Beyond Basic Text: Modifying Output Formats in AI Results

🌟 Beyond Basic Text: Modifying Output Formats in AI Results

You made it! You have learned to use AI to help you generate content - and lots of it. But then you find yourself copying and pasting the text into Word or Google Docs and now have to go through and format it. I thought this was supposed to save us time? 🧐

The solution: Instruct AI to produce your results in markdown text, a lightweight markup language that makes formatting text simple and efficient. In this edition, we'll explore how to instruct AI to generate markdown text and convert it using Dillinger.io to formats compatible with Word, Google Docs, and more.

Why Markdown?

Markdown is a straightforward way to format text without the complexity of traditional word processors. It uses plain text syntax, which means you can focus on content without getting bogged down in formatting issues. For HR professionals, this means creating structured documents quickly and efficiently.

Here's a quick overview of basic markdown syntax:

Don’t worry - you do not have to learn the syntax. Your goal is to instruct the AI to produce your document in this format. The easiest way to do that is to include this snippet in your prompt:

By including that snippet in your prompt, the AI will create your results following the markdown guidelines.

Converting Markdown to Your Format

Once you've generated your markdown text, you can easily convert it to other formats using Dillinger.io. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Copy your markdown text generated by AI.

2. Paste it into Dillinger.io, a web-based markdown editor.

3. Convert and Copy: Dillinger has two windows: one where you copy the markdown into, and it then displays the converted text in the preview window on the right. You can quickly copy the text from the preview window and paste into your favorite tool like Word or Google Docs.

4. Convert and Export: Dillinger also allows you to export your markdown text to various formats like HTML, PDF, and more, which can then be imported into Word or Google Docs.

Here is an example of what it looks like:

Isn’t that great? You now have a formatted document that you can copy/paste into your favorite document editor, then edit the content and update the formatting quickly and easily.

And even better: Dillinger.io is completely free. It is an open source project run by a group of people who donate their time to the project.

Takeaways:

1. Understanding Markdown Syntax: Familiarize yourself with basic markdown elements to streamline document creation.

2. Use AI for Document Generation: Learn how to craft prompts that instruct AI to efficiently produce formatted text that you can use right away.

3. Converting and Sharing Documents: Use tools like Dillinger.io to convert markdown into various formats for broader usability.

Once you begin to use markdown, you won’t go back to plain text when you want a document that is formatted. 🏆

📄 Prompt of the Week

Here's a prompt to help you coach an employee:

ROLE:

Act as a highly-experienced professional coach.

REQUEST:

Please provide a detailed plan to help me coach an employee on improving their work performance based on the competency of [competency].

INSTRUCTION:

This plan will include:

1.) examples of why being good at this competency achieves stronger outcomes;

2.) examples of other roles that are known to do this competency well;

3.) skills or capabilities that can be developed by the employee to help improve this competency;

4.) at least 4 examples of on-the-job activities that the employee can undertake to develop this competency;

5.) a bullet-point list of the success criteria of what being good at this competency looks like, including how to measure that success

OUTPUT FORMAT:

The output results will be a markdown-formatted document

See how this prompt will change the way you provide coaching to employees, and get results that are formatted to use in your favorite document editor.

Want to learn more about building great prompts? Paul publishes a Prompt a Day newsletter on LinkedIn!

Click Here to subscribe and get a daily idea of how to create powerful and effective prompts across a variety of topics, both personal and professional.

📱 Other AI News

Here is an AI topic we found interesting. Click on the heading to read the full article.

🦾 Figure 02 - The Next Evolution in Humanoid Robotics

Figure, a company backed by OpenAI among others to the tune of $675 million in its last round in February, published a trailer video for its newest model: Figure 02, along with the date of August 6, 2024.

Figure AI completed the humanoid’s full-scale build in just six months. Founder Brett Adcock envisions the robots enhancing productivity and safety by taking on unsafe and undesirable jobs, ultimately contributing to a more automated and efficient future, while maintaining that they will never be weaponized. 🤖