Chain-of-Thought

Few-shot Prompting

Providing the model with a small number of input-output examples (shots) in the prompt before asking it to complete a new example. Helps the model understand the desired format, style, or task without fine-tuning.

Zero-shot Prompting

Asking the model to perform a task with no examples — just a description or instruction. Relies on the model's pre-training knowledge. Remarkably capable in modern large models, though few-shot often yields better results for specialized tasks.

Prompt Engineering

The practice of crafting inputs to elicit optimal model outputs. Encompasses techniques like chain-of-thought, few-shot examples, role prompting, structured output instructions, and system prompt design.