The simple prompt that helps you explain complicated things without overwhelming people and helps AI explain things to you without burying you.
Complexity Level: ✈️ (Two minutes, no setup)
One of the sneakiest hard parts of communication is knowing how much to say.
Too little, and you sound vague. Too much, and you bury the point.
This happens constantly in travel.
A client asks about travel insurance. A supplier explains a cancellation rule. Your host agency updates a process. You need to explain a planning fee, a passport issue, a schedule change, a price increase, or why the “cheaper” option is not really the better value.
Not only does it happen when you are explaining something to someone else, but also when you're trying to learn something yourself.
You ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or AIVIA to explain a concept, and suddenly you get six paragraphs, twelve caveats, and a vocabulary quiz you did not ask for.
We worry about AI hallucinations and bad answers, but sometimes the problem is what level of detail you want.
Meet the Three-Level Answer.
Instead of asking AI to “explain this” or “write a response,” instead, ask it to give you the answer in three levels:
Level 1: The one-sentence version
Level 2: The short helpful explanation
Level 3: The more detailed explanation with context
That is it.
You are not necessarily going to use all three versions. The point is to see the same idea at different depths so you can choose the version that fits the moment.
Here is the basic prompt to tag on to the end of just about any request:
Explain this topic in three levels: Level 1: One-sentence answer Level 2: Short helpful explanation Level 3: More detailed explanation with context Keep it clear, practical, and human. Avoid sounding overly formal or AI-written.
Simple, fast, and surprisingly useful.
Most people use AI as a writing tool, but this prompt turns it into a clarity tool.
The Three-Level Answer helps you separate the point from the explanation. It forces AI to start with the simplest possible version, then build from there.
A lot of business communication fails for one of two reasons:
The three-level format gives you a communication ladder.
Use Level 1 when someone just needs the answer.
Use Level 2 when they need a little reassurance.
Use Level 3 when the situation is sensitive, expensive, emotional, or complicated.
And when you are using AI to learn something yourself, it gives you a learning ladder.
Start simple, then decide whether you need to go deeper. You can always stop reading once you get the point (and so can your client or anyone you're writing to).
This may be the most underrated use of the prompt.
Most people ask AI: “Explain this to me.”
That is fine, but it gives the AI way too much freedom. Sometimes you get a helpful answer. Sometimes you get a textbook. Sometimes you get a confident-sounding explanation that moves too fast.
The Three-Level Answer gives you more control.
Try this:
Explain this to me in three levels: Level 1: One-sentence explanation Level 2: Plain-English explanation Level 3: Deeper explanation with examples and important nuance Assume I am smart but not an expert in this topic. Do not use jargon unless you explain it.
Topic: [paste topic]
This works for almost anything you are trying to understand:
For example:
Explain the difference between an AI prompt, a custom GPT, and an AI automation in three levels: Level 1: One-sentence explanation Level 2: Plain-English explanation Level 3: Deeper explanation with examples and important nuance Assume I am a travel advisor who uses AI but is not technical.
Or:
Explain this supplier cancellation policy in three levels: Level 1: One-sentence summary Level 2: Plain-English explanation Level 3: More detailed explanation with what I should watch out for as a travel advisor Policy: [paste policy]
This also helps you avoid one of the biggest traps with AI: accepting an answer before you actually understand it.
Level 1 gives you the headline.
Level 2 gives you the working version.
Level 3 gives you the nuance.
That sequence lets you build understanding instead of being dropped into the deep end.
The Three-Level Answer is also useful when you are thinking through your own operations.
Before you ask AI to solve a problem, ask it to explain the problem back to you in three levels.
For example:
Explain supplier commission tracking in three levels: Level 1: One-sentence explanation of the issue Level 2: Short helpful explanation of why it matters Level 3: More detailed explanation with operational risks, common failure points, and improvement ideas Assume I run a travel business and want to understand the issue clearly.
This helps you figure out what kind of problem you are really dealing with.
Is it a simple task? a process issue? or maybe a bigger system problem hiding underneath the surface?
If not the most helpful use, this is probably the most obvious use case.
Clients often ask questions where the factual answer is only part of the issue.
For example:
“Why do you charge a planning fee?”
Instead of swiftly and sarcastically replying, "Do you work for free?", instead you could ask AI:
Explain why a travel advisor charges a planning fee in three levels: Level 1: One-sentence answer Level 2: Short helpful explanation Level 3: More detailed explanation with context Make it warm, confident, and client-friendly. Do not sound defensive.
You might use Level 1 in a quick text.
You might use Level 2 in an email.
You might use Level 3 to prepare for a phone conversation.
The same approach works for:
The prompt helps you find the right balance between too brief and sounding like a policy document.
This one is less obvious, but very useful.
Sometimes you need to give feedback to a supplier, BDM, hotel partner, cruise line, tour operator, DMC, or other travel partner.
Maybe a client had a poor experience. Maybe a quote was unclear. Maybe a booking issue created extra work. Maybe the product was good, but the communication was not.
You can use the Three-Level Answer to clarify your feedback before sending it.
Try this:
I need to give constructive feedback to a supplier partner. Turn this feedback into three levels: Level 1: One-sentence summary of the issue Level 2: Short professional explanation Level 3: Detailed explanation with context, impact, and suggested improvement Keep the tone firm, fair, and relationship-preserving. Raw feedback: [paste your notes]
Feedback often comes out either too soft or too emotional.
Level 1 forces you to name the issue clearly.
Level 2 gives you the clean professional version.
Level 3 helps you explain the impact without rambling.
You still own the message, but AI just helps you organize it before you send it.
The same thing works when you are asking your host agency, consortia, support team, or internal operations team for help.
A lot of support requests are harder to resolve because the actual issue is buried inside a long message.
Before you send the request, ask AI to structure it in three levels:
I need to ask my host agency for help with this issue. Turn my notes into three levels: Level 1: One-sentence summary of the issue Level 2: Short support request with the key facts Level 3: Detailed version with timeline, impact, what I have already tried, and what I need next Keep it clear, respectful, and easy for a support team to act on. My notes: [paste notes]
This is especially useful when the issue involves commissions, booking records, supplier follow-up, technology problems, client documentation, or anything with multiple steps.
The better you explain the issue, the easier it is for someone to help you.
The Three-Level Answer is also great when you are teaching.
If you have an assistant, associate (sub-agent), new advisor, or team member, use this prompt to turn what you know into something someone else can follow.
For example:
Explain how we handle a new client inquiry in three levels: Level 1: One-sentence overview Level 2: Short explanation of the process Level 3: Detailed explanation with steps, decision points, and common mistakes Make it useful for a new travel advisor.
This can turn something you understand instinctively into training, checklists, and repeatable systems. A lot of expertise lives in your head, and using AI like this can help you get it out of your head and into a format someone else can use.
This tip is really about range. Strong communicators know how to match the depth of the explanation to the moment, but sometimes it's hard to know what the moment calls for, so this allows you to send all three.
A busy client may need one sentence.
An anxious client may need context.
A supplier may need specific operational feedback.
A support team may need clean facts.
A new team member may need the full explanation.
And when you are learning something yourself, you may need the simple version before you are ready for the detailed version.
AI can help you move between those levels quickly.
Pick one thing you need to understand or explain:
A planning fee. Travel insurance. Cancellation penalties. Passport rules. A supplier policy. A new AI feature. A commission issue. Why do you recommend one resort over another? Why a client should not wait to book.
Paste it into AI and use this prompt:
Explain this in three levels: Level 1: One-sentence answer Level 2: Short helpful explanation Level 3: More detailed explanation with context Make it clear, practical, and natural. Audience: [me / client / supplier / host agency / team member] Topic: [paste topic]
Then do not just copy the output. Read the three levels and ask yourself, "Which version is actually needed right now?"
– Keep building with AI,
Jason
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