Prompting Myra
Voice prompting is fundamentally different from chat prompting. What works in ChatGPT produces robotic, broken conversations when spoken aloud. This guide covers the rules that separate a natural voice agent from a frustrating one.
How voice prompting differs from chat
All output is spoken aloud. **Bold** is read as 'asterisk asterisk bold asterisk asterisk'. Lists become run-on sentences. Never use markdown in voice prompts.
Your options are: - Option A - Option B - Option C
You can choose Option A, Option B, or Option C. Which would you prefer?
Callers lose the thread after 3�4 sentences. They also interrupt. Limit Myra to one or two sentences per turn.
Thank you for calling. I can help you with reservations, menu enquiries, delivery orders, table bookings, catering requests, and general questions about our restaurant. What would you like assistance with today?
Namaste! I can help with bookings and menu questions. What do you need?
Callers answer only the last question they hear. Ask one thing at a time.
What date did you want, and how many guests, and do you have any dietary restrictions?
What date would work for you?
Callers switch languages mid-call. Myra needs explicit instructions to follow them.
(no language instruction � Myra defaults to English even when caller speaks Hindi)
Speak in the caller's language. If they mix Hindi and English, reply naturally in the same style.
Filler phrases sound hollow when spoken. They add latency with no value. Skip them.
Certainly! That's a great question. I'd be happy to help you with that.
The restaurant opens at 12pm daily.
Prompt structure
A good Myra prompt has six sections. Each does a specific job. Shorter is better � an 8-line prompt often outperforms a 50-line one.
Complete prompt example
A restaurant agent � all six sections combined into one concise prompt under 20 lines.
Tips for Indian-language calls
Name the languages explicitly
Don't write 'speak naturally' � write 'speak Hindi or English to match the caller'.
Allow Hinglish
Include 'If callers mix Hindi and English in one sentence, reply in the same natural style.'
Spell out local terms in the prompt
If your business has a Hindi name or uses local terms (e.g. 'thali', 'dal makhani', locality names), include them in the prompt so the model knows the correct word.
Add critical words as Custom Keywords
Business names, product names, and locality names mispronounced by the transcriber should be added as Custom Keywords � separate from the prompt.
Test with a Hinglish speaker
Your test calls should include code-switching. If only English testers test the agent, you will miss a significant portion of real caller behaviour.
Related pages
System Prompt
Where to enter the system prompt and how the dashboard's Generate Prompt feature works.
Testing & Observability
Test your prompts with web calls and read transcripts to catch issues.
Indian Language Support
Which transcribers work best for Hindi, Tamil, Hinglish, and code-switching.
Best Practices
Broader guidance on Myra agent quality � tools, review, and prompt tuning.