Force the answer into a decision matrix
Rung 2 of 10 · Comparison matrix
1 · Learn the move · Comparison matrix
A wall of prose hides the trade-off; a matrix exposes it. The skill is naming the exact rows and columns you want so AI lays options side by side on the same criteria — one row each — instead of three paragraphs you have to mentally transpose. You get a table you can hand a client and actually decide from, with the gaps marked instead of guessed.
Compare these options in one table: one row per option, these columns: [criteria]. Use only the facts I give; mark anything missing UNKNOWN. End with the one-line trade-off. [options]
2 · Your turn — you write the prompt
Your seller has three offers and keeps asking 'which is really better?' over the phone. Write a prompt that turns them into one comparison matrix — price, terms, contingencies, risk — so the choice is legible at a glance.
Remember: the AI sees only your prompt — not this page. If the situation isn't in your prompt, it doesn't exist.
Optional — these shape the output when you run your prompt below, not your score.