Give your Dot the context that matters

Start with the job, then add the background

Imagine asking a new colleague to “help with customers.” They would need to know which customers, what kind of help, and what you consider a useful result. An AI helper needs that same orientation. More information is not automatically better. Supply the details that change how the work should be done.

Start with three sentences: what you do, what you need, and what good looks like. You can add preferences after the first small test. A clear starting point is easier to correct than a long biography.

Turn a vague request into a workable brief

I run a small design studio. I want to catch client questions that have gone unanswered. A good result is a short table of open questions, the date of the last reply, and a suggested next step. Mark uncertain items rather than guessing.

That gives the job a purpose and a quality standard. It does not authorize reading every customer record or sending any messages. Context explains the work; access and approval are separate decisions.

Add one example of the output you would accept. A made-up row is enough: “Acme / waiting for logo files / last reply Tuesday / draft a reminder.” An example can communicate format more clearly than several paragraphs of instructions.

Choose context with care

Include your intended audience, a relevant deadline, preferred language, and constraints that affect the result. Leave out passwords, unrelated personal information, and full archives that the task does not need. If the work concerns another person, consider whether you have a sound reason to share their information.

Separate facts from preferences. “The meeting is on Friday” is a fact to verify against a source. “Keep the summary under 200 words” is your preference. Label assumptions so they do not quietly become facts.

Try this now

Write a three-sentence introduction using this pattern:

• My role or situation is…
• The one outcome I want is…
• I will consider the result useful when…

Read it as if you knew nothing about your work. Replace an insider term with a short explanation. Remove one detail that will not change the result.

Common mistakes

Giving your whole history. Start with the current job. Add background when a missing detail causes a real misunderstanding.

Saying “use my usual style.” Supply a short example and explain what you like about it. Avoid including someone else's private message unnecessarily.

Treating feedback as model training. On this site, “teaching” means context, examples, instructions, and corrections. Our builder does not fine-tune a model.

Your next dot

With the job in view, decide which information it actually needs. Read Choose the smallest useful set of sources, or put your three sentences into the brief builder.