detailed scenario information
  • ✅ Quality tuning: Tone, Detail, Accuracy - the 3 dimensions of professional outputs

Universal Application

This tuning approach works for ANY AI task:

  • Customer communications (email, social media, complaints)
  • Marketing content (posts, ads, campaigns)
  • Reports and analysis (sales, inventory, performance)
  • Training materials (guides, scripts, checklists)
  • Negotiations and supplier communications

Reusable Prompts

Meta-Prompting Template

When to use: When you’ll use a prompt 5+ times and want to optimize it

Process:

1. Write quick test prompt manually
2. Run it, get output
3. Give feedback: "This output is wrong because..."
4. Tell AI: "Rewrite my original prompt to get better results"
5. Cycle until quality reached

Three-Dimension Tuning Framework

For any professional communication:

STEP 1 - BASELINE:
"[Basic task description]"

STEP 2 - TUNE TONE:
"Make this [formal/empathetic/technical] for [audience]"
"Use appropriate language conventions for [context]"

STEP 3 - TUNE DETAIL:
"Add specific details: [list concrete information]"
"Include [dates/numbers/names/impact metrics]"

STEP 4 - TUNE ACCURACY:
"Add requests for [confirmation/verification/contingency]"
"Include clear next steps and timeline for response"

Example application:

"Write an email to a supplier about delayed shipment"
→ "Make this formal Thai business communication with เรียน and ด้วยความเคารพ"
→ "Add: kitchen organizers, Nov 10→24, 15 stores affected, seasonal sales"
→ "Request written confirmation, delivery schedule, contingency plan, contact person"

Conversation Refinement Patterns

When output lacks clarity:

"Make this more specific - include [exact information needed]"
"Replace vague terms with concrete details"

When tone is wrong:

"Adjust tone to be [more formal/more empathetic/more direct]"
"This is for [audience] - make it appropriate for them"

When missing accountability:

"Add specific requests: [list what you need]"
"Include timeline and clear next steps"

Quality Checklist

Before finishing this exercise, verify:

  • ☐ Tone is appropriate for Thai business communication (formal, respectful, professional)
  • ☐ All specific details included (products, dates, impact, stores affected)
  • ☐ Verification requests present (confirmation, schedule, contingency, contact, timeline)
  • ☐ Clear next steps for both parties (actionable and specific)
  • ☐ Used conversation to tune (not manual rewriting)
  • ☐ Quality improved across all 3 dimensions (measurable before/after)

Need Help?

AI isn’t responding to your tuning requests?

Try these approaches:

  • “Instead of ‘make it better’, say ‘make this more formal using เรียน and ด้วยความเคารพ’”
  • Start fresh conversation if too many conflicting instructions
  • Switch tools: Try Claude if ChatGPT isn’t responding well, or vice versa
  • Ask in Thai instead of English for Thai language outputs

Can’t get the Thai business language right?

  • Tell AI: “Use เรียน for opening, ด้วยความเคารพ in greeting, ขอแสดงความนับถือ for closing”
  • Add cultural context: “This is Thai business communication, formal but not stiff”
  • Try asking AI in Thai instead of English

Step 4 feels overwhelming?

  • Add one verification element at a time through multiple conversation turns
  • Start with written confirmation, then contingency plan, then contact person
  • You have 9 minutes - you can do 3-4 conversation turns

TA is here to help! Raise your hand if you need guidance.

Ready? Let’s start tuning!

Workshop Materials Mr. DIY Thailand Generative AI Workshop Exercise 3: Tune Your Prompt

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