System Prompts and Personas
Persistent system instructions that define Claude's identity, voice, constraints, and output standards. The difference between "be professional" and a system prompt that specifies banned words and required formats is the difference between generic output and consistently excellent work.
80 minutes
Power users, team leads
Prerequisite: Tier I
Learning Objectives
- Understand the four sections of a system prompt: Identity, Voice, Constraints, Output Standards
- Match a brand voice from writing samples
- Build a system prompt for your organization
- Recognize the difference between content and voice instructions
Session Timing
| Segment | Activity | Time |
|---|---|---|
Opening | System prompt anatomy — from per-message to persistent | 10 min |
Demo | Build a system prompt live to capture a brand voice | 15 min |
Walk-Through | Review four ready-to-customize system prompt templates | 10 min |
Exercise | Groups capture a brand voice and fool other groups | 30 min |
Exercise | Start your own organizational system prompt | 10 min |
Debrief | Specificity is the difference between useful and useless | 5 min |
Demo Data
Download before the session. Run every prompt yourself first so nothing surprises you at the projector.