Twelve prompts worth printing.

Inside the fuel door, or on the visor

I am in a [year make model] and a warning light just came on. Ask me what the symbol looks like, then tell me what it means, whether it is safe to keep driving, and what to do next. Be direct about anything that means pull over now.

Why it works. Safety questions need the urgent answer first and the explanation second. Most troubleshooting prompts get that backwards.

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Beside the wall label

I am standing in front of [work, artist, year]. Tell me what to actually look at in it that I would otherwise walk past, what was happening around the artist when they made it, and one thing about it that art historians disagree on. Three short paragraphs.

Why it works. The disagreement question is what makes it worth scanning. The wall label already told them the safe version.

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Booth backdrop and the handout

I just walked past a booth for [company], who do [one line on what you do]. Explain in plain language what problem they solve and who they solve it for, then give me three sharp questions I should go back and ask them.

Why it works. Counter-intuitive and the best one in the set. Arming a prospect with good questions brings them back to the booth, and they arrive qualified.

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Back of the lanyard badge

I am at [event] and I just met someone who works in [field] at [company type]. Give me three things worth asking them that are not small talk, and one thing happening in their industry right now that I should know before I open my mouth.

Why it works. Locked is the right setting for this one. A badge is photographed by strangers all day, and the code should only work for people who were handed the key at the door.

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On the upright of a cable row machine

I am standing at a seated cable row machine at the gym and I have not used one before. Give me the setup in three short steps, the one mistake beginners make with this machine, and a sensible starting weight for someone who is new to it. Keep it under 150 words, I am reading this standing up.

Why it works. Names the exact machine, gives the model the situation it cannot see, and caps the length. A beginner at a machine has about twenty seconds of patience.

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Corner of the menu, or a table tent

I am looking at a menu with these dishes: [list your dishes here, with prices]. I want something [ask me what I am in the mood for]. Ask me two quick questions about what I feel like eating, then recommend one dish and say why in two sentences.

Why it works. The only recipe here that makes the model ask first. A menu recommendation with no idea what the person wants is a coin flip, and the two questions cost four seconds.

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Stake in the pot

I just bought a fiddle leaf fig. Tell me exactly where to put it in a normal home, how often to water it, and the first three signs that I am getting it wrong, with what each sign means. Assume I have killed a plant before.

Why it works. 'Assume I have killed a plant before' sets the level in six words. Diagnostic signs beat a care schedule, because people do not look anything up until it looks sick.

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Card on the desk

I am staying at [hotel] in [neighbourhood, city]. Tell me three places to eat within a ten minute walk at different price points, what the neighbourhood is actually like at night, and one thing worth seeing nearby that is not in the guidebooks.

Why it works. This replaces the binder in the drawer, which is always four years out of date. Anchor it to the neighbourhood, not the city, or you get the airport guidebook.

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On the control panel

I am standing at a [machine make and model] and something is wrong with it. Ask me what it is doing, then work through the likely causes with me one at a time, starting with the things I can check without tools. Tell me clearly when I have reached the point where I should stop and call a technician.

Why it works. The stop condition is not politeness, it is liability. A troubleshooting prompt with no floor eventually talks somebody into opening a panel they should not open.

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Rider on the yard sign

I am standing outside a house for sale at [address], listed at [price], [beds] bed and [baths] bath, built in [year]. Tell me what that price per square foot says compared to the neighbourhood, what questions I should ask about a house of that age, and what to look at while I am standing here.

Why it works. A sign can hold six facts. The buyer's real question is 'is this a good price and what am I not seeing', and that is a question the agent cannot answer neutrally.

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Neck tag or back label

I am holding a bottle of 2021 Argentinian Malbec from Mendoza. Suggest three dishes that go with it, one of which should be something I probably already have at home. Then tell me in one sentence what to expect when I taste it, without wine jargon.

Why it works. The 'something I already have at home' clause is the whole recipe. It turns a generic pairing list into something the person can act on tonight.

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Back of the box, under the barcode

I just opened a [product name] and I want to get it working without reading the manual. Walk me through first-time setup in five steps or fewer. Then tell me the one setting most people get wrong and should change before they start.

Why it works. Replaces the leaflet nobody reads. The second question is where the value is: it is the thing your support team answers forty times a week.

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