Google Gemini – AI Prompts Work

Google Gemini Prompting Frameworks

Google Gemini can help you write emails, summarise documents, organise information, prepare reports, brainstorm ideas and complete everyday administrative tasks. However, the quality of its responses depends partly on how clearly you explain what you need.

Google publishes several approaches to effective prompting. These include a four-element framework, a five-element structure that adds references, and a separate five-step process for creating, evaluating and improving prompts.

This guide explains all three approaches, provides practical examples and links to Google’s official guidance.

Important: The framework elements and their names come from Google’s published guidance. Explanations, comparison tables and practical examples have been prepared by AI Prompts Work for educational purposes.

Framework 1: Persona, Task, Context and Format (PTFC)

Google’s PTFC Framework identifies four elements that help you write an effective prompt. Google documents these in its Gemini Prompt Library and Google Workspace Prompting Guide.

Element	What it means	Example
1. Persona	What expertise should Gemini draw from? Assign a role or area of knowledge relevant to the task.	Act as my professional Executive Assistant.
2. Task	What do you want Gemini to do? Clearly explain the action or result you need.	Prepare an agenda for an upcoming management meeting.
3. Context	What background information, goals or constraints should Gemini consider?	The meeting will cover project progress, outstanding issues and deadlines. It will last 60 minutes.
4. Format	How should Gemini present its response? Specify the structure, length, tone or layout.	Present the agenda in a table with topics, discussion points and allocated times.

Important: Google’s Gemini for Workspace guidance states that you do not need to use all four elements in every prompt. Including relevant elements can help improve the usefulness of the response.

Example Prompt Using All Four Elements

Imagine you are an Executive Assistant preparing an agenda for a management meeting.

The example below uses Markdown headings to separate the elements. This is an organisational choice, not a compulsory requirement of Google’s PTFC Framework.

# PERSONA
Act as my professional Executive Assistant.

# TASK
Prepare an agenda for an upcoming management meeting.

# CONTEXT
- The meeting will last 60 minutes.
- The attendees are department managers.
- Topics include project progress, outstanding issues and upcoming deadlines.
- Allow time for questions and action points.
- Do not invent project updates or decisions.

# FORMAT
Present the agenda in a table with the following columns:
- Agenda Item
- Discussion Points
- Allocated Time

Keep the wording concise and professional.

When Should You Use This Framework?

The PTFC Framework is a useful starting point for everyday AI tasks, particularly when you want to explain what Gemini should do and how you want the answer presented.

For example:

Writing and replying to emails.
Preparing meeting agendas.
Creating checklists and action lists.
Summarising documents or correspondence.
Drafting internal announcements.
Organising information into tables.

Official sources:

Framework 2: Persona, Task, Context, Format and References

Google also publishes a five-element framework called Prompt Like a Pro: 5-Step Framework in its Quick-Start Guide to Google AI.

This approach includes the same four elements as PTFC but adds a fifth element: References.

References are optional and help you show Gemini examples of the type of result you want, rather than relying entirely on written descriptions.

Element	What it means	Example
1. Persona	Which expertise should Gemini draw from?	Act as a professional Executive Assistant and business correspondence writer.
2. Task	What do you want Gemini to help you accomplish?	Write a professional email announcing a change to the meeting schedule.
3. Context	What background information does Gemini need to complete the task?	The meeting has moved from Tuesday at 10:00 AM to Wednesday at 2:00 PM. All attendees must be informed.
4. Format	How should the results appear?	Provide a short, professional, ready-to-send email with a subject line.
5. References (Optional)	What examples can you provide to show Gemini the result you are looking for?	Use my attached example emails to learn my preferred writing style, greetings and tone.

Example Prompt Using All Five Elements

Imagine you need to notify several colleagues about a rescheduled meeting and want Gemini to match your usual writing style.

# PERSONA
Act as my professional Executive Assistant and business correspondence writer.

# TASK
Write an email notifying attendees about a rescheduled meeting.

# CONTEXT
- The original meeting was Tuesday at 10:00 AM.
- The new meeting is Wednesday at 2:00 PM.
- The location remains unchanged.
- All attendees need to be informed.
- Do not invent reasons for the change.

# FORMAT
- Include a subject line.
- Keep the email brief and professional.
- Use a polite, natural tone.
- Provide a complete, ready-to-send email.

# REFERENCES
Use the attached Example Emails document to learn:
- My preferred writing style.
- My usual greetings and sign-offs.
- How I structure short business emails.

Use these as writing examples.
Do not treat previous email details as facts about the current meeting.

Why Are References Useful?

Without examples, Gemini must interpret descriptions such as “professional”, “friendly” or “concise”. These words can mean different things to different people.

Providing examples makes it easier for Gemini to understand the writing style, structure or presentation you are trying to achieve.

For example, rather than simply asking Gemini to write in your usual style, you could attach two or three previous emails and explain that they should be used as examples of your writing style.

Important: In Google’s five-element framework, References specifically means examples of what you are looking for. A document used to supply facts can also be useful, but it should be clearly identified as source information rather than a writing example.

When Should You Use This Framework?

The five-element structure is particularly useful when the output needs to match an existing example or established standard.

For example:

Writing emails in your preferred style.
Preparing documents based on an existing template.
Creating reports that follow previous report layouts.
Writing announcements consistent with company communications.
Creating content based on approved examples.

Source: Google’s Quick-Start Guide to Google AI, under “Prompt Like a Pro: 5-Step Framework”. The original Google-hosted PDF was not accessible at its previous address when this page was prepared. An archived copy of the Google-authored guide is available through a third-party document host. You can also visit the official Grow with Google AI resource hub.

Framework 3: Task, Context, References, Evaluate and Iterate

Google teaches another five-step prompting framework through its official Google Prompting Essentials training programme.

This framework is different from the previous two because it covers the entire prompting process, including what you do after AI produces its answer.

Element	What it means	Example
1. Task	Clearly explain what you want AI to do. You can also specify a persona and desired output format.	Act as my Executive Assistant and create a meeting agenda in table format.
2. Context	Provide the background information and requirements needed to complete the task.	The meeting is a weekly management review covering current projects and deadlines.
3. References	Provide relevant examples or materials that help guide the response.	Use the attached previous agenda as an example of our usual layout.
4. Evaluate	Review Gemini’s response to determine whether it meets your needs and whether important information is accurate.	Check that the agenda includes the correct topics, suitable time allocations and no invented information.
5. Iterate	Improve the result by providing additional instructions, corrections or clarification.	Ask Gemini to reduce the number of agenda items and allow more time for discussion.

Important: Evaluate and Iterate are actions you take as part of the prompting process. They are not necessarily sections you must include in the original prompt.

Example: Following the Five-Step Process

Imagine you need to prepare a meeting agenda. Start by providing the task, context and references.

# TASK
Act as my Executive Assistant.
Prepare a professional agenda for our weekly management meeting.

# CONTEXT
- The meeting will last 60 minutes.
- Topics include project updates, outstanding issues and upcoming deadlines.
- Allow time for questions and action points.
- Do not invent information.

# REFERENCES
Use the attached previous meeting agenda as an example of the layout and structure.

Use the previous agenda as a formatting reference, not as evidence of the current meeting's progress.

Step 4: Evaluate Gemini’s Response

After Gemini produces the agenda, review the output yourself.

Check whether:

The agenda contains the correct meeting topics.
The total allocated time is 60 minutes.
The layout is clear and practical.
Any factual details have been taken from the information provided.
Missing information has not been invented.

Step 5: Iterate and Improve

If the agenda is not quite right, provide a follow-up instruction.

Please revise the agenda.

- Reduce the project updates section to 15 minutes.
- Allow an additional 10 minutes for discussion.
- Keep the total meeting duration at 60 minutes.
- Retain the same table format.
- Do not add any new meeting topics.

Gemini can then produce a revised version based on your feedback.

You can repeat this process until the result meets your requirements. You should still verify the final output before using it.

When Should You Use This Framework?

Google Prompting Essentials is particularly useful when you expect to review and refine the output, rather than accepting the first answer.

For example:

Developing detailed reports.
Preparing important business correspondence.
Reviewing or improving existing documents.
Brainstorming and refining ideas.
Creating presentations and management summaries.
Working on complicated, multi-stage tasks.

Official source: Google Prompting Essentials — Google Career Certificates training programme.

What Is the Difference Between Google’s Frameworks?

All three approaches are published through Google-related official guidance or training materials, but they serve slightly different purposes.

Framework	Elements	Main Purpose
PTFC Framework	Persona, Task, Context, Format	Organising the instructions in an initial prompt.
Prompt Like a Pro	Persona, Task, Context, Format, References	Organising the initial prompt with optional examples of the desired result.
Google Prompting Essentials	Task, Context, References, Evaluate, Iterate	Creating a prompt, checking the result and improving it through further instructions.

Which should you use?

For straightforward tasks, the four-element PTFC Framework is an accessible starting point. The five-element Prompt Like a Pro version is useful when examples can help explain what you want. Google Prompting Essentials is particularly useful when you expect to revise the AI’s response.

These approaches are not mutually exclusive. For example, you could write your initial prompt using Persona, Task, Context, Format and References, then evaluate the response and iterate until it is suitable.

Additional Google Guidance: Gemini Prompt Design Strategies

Google also publishes more technical prompting guidance through its Gemini API documentation. This is primarily intended for developers and people building AI-powered applications.

These recommendations are useful for advanced prompting, but they are not additional elements of the PTFC Framework.

Technique	What it means	Practical Use
Clear and specific instructions	Explain the task precisely and avoid ambiguous wording.	Specify what to include in a meeting summary.
Few-shot examples	Provide examples showing what a successful response should look like.	Supply previous emails as examples of your preferred writing style.
Consistent structure	Organise the prompt using clear sections or delimiters, such as Markdown headings or XML-style tags.	Separate instructions, background information and required output.
Prompt iteration	Improve results by adjusting the instructions and trying again.	Ask Gemini to make an email shorter or more formal.
Explicit output requirements	Describe the required format, level of detail and other output conditions.	Request a table with specified column headings.

Official source: Google AI for Developers — Gemini Prompt Design Strategies.

Google’s Additional Prompting Recommendations

Beyond its frameworks, Google’s Gemini for Workspace documentation recommends several practical habits for improving prompts:

Use natural language: Write your instructions as though you are explaining the task to another person.
Be specific: Clearly describe the action you want Gemini to perform.
Be concise: Avoid unnecessary complexity while keeping the relevant details.
Make it a conversation: Use follow-up instructions to improve the result.
Use your documents: Provide relevant files and information when they help with the task.
Review the output: Check important details for clarity, relevance and accuracy before using them.

Official source: Google Workspace — Prompting Guide 101.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PTFC an official Google prompting framework?

Yes. Google for Nonprofits explicitly refers to the PTFC Framework and defines its four elements as Persona, Task, Context and Format.

Does Google have more than one prompting framework?

Yes. Google publishes different prompting structures through Google Workspace, its Quick-Start Guide to Google AI and Google Prompting Essentials.

The approaches are related, but they should not be presented as identical frameworks.

Do I have to include every element?

No. Google’s Workspace guidance states that all four PTFC elements are not required in every prompt. Choose the information relevant to your task.

What is the difference between Context and References?

Context explains the background, circumstances or requirements of the task.

References provide examples or supporting materials that help Gemini understand what you want.

For example, explaining that a meeting lasts 60 minutes is Context. Attaching an example agenda to demonstrate your preferred layout is a Reference.

Do I have to use Markdown headings?

No. Google’s PTFC Framework does not require Markdown headings.

However, Google also documents Markdown headings and XML-style tags as useful ways to organise more complex prompts, particularly in its Gemini developer documentation.

Does adding References guarantee that Gemini will copy my writing style?

No. References help communicate the desired style and structure, but they do not guarantee an exact match.

Review the output and provide follow-up instructions where improvements are needed.

Is Evaluate the same as asking Gemini to check its own answer?

No. In Google Prompting Essentials, Evaluate means assessing the output to determine whether it meets your needs.

You can ask Gemini to review its response, but your own verification is still important, particularly when dealing with names, dates, figures or business decisions.

Will using these frameworks guarantee accurate answers?

No. A well-structured prompt can improve clarity and relevance, but Gemini may still generate incorrect or incomplete information. Important outputs should be reviewed against reliable sources.

Official Google References

Framework terminology and source material checked against Google’s published documentation and training materials in October 2026. Explanations, comparison tables and example prompts are adapted for educational purposes by AI Prompts Work. Where a Google-authored document is linked through a third-party archive, this is clearly identified.

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