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Dog Training Workshop, and an element of the Dog Science Network
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Prompts
A prompt is an incitation to do something. Therefore, any sort of interaction which you undertake with your dog to create an immediate change in his behavior can be considered to be a prompt. Whether you are expressing your desires to your dog verbally, urging him on with hand signals, or putting your hands on him to move him into position so he can see how it's done - those all can be considered to be prompts.
For example, if you command your dog to sit and then physically move him into position, both the verbilization of the command and the physical actions that you took to ensure compliance can all be considered to be prompts.
Certainly, all commands are a form of prompt, including those given by way of hand signal, but the great majority of prompts come not in the guise of formal commands, but in the form of touch and more subtle vocalizations.
If prompts are faded out slowly, the behavior they once supported will be more likely to continue on in their absence. In contrast, the more abruptly the prompts are removed, the less likely it is that the response they once supported will survive their removal.