I took Google’s 9-hour prompt engineering course: Here’s everything I learned in under 10 minutes

By | April 11, 2025

Mastering the Art of Talking to AI: A Deep Dive into Google’s Prompting Essentials Course

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a part of our daily routines. Ever since tools like ChatGPT hit the mainstream, we’ve witnessed an explosion of generative AI apps. From helping us draft documents and design visuals to answering tough questions in seconds, these tools have reshaped how we work, think, and create. But to get the best out of AI, how we communicate with it matters just as much as what we’re asking.

That’s where prompting comes in. Prompting is simply the way we ask AI to do something—how we give it direction. It’s like talking to a smart assistant, except that the better you ask, the better the answer. Recently, I explored Google’s “Prompting Essentials” course, a nine-hour program that digs deep into this very concept.

Here’s my take on the course, broken down into the core lessons, hands-on strategies, and why it’s worth your time.

A Peek Into the Course Design

The course is structured into four practical modules:

  1. Crafting Effective Prompts
  2. Using AI for Daily Professional Tasks
  3. Leveraging AI for Data and Presentations
  4. Partnering With AI Creatively and Intelligently

Each module builds on the previous one, helping you go from beginner to proficient prompt designer. The course doesn’t bombard you with jargon; it slowly introduces advanced methods, making learning smooth and engaging.

The Foundation: Writing Better Prompts

One of the first lessons introduces a powerful prompting framework: Task, Context, References, Evaluate, and Iterate. It’s a five-step approach designed to make your interaction with AI as clear and efficient as possible.

  • Task – What exactly do you want AI to do?
  • Context – Any background information the AI should know?
  • References – Examples, formats, or related content to guide the response.
  • Evaluate – Review the AI’s output and decide if it’s useful.
  • Iterate – Tweak your prompt if the result isn’t satisfactory.

Google wraps this concept in a fun mnemonic: “Thoughtfully Create Really Excellent Inputs”—because good output starts with great input.

From my own experience, I found that the first prompt rarely nails it. Most often, the magic happens in the edits and refinements, which the course encourages.

Smart Prompts for Daily Work

In the second module, the course shifts to real-life examples—like how AI can save time during routine office work. Whether you’re drafting emails, creating newsletters, or summarizing long reports, using prompts strategically can cut your time in half.

Imagine you need to inform your gym members that a class time has changed. Instead of spending 15 minutes thinking about the right tone and words, just prompt:
“Write a friendly email letting gym members know the MWF cardio class has moved from 7 AM to 6 AM.”

You can also specify style and tone:
“Make it sound casual, as if explaining it to a friend.”

Providing sample messages or brand voice references makes your prompt even stronger.

AI: Your Data and Presentation Buddy

Next, the course dives into technical territory—how AI can assist with spreadsheets and presentations. This part is particularly helpful if you’re not a spreadsheet pro.

With the right prompt, you can get AI to analyze sales trends, calculate customer metrics, or summarize rows of data. Once that’s done, you can even ask AI to build a slide outline or highlight trends.

The course strongly reminds users not to input confidential data and to follow data privacy protocols—an essential tip for professionals using AI in a work environment.

Advanced Prompting Techniques

By module four, the course introduces more complex prompting strategies such as:

  • Prompt Chaining – Using the output of one prompt as the input for the next. For instance, you might generate summaries of a product, use those to create slogans, and then develop a full marketing plan.
  • Chain of Thought Prompting – Encouraging the AI to reason step-by-step. Ideal for math problems or logical planning.
  • Tree of Thought Prompting – Asking the AI to brainstorm multiple directions at once. This mimics group ideation, helping you weigh different options.

A cool bonus technique is Meta Prompting—using AI to help craft better prompts. It’s like asking the assistant to coach you on how to ask it questions better.

Multimodal Prompting: The New Frontier

Generative AI has moved beyond text. Tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini can now process images, audio, and even video. That opens new doors.

Want to write an Instagram caption for your new nail art design? Just upload the photo and say, “Write a fun caption for this nail art promoting our summer collection.”

You can also feed in music clips, charts, or screenshots and ask the AI to create presentations, summaries, or branding ideas. And yes, the five-step prompting framework still applies—just adjust it to suit the input type.

Create Your Own AI Agent

A surprising feature in the course is the ability to build custom AI agents—essentially digital personas that can assist you based on specific roles. Google introduces concepts like:

  • Agent SIM for role-play training and practice
  • Agent X for feedback and critique

Creating these involves five steps: define the agent’s persona, give it background context, set interaction types, specify when to end the session, and ask for summaries.

I created one called Comma Chameleon—an AI buddy that helps with proofreading, improving clarity, and brainstorming content ideas.

Final Thoughts: Ethics and Certification

The course closes with a Responsible AI checklist. It emphasizes transparency—always inform others when you use AI in your work. Also, avoid sharing personal or sensitive data and never fully rely on AI-generated output without human review.

The course is offered in partnership with Coursera, and upon completion, you receive a shareable certificate—something that can boost your LinkedIn profile or resume.

Why You Should Take It

In a world where AI tools are becoming essential, knowing how to use them well is no longer optional. Google’s Prompting Essentials doesn’t just teach you how to write better prompts—it empowers you to work smarter, faster, and more creatively.

Whether you’re a student, marketer, coder, or entrepreneur, learning to talk effectively with AI could be the most valuable skill you develop this year.