The Act-Explain-Please Framework
Master the three-part structure that turns vague requests into precise, powerful prompts. Build your own AEP prompts and see before/after transformations.
AEP Prompt Builder
Fill in each section to assemble a well-structured prompt. Use the quick-fill examples below, or write your own.
Before/After Comparator
See how the AEP framework transforms vague, one-line prompts into structured requests that consistently produce better results.
Email Writing
Write me an email to my boss about the project
Act as a professional communications coach. I need to email my department head about a project that's 2 weeks behind schedule due to a vendor delay — the relationship is good but she values directness. Please draft a concise email that acknowledges the delay, explains the cause without blame-shifting, and proposes a revised timeline with mitigation steps.
Data Analysis
Analyse this sales data
Act as a senior business analyst with expertise in retail analytics. I have quarterly sales data for 12 product categories across 3 regions (CSV attached). Q3 showed a 15% decline in our top category. Please identify the top 3 contributing factors, compare performance against the same quarter last year, and present findings as bullet points with specific percentages.
Learning
Explain machine learning
Act as a patient computer science tutor who specialises in making complex topics accessible. I'm a business manager with no coding background but I need to evaluate ML vendors for our customer churn prediction project. Please explain the 3 main types of machine learning with one real-world business example each, avoiding jargon — if you must use a technical term, define it in parentheses.
Creative
Write a blog post about AI
Act as a tech journalist who writes for a non-technical audience, in the style of clear, engaging long-form articles. I run a small marketing agency and want to publish a thought leadership piece on our company blog. Our audience is SMB owners who are curious but cautious about AI. Please write a 1,200-word blog post titled '5 Ways AI Is Already Saving Small Businesses 10+ Hours Per Week' with specific, verifiable examples and a conversational tone.
The AEP framework is a starting point, not a rigid formula. As you develop your prompting skills, you'll learn when to emphasise certain components, when to add constraints, and when a simple prompt is all you need. The key insight is that AI performs dramatically better when it knows who to be, what it's working with, and exactly what you want.
AEP works in Chinese too
The framework doesn't depend on the language. Many people find it fastest to think in Chinese and still get excellent results. Here is the same structure written in Chinese:
Act 扮演 你是一家上海科技公司的资深市场经理。
Explain 说明 我们即将推出一款面向中小企业的项目管理工具，目标用户是工作繁忙的团队负责人。
Please 请 请写3篇微信公众号推文，每篇不超过500字，突出我们的核心差异化优势。
In English: Act as a senior marketing manager at a Shanghai tech company. We're about to launch a project-management tool for small businesses, aimed at busy team leaders. Please write 3 WeChat Official Account posts, each under 500 characters, highlighting what makes us different.