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Brainstorm club event ideas that fit your rules

Practice: Setting limits and rules. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

You're planning spring events for the Environmental Club. You want exactly 5 numbered ideas, each one sentence, under 110 words in total, in plain text, with nothing else. Every idea must fit the club's limits in your meeting notes (budget, location, campus rules), be hands-on rather than sit-and-watch, and not repeat an event the club already held this year.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Asking for "some ideas". The AI returns 10 to 15 ideas with headings, which is more to sort through, not less. Try: Be exact: "exactly 5 numbered ideas, one sentence each."
  • Not giving your limits. The AI brainstorms freely, so field trips, big speakers, and party ideas come back. Try: List them: "On campus only, under $150, no alcohol."
  • Getting your old events back. The AI doesn't know what you've already done, and cleanups and movie nights are its favorite ideas. Try: Add: "Don't repeat a cleanup, documentary night or thrift swap. Hands-on only."
  • Extra chatter. AI wraps lists in an intro and a "Want me to plan one?" closing. Try: Say: "Output only the 5 ideas."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands 10-20% over. Try: Cap each part instead: "each line under 15 words."
  • Bold idea names. AI bolds a title for each idea, which shows up as asterisks when you paste it into the group chat. Try: Ask for "plain text, no bold."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Says how many ideas
  • Gives the limits
  • Rules out repeats
  • Asks for hands-on
  • Limits length

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