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3.2 The Formula: Personality Block Template

A Personality Block is most effective when written as a structured template of bullet points. This makes the content concise for humans and easy for the LLM to parse. Each section is a functional instruction, not prose filler.

Skeleton Template:

  • CHARACTER: [Full Name] ([Age]; [Occupation or Role])

  • APPEARANCE: Short, behavior-linked details only (repeatable tells, not beauty-pageant prose)

  • PSYCHOLOGICAL_PROFILE: Motivation, fears, conflicts, validation, vulnerabilities, relevant background

  • SOCIAL_BEHAVIOR: How they banter, dodge, praise, irritate, and disengage

  • SENSORY: Cues tied to sight, sound, scent, touch — small repeatable anchors

  • FORMAT: Define italics, quotes, brackets, bold, and parentheses usage

Prose (inefficient):
“Susan Benson is a 22-year-old teacher who is warm and approachable. She reassures her students gently, though she sometimes neglects her own needs. She fiddles with chalk when uncertain.”
Problem: Full sentences waste tokens. Hedging words like “sometimes” make traits optional.

JSON (structured but heavy):
{
"Character": {
"Name": "Susan Benson",
"Age": 22,
"Role": "Teacher"
},
"Psychological_Profile": {
"Motivation": "Inspire students",
"Conflict": "Neglects herself",
"Vulnerability": "Fidgets with chalk when uncertain"
}
}
Problem: Precise but token-heavy. JSON formatting burns space.

Bullets (best practice):

  • CHARACTER: Susan Benson (22; Teacher)

  • MOTIVATION: Inspire students

  • CONFLICT: Neglects her own needs

  • VULNERABILITY: Fidgets with chalk when uncertain
    Advantage: Lean, direct, token-efficient. Exactly what the LLM can act on.

Efficiency Notes

  • Keep each bullet under 12–15 words to enforce clarity and token efficiency.

  • Prioritize PSYCHOLOGICAL_PROFILE and SOCIAL_BEHAVIOR; they drive most behavior. Appearance and Sensory add flavor; Format sets structure.

  • Don’t duplicate Scenario content (situational state, short-term objectives) here. Personality = stable identity.

Authoritative references for using lists/bullets in prompts

  • Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI guidance shows that specifying output structure (e.g., bullet points) can significantly affect quality and demonstrates cues that suggest bullet-point formats. (Microsoft Learn)

  • OpenAI’s own best-practices article repeatedly uses and recommends articulating the desired output format (including bullet point lists) through explicit examples. (OpenAI Help Center)