Context, Lens, Example, Ask, Rules—the structure that transforms questions into insight.

Your brain has 86 billion neurons. Use a few more when talking to an AI.

Most people treat AI like a Google search with a caffeine addiction. They type half a thought, hit enter, and get mad when it doesn’t write their keynote, solve their marriage, or automate their entire job.

That’s not prompt engineering. That’s wishful typing.

If you want useful output, you need a better input. Enter: CLEAR.

What is CLEAR?

CLEAR is a five-part framework that makes prompting precise, strategic, and human-centered. It helps you shape AI responses the same way great leaders shape their teams: with clarity, tone, direction, and context.

C = Context Set the scene. AI isn’t a mind reader. It’s a context junkie.

Don’t say: “Write a proposal.”

Do say: “I’m pitching a $1.2M product to a CFO who’s skeptical about AI but just approved a $500K Salesforce expansion.”

L = Lens Who should the AI be? A coach? A critic? Your future self? The tone and persona you assign matters.

Try: "Act as a McKinsey consultant who moonlights as a stand-up comic."

Or: "Take the voice of my future, wiser self."

E = End Goal If you don’t know what you want, neither does the machine.

Say: “My goal: a one-page summary that gets buy-in from my board without me sounding like I live in a tech cult.”

A = Assets Feed it fuel. Give the system your raw material.

Say: "Use this outline and my old deck as inspiration."

Or: "Here’s the company mission. Use their language."

R = Rules Set boundaries. Define the tone, format, and desired behavior.

Try: "Make it sound confident but not cocky."