Turn a complex topic into an explanation people actually get
An explanation that makes sense to you is not the same as one that makes sense to the person hearing it for the first time.
- Outcome
- An explanation built from the real point of confusion outward, tested on an actual listener and refined based on exactly where they got lost — not just a clearer-sounding version of the original explanation.
- Time
- 45-90 minutes, including testing it on someone
This workflow is part of PromptKit Pro
A handful of prompts and workflows stay free for everyone — Pro unlocks the full library, including this one, plus the guided runner.
Explanations often get polished for clarity of language while missing the actual point of confusion — the specific place where someone without the background gets lost isn't usually a wording problem, it's a missing piece the explainer forgot they already knew. This playbook finds that real confusion point first, builds the explanation outward from it, then tests it on an actual person and refines based on exactly where they get stuck, rather than guessing at what needs clarifying.
When not to use this
For a quick, low-stakes explanation where a rough version is fine, this full process is more than the moment needs. This is for an explanation that matters enough to get genuinely right.
Did this work?
A real listener, hearing the explanation for the first time, follows it without getting stuck, and you know specifically what changed between the first draft and the version that worked.
Tested on claude-opus-5. Evidence status is draft; it moves to battle-tested only on recorded runs, never by hand.