Role
Tell the AI who to be. A role sets the expertise, tone and standards it should use.
ExampleYou are a product designer building a lead tool for a CA firm in Chennai.
John's prompting framework
Role. Action. Operational context.
AI builds what you describe. The RAO method makes sure you describe it well, in three parts, every time.
The short answerThe RAO method is a three-part way to write prompts: give the AI a Role (who to be), an Action (exactly what to do) and the Operational context (users, rules, limits and format). It turns vague requests into clear briefs, so AI tools give you usable results the first time more often.
Action
Say exactly what to do, with a clear, checkable outcome. One main action per prompt.
ExampleBuild a 6-question GST readiness check that scores the visitor out of 100 and shows their top 3 gaps.
Operational context
Give the facts it can’t guess: who the users are, rules, limits, format, tone and what to avoid.
ExampleVisitors are small business owners on their phones. Plain English. Ask for name and WhatsApp number before the full result, with a consent line.
Before and after
The same request, with and without RAO.
Before
“Make a GST quiz for my website.”
The AI has to guess who it’s for, how many questions, what the result looks like and what you want to receive. You’ll spend the next hour correcting it.
After
You are a product designer building a lead tool for a CA firm in Chennai.
Build a 6-question GST readiness check that scores the visitor out of 100 and shows their top 3 gaps.
Visitors are small business owners on their phones. Plain English. Ask for name and WhatsApp number before the full result, with a consent line.
Clear role, a checkable outcome and the facts it needs. The first version is close, and changes are small.
Tips for using RAO
- One main action per prompt. Build, then refine. Don’t ask for ten things at once.
- Put the hard facts in the context. Prices, rules, legal lines and limits: AI can’t guess these.
- Say what to avoid. “Do not collect symptoms or medical history” is as useful as what to include.
- Refine with RAO too. “As the same designer (R), shorten every question to under 10 words (A); visitors are on phones (O).”
- Check the result yourself. RAO improves the first draft. You still test it like a customer would.
See RAO prompts for 13 business tools by industry, or watch it used live in the 3-Day Business Tools Workshop.
Start this week. 3 evenings, 1 hour each.
Watch a working business tool being built live, from a blank screen, and plan one for your own business. ₹99 for all 3 evenings.