Build a Small Glossary Before Asking AI to Explain Technical Notes

Simplifying a technical note can introduce error when an assistant replaces a precise term with a familiar but different one. Prepare a small glossary and an audience statement before requesting the rewrite. Keep definitions tied to the source material.

Set up a practical example

For a fictional project note, distinguish a draft, a scheduled release and a public release. Explain which terms must remain exact and which can be followed by a plain-language explanation. Avoid asking for a universal definition when the term has a specific meaning inside your project.

Ask the assistant to rewrite one paragraph first. Require it to preserve the relationships between components and to mark any term it cannot explain from the supplied notes. An unanswered question is more useful than an elegant analogy that changes the mechanism.

Verify before proceeding

Compare the rewrite with the original. Check whether a possibility became a guarantee, whether a prerequisite disappeared and whether the analogy implies something the system cannot do. Remove an analogy when its limitations take more work to explain than the original term.

After review, reuse the glossary for the remaining passages. Update it when the project meaning changes. The glossary supports consistency; it does not substitute for subject-matter review or establish that the original technical note was correct.