How to ask for a «beginner» explanation
In short
Say it straight: «explain as if to a beginner, no jargon». Viki switches to everyday analogies and stops assuming you know what a cusp and an orb are. The reverse works too: «I practise, use the terms» — and she stops explaining the basics.
Three levels
- «As if to a beginner» — no terms, through comparisons from ordinary life.
- Default — a term is named and immediately glossed in one phrase.
- «Use the terms, I practise» — no glosses, as equals.
Why say it out loud
Otherwise Viki holds the middle level: a beginner will hit patches of fog, a practitioner will tire of the spoon-feeding. One phrase tunes the whole conversation ahead.
It works pointwise too
You needn’t switch the whole mode — ask about one thing: «explain what an orb is, as if to a five-year-old». The conversation then continues in its usual register.
Useful variants
- «Explain with a life example, not terms»
- «Give me an everyday analogy»
- «Too complex, simpler please»
- «Too simple, I know this — deeper»
She’ll remember
The explanation level persists between conversations, like everything else. No need to remind her every time.
How it looks in the chat
Explain what an orb is, as if to a beginner
Imagine planets negotiating at a distance. The exact angle is when they stand right next to each other and hear each other perfectly. The orb is how far apart they can drift and still hear. Half a degree apart — a loud conversation. Eight — mumbling through a wall. Clearer?
Tune the level
One phrase — and Viki adjusts.