Level 1 Skills: Prompt Enhancement Techniques

Every journey begins with a single step. In the world of AI skills, that step is Level 1: prompt enhancement. These skills require no complex tooling, no multi-agent coordination, no elaborate workflows. They simply take text in and produce enhanced text out, guided by well-crafted prompts.

Despite their simplicity, Level 1 skills deliver real value. They can transform tone from casual to professional, adapt style for different audiences, adjust vocabulary for clarity, and ensure consistency across content. These are the skills you can build today and use immediately.

In this guide, we will explore Level 1 prompt enhancement skills in depth—what they are, how to build them, and how to maximize their impact with minimal complexity.

Understanding Level 1 Skills

Level 1 skills are the foundation of the skill complexity hierarchy:

Core Characteristics

Level 1 skills share defining traits:

Pure Text Transformation: Input text goes in, enhanced text comes out. No external tools, no file access, no API calls.

Prompt-Driven: The skill's behavior is entirely defined by its prompt. No code execution required.

Fast Execution: Without tool overhead, these skills complete in seconds.

Easy to Build: Anyone can create a Level 1 skill with basic prompt engineering.

Low Risk: No system access means minimal potential for unintended consequences.

What Level 1 Skills Do

Prompt enhancement covers several types of transformations:

Tone Adjustment: Formal, casual, friendly, authoritative, empathetic Style Adaptation: Technical, conversational, academic, marketing Vocabulary Tuning: Simple, sophisticated, industry-specific Format Standardization: Consistent structure and formatting Audience Targeting: Expert, beginner, executive, consumer Language Refinement: Clarity, conciseness, flow

What Level 1 Skills Cannot Do

These skills have clear limitations:

• Cannot access files or external data
• Cannot execute code or commands
• Cannot make API calls
• Cannot remember previous interactions
• Cannot perform complex reasoning chains
• Cannot coordinate with other skills

For these capabilities, you need Level 2 and above.

Building Level 1 Skills

Let us explore how to create effective prompt enhancement skills.

Basic Structure

A Level 1 skill needs minimal structure:

---
name: tone-adjuster
description: Adjusts text tone to specified style
version: 1.0.0
---

# Tone Adjuster

Transform the tone of any text to match the requested style while preserving meaning.

## Input
- Text to transform
- Target tone (formal, casual, friendly, etc.)

## Processing
1. Identify current tone
2. Preserve key information and meaning
3. Rewrite with target tone
4. Maintain appropriate length

## Output
Transformed text in the requested tone.

The Enhancement Prompt

The core of a Level 1 skill is its prompt. Here is a template:

## Enhancement Instructions

You are a text transformation specialist. Your task is to [specific enhancement].

### What to Do
- [Specific instruction 1]
- [Specific instruction 2]
- [Specific instruction 3]

### What to Preserve
- Original meaning and facts
- Key information and structure
- [Other preservation requirements]

### What to Avoid
- Changing the subject matter
- Adding information not in the original
- [Other avoidance rules]

### Examples

Original: [example input]
Enhanced: [example output]

Original: [another example]
Enhanced: [another output]

Quality Guidelines

For effective Level 1 skills:

## Quality Standards

### Clarity
- Instructions are unambiguous
- One clear task per skill
- Examples demonstrate expected behavior

### Consistency
- Same input produces similar output each time
- Rules are applied uniformly
- Edge cases are addressed

### Preservation
- Original meaning is never lost
- Factual content remains accurate
- Structure is maintained unless explicitly changed

Common Level 1 Skill Types

Let us examine specific types of prompt enhancement skills.

Tone Transformation Skills

Adjust the emotional and professional quality of text.

---
name: professional-tone
description: Transforms casual text into professional tone
version: 1.0.0
---

# Professional Tone Transformer

Transform casual or informal text into professional, business-appropriate language.

## Transformation Rules

### Replace
- "hey" → appropriate greeting
- "gonna" → "going to"
- "wanna" → "want to"
- "kinda" → "somewhat" or "rather"
- "stuff" → specific noun or "materials"
- "thing" → specific noun or "matter"

### Add
- Appropriate salutations for messages
- Transitional phrases between ideas
- Formal closings where appropriate

### Remove
- Excessive exclamation marks
- Slang and colloquialisms
- Overly casual interjections ("like", "you know")

### Preserve
- Core message and intent
- All factual information
- Appropriate length (expand slightly if needed for clarity)

## Examples

**Input:**
Hey! So I was thinking we should prob meet up to talk about that stuff for the project. Wanna grab coffee tmrw?

**Output:**
Hello,

I would like to schedule a meeting to discuss the project materials. Would tomorrow work for you? Perhaps we could meet for coffee to go over the details.

Best regards

Audience Adaptation Skills

Adjust content for different reader groups.

---
name: audience-adapter
description: Adapts technical content for specified audience
version: 1.0.0
---

# Audience Adapter

Rewrite content to be appropriate for the target audience's knowledge level.

## Audience Profiles

### Technical Expert
- Use precise technical terminology
- Include implementation details
- Reference specifications and standards
- Assume deep domain knowledge

### Business Professional
- Focus on outcomes and value
- Minimize technical jargon
- Emphasize ROI and efficiency
- Use business-relevant examples

### General Consumer
- Use everyday language
- Explain concepts with analogies
- Focus on benefits over features
- Keep sentences short and clear

### Complete Beginner
- Define all technical terms
- Use step-by-step explanations
- Include visual descriptions
- Avoid assumptions about prior knowledge

## Adaptation Process

1. Identify target audience from input
2. Assess current content complexity
3. Map terminology to audience-appropriate level
4. Adjust explanation depth
5. Modify examples for relevance

## Example: Technical to Consumer

**Technical:**
The API implements OAuth 2.0 with PKCE flow, enabling secure token exchange without exposing client secrets. Rate limiting is enforced at 100 req/min with exponential backoff.

**Consumer:**
Our secure login system protects your account information when you sign in. To keep the service fast for everyone, we limit how quickly the app can make requests—but you will not notice this during normal use.

Style Enforcement Skills

Ensure content matches specific style guidelines.

---
name: style-enforcer
description: Enforces specific writing style guide rules
version: 1.0.0
---

# Style Enforcer

Apply style guide rules to ensure consistent writing.

## Style Rules

### Sentence Structure
- Maximum sentence length: 25 words
- Prefer active voice
- Start with the subject, not a dependent clause
- One idea per sentence

### Word Choice
- Use "use" not "utilize"
- Use "help" not "facilitate"
- Use "start" not "commence"
- Use "end" not "terminate"
- Use "buy" not "purchase"

### Formatting
- Use serial comma (Oxford comma)
- Spell out numbers one through nine
- Use % symbol, not "percent"
- Use AM/PM, not a.m./p.m.

### Banned Phrases
- "In order to" → "To"
- "Due to the fact that" → "Because"
- "At this point in time" → "Now"
- "On a daily basis" → "Daily"
- "Leverage" (as a verb) → "Use"

### Enforcement Process
1. Identify violations of rules
2. Apply corrections
3. Verify meaning preserved
4. Check readability improved

## Example

**Before:**
In order to leverage our new platform on a daily basis, you will need to utilize the setup wizard to commence configuration. Due to the fact that the process is straightforward, most users can complete it in approximately fifteen minutes.

**After:**
To use our new platform daily, start the setup wizard to begin configuration. Because the process is straightforward, most users can complete it in about 15 minutes.

Vocabulary Enhancement Skills

Adjust the complexity or specificity of language.

---
name: vocabulary-simplifier
description: Simplifies complex vocabulary to plain language
version: 1.0.0
---

# Vocabulary Simplifier

Replace complex words with simpler alternatives while preserving meaning.

## Simplification Rules

### General Replacements
- "ameliorate" → "improve"
- "cognizant" → "aware"
- "commenced" → "started"
- "endeavor" → "try"
- "facilitate" → "help"
- "implement" → "do" or "use"
- "methodology" → "method"
- "optimize" → "improve"
- "paradigm" → "model" or "example"
- "ubiquitous" → "everywhere"

### Context-Aware Replacements
Keep technical terms when:
- Writing for technical audiences
- Term has no simple equivalent
- Precision is essential

### Length Consideration
- Multi-syllable words → shorter alternatives
- Noun phrases → single words when possible
- Passive constructions → active when simpler

## Reading Level Target
- Aim for 8th grade reading level
- Maximum 2-syllable average per word
- Flesch-Kincaid score above 60

## Example

**Complex:**
The implementation of the aforementioned methodology will facilitate the amelioration of user engagement metrics, notwithstanding the inherent complexities associated with paradigmatic shifts in organizational behavior.

**Simple:**
Using this method will help improve how users interact with the product, even though changing how the organization works can be challenging.

Emotional Tone Skills

Adjust the emotional quality of text.

---
name: empathy-enhancer
description: Adds empathetic tone to messages
version: 1.0.0
---

# Empathy Enhancer

Transform neutral or cold messages into warm, empathetic communications.

## Empathy Techniques

### Acknowledgment
- Recognize feelings and situations
- Validate concerns before addressing them
- Show understanding of the other perspective

### Language Softeners
- "I understand" / "I hear you"
- "It makes sense that you feel..."
- "Thank you for sharing..."
- "I appreciate your patience..."

### Constructive Framing
- Focus on solutions, not just problems
- Offer help, not just information
- Use "we" to create partnership feeling

### Avoid
- Dismissive language
- Corporate jargon
- Blame or defensiveness
- Rushing to solutions without acknowledgment

## Transformation Process
1. Identify the emotional context
2. Add appropriate acknowledgment
3. Soften directive language
4. Maintain helpful content
5. Close with warmth

## Example

**Cold:**
Your request cannot be processed because you did not include the required documentation. Submit the correct forms and we will review again.

**Empathetic:**
Thank you for reaching out. I understand you are eager to move forward with your request, and I want to help make that happen.

I noticed that some documentation is still needed to complete the process. Once you are able to submit those forms, I will personally ensure your request gets prompt attention.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions—I am here to help.

Advanced Level 1 Techniques

Even simple skills can be sophisticated.

Multi-Aspect Enhancement

Address multiple enhancement goals simultaneously:

---
name: comprehensive-enhancer
description: Applies multiple enhancements in one pass
version: 1.0.0
---

# Comprehensive Text Enhancer

Apply multiple enhancement rules in priority order.

## Enhancement Stack

### Priority 1: Correctness
- Fix grammar errors
- Correct spelling
- Fix punctuation

### Priority 2: Clarity
- Simplify complex sentences
- Replace jargon with plain language
- Add missing context

### Priority 3: Tone
- Match specified tone
- Ensure consistent voice
- Appropriate formality level

### Priority 4: Polish
- Improve flow
- Eliminate redundancy
- Strengthen word choices

## Application Order
Higher priority enhancements first. Never let polish changes introduce clarity issues. Never let tone changes introduce correctness issues.

Conditional Enhancement

Apply different rules based on content:

---
name: adaptive-enhancer
description: Adapts enhancement based on content type
version: 1.0.0
---

# Adaptive Text Enhancer

Detect content type and apply appropriate enhancement.

## Content Detection

### Email
Indicators: greeting, salutation, "Dear", "Hi"
Enhancements: professional tone, clear action items

### Documentation
Indicators: headers, bullet points, code references
Enhancements: clarity, consistency, scannability

### Marketing
Indicators: calls to action, benefit statements
Enhancements: engagement, clarity, action orientation

### Technical
Indicators: code, specifications, technical terms
Enhancements: precision, completeness, examples

## Default
If type unclear, apply general clarity and tone enhancement.

Preservation Guarantees

Ensure critical elements are never changed:

## Preservation Rules

### Always Preserve
- Proper nouns (names, companies, products)
- Numbers and statistics
- Dates and times
- Technical identifiers (IDs, codes, URLs)
- Quoted material
- Legal language marked as such

### Preservation Verification
After enhancement, verify:
- All proper nouns match original
- All numbers unchanged
- All quotes intact
- No factual alterations

Testing Level 1 Skills

Simple skills still need testing.

Test Categories

## Test Suite

### Basic Function Tests
- Input is enhanced as expected
- Output differs appropriately from input
- Core meaning preserved

### Edge Case Tests
- Very short input (one word)
- Very long input (multiple paragraphs)
- Already-enhanced input
- Mixed content types

### Preservation Tests
- Names unchanged
- Numbers unchanged
- Quotes unchanged
- Technical terms appropriate

### Consistency Tests
- Similar inputs produce similar outputs
- No random variations
- Style applied uniformly

Evaluation Criteria

## Evaluation

### Accuracy
Is the enhanced text faithful to original meaning?
Score: 1-5

### Improvement
Is the enhancement noticeable and valuable?
Score: 1-5

### Readability
Is the output easy to read?
Score: 1-5

### Appropriateness
Does it match the requested transformation?
Score: 1-5

When to Graduate to Level 2

Level 1 skills are powerful but limited. Consider Level 2 when you need:

• Templates: Structured output formats
• Placeholders: Dynamic content insertion
• External data: Information beyond the input text
• Multi-step processing: Sequential transformations

Level 1 is the foundation. Master it, and you will have the skills to build effectively at higher levels.

Conclusion

Level 1 prompt enhancement skills are the gateway to AI skill development. They require minimal infrastructure, deliver immediate value, and teach core principles that apply at every complexity level.

Key principles for effective Level 1 skills:

1. Single purpose: One clear enhancement per skill
2. Clear instructions: Unambiguous transformation rules
3. Good examples: Show before and after
4. Preservation rules: Protect critical content
5. Quality focus: Better output every time

Start by building skills that solve your immediate needs. Need professional emails? Build a professional tone skill. Struggle with verbose writing? Build a conciseness skill. Have a style guide to enforce? Build a style enforcer.

Every skill you build at Level 1 is a building block for more complex skills later. And sometimes, the simplest skill is exactly what you need.