Session 2 — Ask Anything, Explained Simply

Some letters seem written to confuse you. Today you’ll learn to hand any confusing page to your helper and simply say, “Explain this to me in plain words.” In two minutes, you’ll understand it.

You already know how to ask a question. This is the same thing, pointed at the things that make your day harder than it needs to be.

What you’ll learn today

You’ll learn to take something puzzling — a letter, a bill, a warranty, a scary headline — and ask your helper to make it plain. You can either type a few lines from it, or take a photo of it and let the helper read it for you. Then you ask the question that matters most: “What does this mean for me?”

The confusing letter

Say a letter arrives from Medicare. It’s a full page of small print, and one line reads:

“This is not a bill. Your provider has submitted a claim; your explanation of benefits reflects the adjudicated amount.”

You read it three times and still aren’t sure: do I owe money or not?

Here’s all you do. You open your helper and say, in your own plain words:

“I got a letter from Medicare and I don’t understand it. It says: ‘This is not a bill. Your provider has submitted a claim; your explanation of benefits reflects the adjudicated amount.’ What does this mean for me? Do I owe anything?”

And it answers, gently, like a patient friend:

“Good news — this is not a bill, so you don’t need to pay anything right now. It’s just a summary telling you that your doctor sent a request to Medicare, and Medicare has finished reviewing it. If any money is owed later, a separate bill would come. For anything about your specific coverage, your Medicare office can confirm the details.”

That’s it. The fog lifts. You didn’t need to call anyone or wait on hold — you just asked.

You don’t have to type it all

If the letter is long, you don’t have to type every word. You can take a photo of it with your phone and let the helper read the page for you. We’ll practice the camera more in Session 5, but know that it’s there. For now, even typing a sentence or two is plenty — the helper is very good at filling in the rest.

And you can always ask a follow-up. If part of the answer is still unclear, just say, “Explain that last part again, even simpler.” There’s no limit, and no wrong way to ask.

Practice right here

Below this page is a little practice panel called “Make It Plain.” No app needed, nothing to install — it’s right here for you.

You’ll see a few snippets of the kind of confusing wording that shows up in real life: an insurance line, a line from a medical note, a bit of legal fine print. Tap “Explain it simply” under any one of them, and the plain-English version appears right below it.

Tap around as much as you like. You can’t break anything, and nobody is watching. This is just to show you how good it feels to have the confusing made clear.

Now try it on your phone

Let’s do one for real. Find any ordinary piece of mail or a page with wording you find fussy — a warranty card, an appliance manual, a phone bill. Nothing private — skip anything with an account number or your Social Security number on it.

1. Open the ChatGPT app on your phone. (Not set up yet? Appendix A walks you through it, one step at a time.)
2. Tap the little microphone button so you can just talk, or tap the message box to type.
3. Say or type: “I have a letter I don’t understand. I’m going to read you a bit of it.”
4. Read out one or two sentences from the page, then add: “What does this mean for me, in plain words?”
5. Read the answer. If any of it is still murky, say: “Say that again, even simpler.”

That’s the whole skill. One page, one question, a clear answer.

A few friendly tips

• Always add “for me.” “What does this mean for me?” turns a general explanation into advice about your actual situation.
• Keep private numbers to yourself. Never type or read out a password, a bank number, a card number, or a Social Security number. You never need those to get something explained.
• It’s a helpful starting point, not the last word. For anything about your health, your money, or a legal matter, use the plain-English answer to understand the letter — then confirm the specifics with your doctor, your bank, or the office that sent it.
• Ask again freely. “Simpler.” “Shorter.” “What should I do next?” Each follow-up is free, and the helper never tires of you.

You did it

Look what you can do now: hand any baffling page to your helper and get it back in plain, kind words. The letters that used to sit in a worry-pile can be understood in a minute — by you, on your own.

“Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days” (Job 12:12, ESV). You’ve gathered plenty of both. This is just one more small tool to make the days a little lighter.

Up next: Session 3 — letting your helper write warm, easy notes for you, from a thank-you to a message for a grandchild.