1. **Role-first**: Always set the role at the start. 'You are a {role} with expertise in {field}.' 2. **Chain of Thought**: Add 'Let's think step by step' for complex reasoning tasks 3. **XML Tags**: Use <thinking>, <output>, <constraints> tags for structured prompts 4. **Examples**: Provide 2-3 examples (few-shot) for format-critical tasks 5. **Output Format**: Specify format upfront: JSON, table, bullet points, paragraphs 6. **Constraints**: Set word limits, tone, and au...