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Persuasion in three moves
This lesson explains what a prompt framework is and introduces BAB, Before, After, Bridge, as a simple structure for persuasive prompts.
- A prompt framework is a reusable checklist for the request you type into an AI tool. It is usually named with an acronym so the parts are easy to remember and reuse.
- The AI fills gaps with generic guesses. A framework forces you to include the parts that change the answer, such as audience, goal and format.
- Frameworks make prompts repeatable. You fill the same slots each time, save the prompt as a template and share it with colleagues.
- Frameworks are not magic words. The value comes from the detail you put in each part. A quick, simple question can stay short.
- There are well over sixty named frameworks, and most remix the same ingredients: role, task, context, audience, format, constraints and examples.
- BAB works best nested inside a bigger framework, for example inside CO-STAR's Objective, where the overall job is set and BAB shapes the persuasive part.
| Move | What it does | Prompt slot |
|---|---|---|
| Before | Names the reader's problem | Their situation now |
| After | Pictures the better state | What they want instead |
| Bridge | Shows the way there | Your offer or next step |
Do this in your own tools, step by step. Ticks are saved on this device.
What is a prompt framework?
A reusable structure or checklist for the request you type into an AI tool.
What do the three letters in BAB stand for?
Before, After, Bridge.
Where does BAB work best?
Nested inside a bigger framework, for example CO-STAR's Objective.
Adam Welcome to BAB Prompt Framework: Before, After, Bridge. This course is part of Complete AI Training; you'll find the full library at complete A I training dot com. It takes six short chapters.
Paula This part explains what a prompt framework is, then introduces BAB, Before, After, Bridge, a classic copywriting formula that works as a prompt framework for persuasion.
Adam A prompt is simply the request you type into an AI tool such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. A prompt framework is a reusable structure for that request. Think of it as a short checklist of the parts a good prompt contains, usually named with an acronym so it is easy to remember.
Paula Why bother with a checklist. The AI fills in whatever you leave out with generic guesses. A framework makes sure you include the parts that change the answer, such as who it is for, what you want to achieve and the format you need.
Adam Frameworks also make prompts repeatable. You fill the same parts each time, save the prompt as a template and share it with colleagues. They are not magic words. The value comes from the detail you put in each part. A quick, simple question can stay short.
Paula There are well over sixty named frameworks, and most of them remix the same ingredients: role, task, context, audience, format, constraints and examples. This course covers BAB, a fill-in-the-slots framework where each letter stands for one part of your prompt.
Adam BAB stands for Before, After, Bridge. It is a classic copywriting formula used as a prompt framework. It mirrors how people decide. First they recognise the problem, then they picture the better state, then they see the way there.
Paula BAB works best nested inside a bigger framework, for example inside CO-STAR's Objective. CO-STAR sets the overall job, and BAB shapes the persuasive part of it. Here is how the slots look in a real tool.
Adam Now the same idea as a full prompt. A founder wants a pitch email to an investor. Notice how the three moves sit inside the Objective, and the AI answers with a draft that follows them.
Paula So BAB is not a trick. It is a short structure that matches how people decide, and it slots neatly inside a larger framework. In the next part we look closely at Before, the reader's situation, and how to describe it in a prompt.
Adam Your turn. Think of one message you need to send at work this week. Write a prompt for it with three labelled lines: Before, After and Bridge. Then ask the AI for a first draft.
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