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1.1BeginnerModule 01 · Think Like a Strategist

C.A.R.E Prompting

How LLMs actually think and how to work with that

The prompt

Copy & paste ready
1.1C.A.R.E Prompting
Role: Act as a [EXPERT ROLE e.g. B2B sales coach]. Context: I am [YOUR SITUATION company, stage, industry]. Action: [WHAT YOU WANT e.g. Give me 5 positioning ideas to differentiate in the [MARKET / REGION]]. Expectation: Format as a numbered list. Each point 2–3 lines. Use plain business language. No jargon. CRAFTING EFFECTIVE AI PROMPTS 4 State Expectation Clearly outline the desired format, length, and tone of the output. 3 Start with Role Begin the prompt by defining the AI's persona. 2 Fill C.A.R.E Layers Provide context, action, role, and expectation for the prompt. Identify Need 1 Determine the specific task you want the AI to perform.
LabelsReplace these

LabelsReplace these

Pro tip, from the book

If your output feels off, the problem is almost always a vague Role or missing Expectation. Fix those two before rewriting the whole prompt.

Who should run this prompt

Module role profile

Who should reason through this problem? The quality of your thinking is shaped by whose lens you borrow. A strategist and a risk analyst look at the same problem and see completely different things — both useful, both necessary. Before you prompt, choose who you need in the room. These profiles give you six internal perspectives and four outside views that challenge your assumptions before you commit to them.

The roles below are who the book suggests running this prompt — this lesson’s prompt doesn’t open with a single swappable role clause, so pick one and adapt the prompt’s own wording yourself.

Internal rolesThink from inside the organisation
Chief Strategy OfficerLong-term position, trade-offs, competitive moatSetting 3-year direction or evaluating a major pivot
McKinsey Senior PartnerMECE structure, evidence-first, no fluffStructuring a complex problem or board presentation
Product Strategy DirectorMarket timing, feature bets, customer signalDeciding what to build next and why
Strategy ManagerTranslating direction into quarterly prioritiesBreaking a big goal into executable 90-day plans
Research AnalystData quality, pattern recognition, no assumptionsValidating a hypothesis before acting on it
First Principles CoachStripping assumptions, rebuilding from fundamentalsWhen every solution feels like a variation of the same thing
Outside perspectivesChallenge your blind spots
Sceptical InvestorFinds the hole in every planBefore pitching or committing resources
Military Decision AnalystSpeed under uncertainty, clear action biasIn fast-moving situations with incomplete data
Devil's AdvocateArgues the opposite as hard as possibleWhen your team agrees too quickly
Socratic FacilitatorNever answers — asks until you find it yourselfWhen you need to think, not just receive an answer

◆◆◆◆◆ → ◆ seniority, board level down to specialist outside the organisation

How to make any role sharper

  1. Add years of experience: "...with 15 years in enterprise SaaS" produces different depth than just the title.
  2. Add what they care most about: "You care most about [X]" shapes every word of the output.
  3. Add their communication style: "Be direct. Flag risks first. No jargon." changes the tone entirely.
See also: 1.3 Role Prompting - The Expert Chair

Use this when

The problem it solves

You're new to AI and getting inconsistent, generic outputs. You want a reliable structure that makes every prompt work better from day one. LLMs respond to structure. C.A.R.E gives every prompt four layers: Context (the situation), Action (what you want done), Role (who the AI should be), Expectation (what the output should look like). Every strong prompt has all four. Most weak prompts are missing two. Context is usually the layer people skip, and it does the heaviest lifting since the AI has no idea who you are or what you need without it. Role is the fastest lever for quality, narrowing vocabulary and depth instantly. Expectation is where most prompts fail silently: if you don't state a length or format, the AI guesses one for you.

The method, in four moves

Do these in order
1

Identify what you need: a decision, a draft, an analysis, or a plan.

2

Fill in each C.A.R.E layer before prompting even just mentally.

3

Start every prompt with the Role. It sets the entire tone.

4

State Expectation clearly: format, length, tone, and depth. A B2B SaaS founder was getting generic copy from AI. After adding Role ('Act as a direct-response copywriter who specialises in B2B SaaS') and Expectation ('3 subject lines, under 8 words, curiosity-gap style'), his open rate jumped from 18% to 31% in one send. Same brief. One C.A.R.E pass. IN PRACTICE

Where the framework comes from

Prompt Engineering community best practice — popularised 2022–2023

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