The Persona Shift
After this drill, you can reframe any prompt for different audiences by shifting the audience frame — and see the measurable impact on tone, vocabulary, and depth.
Why this matters
The same information lands differently depending on who receives it. A doctor explaining a diagnosis to a patient uses different language than explaining it to a colleague. A product manager explaining a feature to engineers vs. to the CEO is a different act of communication. AI can adapt to any audience — but only if you tell it who the audience is.
How to do it
- 1
Choose a concept you know well — ideally from your professional domain
Examples: how compound interest works, what machine learning does, why good nutrition matters, how a law is passed. Pick something you actually understand.
- 2
Request the same explanation for three different audiences
Use three separate prompts: one for a 10-year-old, one for a peer in your field, one for a senior executive with no technical background.
- 3
Identify three specific differences across the three responses
Look for: vocabulary changes, analogy choices, depth of explanation, assumed knowledge, tone. Write three concrete observations.
The prompt
Explain [YOUR CONCEPT] to a curious 10-year-old. Use concrete examples they would recognize from everyday life. Maximum 150 words.
Explain [YOUR CONCEPT] to a peer who works in [YOUR FIELD]. Assume they understand the fundamentals but may not have deep expertise in this specific area. Be precise and use appropriate technical vocabulary. Maximum 200 words.
Explain [YOUR CONCEPT] to a senior executive who has no technical background in this area but makes decisions that depend on understanding it. Focus on business implications and use analogies to familiar business concepts. Maximum 150 words.
Success criteria
- ✓You have three responses for three different audiences
- ✓You named three specific differences (not just "it was shorter")
- ✓You understand why the same information requires different framing for different audiences
Common mistakes
Using an abstract concept the AI doesn't have enough context about
→ Stick to established concepts with clear definitions. "Explain my startup idea" is too vague. "Explain compound interest" is perfect.
Observing only length differences
→ The real differences are in analogy choice, vocabulary level, and assumed knowledge. The executive version often uses business analogies; the child version uses physical or everyday analogies. Look for these.