The Persona Technique

The Power of Persona

When you ask an AI a question without giving it a persona, it responds as a generic "nobody" with access to all possible knowledge. This sounds powerful, but it actually makes the AI less effective because it has too many possible interpretations and responses.

By giving your AI a specific persona, you dramatically narrow its knowledge base and perspective. Instead of getting generic responses, you get expert-level answers from a specific point of view.

Crafting Effective Persona Instructions

A good persona instruction includes three key elements:

1. Role or Profession: What is the AI's job title or area of expertise?
2. Experience Level: How many years of experience? What is their specialisation?
3. Context or Perspective: What specific industry, company size, or scenario are they operating in?

"You are a [ROLE] with [EXPERIENCE] years of experience in [SPECIALISATION]. 
You specialise in [SPECIFIC AREA] for [INDUSTRY/TYPE] businesses. 
Your approach is [STYLE/PHILOSOPHY]."

System Prompts vs User Prompts

Persona instructions work best when placed in system prompts (if your AI tool supports them) rather than user prompts. System prompts set the AI's behaviour for the entire conversation, while user prompts are individual messages.

If your tool does not support system prompts, you can include the persona at the beginning of your first user prompt. The AI will maintain that persona throughout the conversation if you reference it consistently.

Industry-Specific Persona Examples

Moving Forward

Persona is the first pillar of effective prompting. Combined with context (Module 3), output requirements (Module 4), and few-shot examples (Module 5), it forms the foundation that can improve your AI results by approximately 80%.