I don't even frame my requests conversationally. They usually read like brief demands, sometimes just comma delimited technologies followed by a goal. Works fine for me, but I also never prompt anything that I don't already understand how to do myself. Keeps the cart behind the horse.

I've started putting in my system prompt "keep answers brief and don't talk in the first/second person". Gets rid of all the annoying sycophancy and stops it from going on for ten paragraphs. I can ask for more details when I need it.