I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Independence Day holiday and that our sports fans across the network are enjoying watching Team USA in the World Cup (or at least Joey Chestnut in the Nathan’s annual 4th of July hot dog eating contest. That’s a sport, apparently).
Now, as summer is in full swing, I want to share something that most of you haven’t seen. Since appearing on the HAR*Wired virtual conference a few weeks ago where I spoke about practical AI, I’ve started sharing an (almost) daily AI Tip for travel advisors. They’re usually short and practical notes on getting real work out of AI tools without the hype.
I want to share a recent one with all of you here that can be especially useful, even if you’re not an AI enthusiast:
One of the hardest parts of good communication is knowing how much to say.
Too little, and you sound vague. Too much, and you bury the point. Hitting the right balance is a constant challenge.
A client asks about travel insurance. A supplier explains a cancellation rule. 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, in our network, AIVIA, our AI-powered business partner for travel advisors, 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 bigger problem is just getting an answer that matches the 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:
That’s 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/question/issue 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, technical, 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.
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).
Use it when asking AI to explain something to you
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 modified version specific to explanations:
“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. The sequence lets you build understanding instead of being dropped into the deep end.
As I said, this one came out of the "AI for Travel Advisors" email I have been writing lately. You can read the full post for more details and prompt examples.
Best Success,
Jason
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