Explainer Tip: Stop Talking About Technology

The following post is a part of a series called "Explainer Tips" where we share lessons we've learned in crafting explanations.

You likely have friends and family members who consider themselves non-technical.  When discussion turns to anything related to computer, they throw up their hands and say "I just don't get tech stuff!"  The truth is, this is the vast majority of people.  And it's completely understandable why they feel this way. Technology can be very intimidating and many of the most popular tools are poorly designed for a new user.

But it's not just technology - it's how we talk about technology.  The most simple and user friendly tools can sound intimidating if we insist on using terms like XML, extranet, APIs, etc.  There is no end to confusing technology language.

The next time a novice asks you about technology, here are questions I want you to ask yourself: 

• How can I explain this without talking about technology?
• Can I use a real-world example to explain this instead of the actual technology?
• What is this person likely to understand that I can use as a comparison?

A classic example is email.  Let's say your long lost uncle emerges from the woods and says "What's email?"  You have a choice: You can tell him about computers, SMTP, domains and headers or think of something that he already understands, like the Postal Service. To make it easy for your uncle, forget technology and start by talking about snail mail.  Establish the value of being able to communicate written messages over long distance.  Talk about using pens and typewriters.  Talk about how long it takes and why it's painful. He will get it.  Then, the jump to technology is easier.  Email is the same as sending a letter but more efficient because we have computers instead of pens and typewriters.

By taking technology out of the picture in the beginning and speaking in recognizable terms, you can prevent your audience from throwing up their hands and saying "I don't get technology!"  Instead, you're offering an invitation - an introduction to the subject that speaks in their language and lives in their world.

Other Explainer Tips:

Make People Care

Remember the Curse of Knowledge

View With Comments

Help Common Craft Reduce Confusion - rPath's Cloud Computing Video UPDATED

Updated: The issue described below has been resolved. You can read about it here.

While we are happy to be an inspiration for educators and individuals, sometimes we see examples of commercial organizations that choose to make videos that cause potential confusion. When a video uses paper cut-outs on a whiteboard and "in Plain English" in the title, people may mistake it for part of the Common Craft video series. This confusion compromises the hard work we've put into building the Common Craft brand of "in Plain English" videos.

When this happens, we often take a reasonable approach as a first step: we ask them to simply change the title to reduce confusion.

Unfortunately, one company has not been so reasonable. A tech company called rPath made a video called "Cloud Computing in Plain English" that uses animated versions of paper cut-outs on a white background. Despite our multiple requests, they (via their IP attorneys) refuse to change the title of the video.

So, aside from potential legal action, we're motivated to make sure that confusion is reduced. We have our own "Cloud Computing in Plain English" video in the works and we want to ensure that rPath's video is not confused with our video.

So our purpose is clear: The Cloud Computing video by rPath, despite the title and appearances, is in no way related to Common Craft.  Common Craft did not work with rPath in any way.

If you would like to help us reduce this confusion (without linking to the rPath website) it would be appreciated. Might I suggest a comment on their video? Commenting has been turned off.

---

UPDATED:  I knew this would happen. rPath is now hiding/deleting the comments on the YouTube video and has turned off commenting completely. That's OK, I managed to grab a few screenshots (below) because I figured they didn't really want to hear what people think about this issue. Thanks to everyone that has commented!

Update 2: The rPath folks have changed the description on the YouTube video page to say "**Not affiliated with Common Craft. If you're interested in Common Craft, visit: http://www.commoncraft.com**" I appreciate them making this change.

Update 3: Jake from rPath has left a comment on this blog post ("rPath Responds" below) and we have been in toch via email.  I will take Jake at his word when he says he didin't know about Common Craft when the video was made.  Of course, as I told him, knowing then and refusing to make a change to make it right now are two different things.

 

View With Comments

Explainer Tip: Make People Care

The following post is a part of a series called "Explainer Tips" where we share lessons we've learned in crafting explanations.

Looking back on my education, one thing becomes clear: I was a not a good math student. What I've learned since then, is that I had the potential to enjoy math, but there was a mismatch between the way I needed to learn and the way I was taught. I wrote about this previously in a post called "Talkin Bout My Education." Math turned me off because it seemed like memorization and formulas with no context. I had a hard time seeing the big picture. Had someone been able to help me care about math, to see why it mattered, I might not have recurring math-related dreams to this day.

This brings us to one of the big things we've learned: Explanations should make the audience care. Without this focus, an explanation is more likely to fall on deaf or daydreaming ears. In my case, math classes seem to drone on and on because I never fully understood why it mattered.

When it comes to your explanations, remember to spend time on building context. Early on, give the audience a way to see why their time is well-spent listening to your points. If you go too quickly to the how-tos and click-heres, you're likely to lose some people.

Of course, we're believers that brevity is important as well. There's a balance - you may not be able to get into as many details if you focus on context. From our perspective - context wins. Here's why: making people care is the hard part.  Time spent on making people care creates motivation that can last long after the explanation is over.  Once someone believes that the subject matters to them, they're more likely to listen to the explanation and go looking for details.  And that's what making people care is all about - helping people develop a new interest.

So, how do you make someone care? Future posts in this series will help to answer this question - it's one of the biggest. For now, I'll start with this tip:

Make a connection to a real world problem.  For example, to explain a new mobile phone service, don't start with features or shortcuts. Instead, tell a story about a real world problem that everyday people experience.  For example, you could start with "If you take the bus, you know how frustrating it can be. You never know when it will arrive." These words say nothing about a mobile phone, features or brands. Your introduction is focused on the context and the problem.  By making statements that reflect real-world problems, the audience can quickly say "I know that feeling!" Helping them with this realization is the goal.

This way, your explanation has a hook - something that grabs the attention of the audience and helps them feel that the explanation could be worth their time.  And ultimately, that's the value proposition - spend time with this explanation and you'll learn about something that applies to your life.

Other Explainer Tips:

Stop Talking About Technology

Remember the Curse of Knowledge

View With Comments