In a recent LinkedIn post, Kobi Omenaka explores the critical difference between poorly and effectively briefing AI language models like Claude, arguing that the user’s ability to ask is more often the bottleneck than the AI’s capability.
Omenaka, a proponent of leveraging AI for practical tasks, shared his insights on transforming AI from a potential ‘liability’ into a valuable team asset. He emphasizes that the key lies not in advanced technical skills, but in a fundamental habit of clear communication.
“Claude does exactly what you tell it. So ‘build me a client tracker’ gets you a half broken mess.”
The Art of the Brief: Shifting from Wishes to Jobs
Omenaka highlights a common pitfall: treating AI interactions like vague wishes rather than specific job assignments. He contrasts a generic request for a client tracker with a more detailed brief, illustrating how specificity dramatically improves the AI’s output.
“The properly briefed version always comes out better and only takes a few more moments to write it,” Omenaka explains. “Same tool. The only thing that changed was the brief.” This suggests that the perceived limitations of AI often stem from the inadequacy of the instructions provided.
Habits for Effective AI Collaboration
The core of Omenaka’s advice revolves around adopting a structured approach to prompting. He likens effective AI briefing to hiring a tradesperson, where clear instructions and step-by-step guidance are essential for a successful outcome.
The Power of Iterative Briefing
Omenaka advocates for a process where the AI is given one specific task at a time, with the output reviewed before proceeding to the next instruction. This iterative method ensures clarity and allows for corrections along the way, preventing the AI from generating a flawed result based on initial ambiguity.
Leveraging AI to Improve Prompts
For those struggling to articulate their needs, Omenaka offers a clever hack: use the AI itself to help formulate the prompt. He suggests asking Claude to assist in writing a clear brief.
“Help me write a clear brief for a simple client tracker. lets discuss it’s features and benefits” you then writes the prompt together. The thing that does the job will help you ask for it.”
This meta-approach, Omenaka argues, empowers users by enabling the AI to guide them in defining the request more precisely. It underscores his belief that the most effective AI users are not necessarily the most technically skilled, but those who are most adept at communicating their requirements.
From Liability to Asset
Omenaka concludes by reiterating that the people achieving ‘magic’ with AI are those who “brief it like a job, not a wish.” By adopting this disciplined approach, users can unlock the true potential of AI tools, transforming them into indispensable assistants rather than sources of frustration.
His insights, shared as part of his ‘Claude Code 101’ series, aim to demystify AI prompting for everyday users, demonstrating that significant results require clear communication and a structured process, not necessarily advanced coding knowledge.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Kobi Omenaka on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on June 19, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →